Readville

What's the deal with Angelo Scaccia?

adamg — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:21:48 -0400

Seems like the only time you ever hear of this guy, the august state rep from Hyde Park (and my small sliver of Roslindale) is when he manages to grind the legislature to a halt over some issue that doesn't involve his district at all (anybody remember how he tied up the disposition of the old Boston State Hospital for years?). This time: A liquor license for some supermarket in Westwood.

Via Robert David Sullivan.

Bridge to Nowhere?

dmk — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:25:54 -0400

For a long time, and likely longer than most would like to remember, the River Street Bridge over Mother Brook (that run down cement bridge by Kelly Field) has been in need of repair or replacement, and has long had a restriction on one side which has been outlined by "Jersey Barriers."

Sometime last night, people on e-distribution for Police District E-18 got a message from CitizenObserver.Com (the BPD's e-blast service) announcing the bridge would close to traffic in one direction starting this coming Monday, July 28 in order to perform repairs.

Good advice

adamg — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:38:37 -0400

Sign on the side of an Amtrak track-repair vehicle at the Readville commuter-rail stop.

The largest housing proposal you've never heard of

adamg — Sun, 20 May 2007 12:23:38 -0400

Neponset Village is so large it would actually make Boston physically bigger.

Developers have proposed turning the old 100-acre Stop & Shop warehouse complex in Readville into a development of 1,850 one-, two- and three-bedroom houses. Key problem: Half the land actually sits in Dedham, but Dedham couldn't provide municipal services because there are no roads into the land from its side. Plus, Dedham doesn't want any more housing. So the developer has proposed paying Dedham a lump sum to let Boston annex the land. It would be the first time Boston grew through annexation since 1912, when it took over the town of Hyde Park. Dedham Town Meeting, the Boston City Council and the state Legislature would all have to approve (more from the Globe).

Boston already has a Neponset Village, but probably a bigger issue would be all the traffic that would flow onto Neponset Valley Parkway and other nearby roads. The impact on local schools might be another issue.

Aerial photo of the site (via MassGIS). The red line is the Dedham/Boston line. The proposed development would take down the large buildings in the lower center and would include all the land up to the housing just to its north and some of the land just south of the parking area. The white "line" heading to the northeast is the sole road access to the property, coming out on the parkway. Due north of the parcel, where the two rail lines come together, is Readville station. The squiggly line where the red ends is the Neponset River, which also divides Boston from Milton.

Deconstructing the Sprague Street Bridge

adamg — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 21:23:30 -0500

It's kind of sad watching the Sprague Street Bridge in Readville come down. Not only does it just feel like it belongs where it is - a faded relic of a faded industrial past right in the middle of a train yard/junction - it has all these really cool shapes and angles that will be replaced by some boring looking concrete thing. At the same time, if it must come down, a temporary pedestrian bridge next to the old span lets you get a really interesting, up close view of a bridge being slowly taken apart.

Ever vigilant

adamg — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:20:02 -0500

Todesca plows anxiously await word of snow in their yard off Wolcott Square in Readville today.

State finally shuts major Readville bridge - and boy is he upset

adamg — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 15:22:50 -0500

Two years after it was initially scheduled for replacement, Readville's gateway to East Dedham, the Sprague Street bridge, has finally been shut down for demolition. The Joe is none too pleased that the project will take two years:

WTF!?!?!? I NEED THAT BRIDGE!!! The detour is like 10+ minutes!! It's useless to use the detour cause it will be quicker to go someplace further away! ARRRGHHH! ...

It took the Romans 10 years to build the Coliseum using wooden pullys and rope, so in theory it should take us 3 months to take down and build a new bridge using my logic (which is fool-proof). I'm pissed, I really am. I liked that bridge. It was a cool, helpful, well traveled bridge. It's going to hurt local businesses big time. I won't be surprised to see some of them close shop and its going to hurt my trips to DD's and my favorite pizza joint. ...

Sprague Street Bridge photos before the demolition began.

Avast ye Dedham swabbies - prepare to be boarded, arrrr

adamg — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 22:41:41 -0400

DedhamBlog marvels that Boston officials are considering a request to the Legislature to let them annex part of Dedham so that a developer can turn the old Stop & Shop warehouse complex on the Readville/Dedham line into a housing development:

... I'd say (Campanelli Companies) must have some pretty deep pockets or some really good friends in high places, but probably both. After all, they're considering a land transfer that hasn't been done in nearly a hundred years with the owners of this housing development as the sole beneficiaries.

Readville development update

adamg — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 09:09:38 -0400

DedhamBlog files a report on a recent Dedham Planning Board meeting on plans to turn the old Readville railyard into that rarest of inside-128 things: An actual subdivision (72 single-family homes):

... The major concerns of almost all these residents was traffic, and nobody who lives inside 128 is going to argue with them there. A number of these roads along the Dedham side of the yard are very quiet with little pass-through traffic. The roads on the Boston side are busy, but manageable as the residents indicate. The issue is, what happens when you add 72 new homes to the area AND open up new access roads across these neighborhoods from Boston to Dedham and points west? The answer, everyone who thinks its a shortcut will take it, whether its a private way or not. ...

The smallest post office in Boston?

adamg — Sat, 06 May 2006 23:18:12 -0400

The Readville post office on Neponset Valley Parkway. Above the door of the post office (built in 1943), it reads:

READVILLE STA.
BOSTON 36 MASS.