84 replies to this topic

[Jerry2]

runawayjim, on Apr 5 2006, 11:03 AM, said:

is the term latino better? i actually know that mexican-americans also hate being grouped with puerto ricans, and i think brazilians do as well.

Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and other latino ethnic groups that come here are not. It's pure envy.

[Jerry2]

I live in Smith Hill and love it. I'm glad the area is slowly coming around....just wish it(redevelopment) would extend a little further out down Smith....The junction of Chalkstone and Smith needs something like they just did in Olneyville...a major square renovation.

[runawayjim]

Jerry02908, on Apr 5 2006, 11:22 AM, said:

I live in Smith Hill and love it. I'm glad the area is slowly coming around....just wish it(redevelopment) would extend a little further out down Smith....The junction of Chalkstone and Smith needs something like they just did in Olneyville...a major square renovation.

agreed. i'd like to see a nice square renovation at the intersection of admiral and douglas. it has the potential to be a pretty decent area. it's frequented by PC students because it's walking distance for them. it's got some restaurants that do mainly takeout and it's got some bars. it needs more. LJ's was a major loss for that area.

[Dan]

Jerry02908, on Apr 5 2006, 09:22 AM, said:

I live in Smith Hill and love it. I'm glad the area is slowly coming around....just wish it(redevelopment) would extend a little further out down Smith....The junction of Chalkstone and Smith needs something like they just did in Olneyville...a major square renovation.

I was thinking about this today for Atwells Ave. and Valley St. Major overhaul. Some kind of office building (SE parcel) or (SW parcel) bar - restaurant with offices or apartments above. It would blend with the multi unit houses on Atwells which are built to the street, but might be built higher. There's lots of surface parking in the Blockbuster Video lot near that corner. The intersection sits at the lowpoint of the valley, so some height is appropriate. Its the crossing between Federal Hill, Olneyville, and the Promenade District, so a major overhaul would make this neighborhood shine.

DOT can finally resurface Atwells Ave. (and sidewalks?) during construction. Dream on...

[americabizarro]

Does anyone know the deal with the old ValueLand store on Smith Street? I hear that PC bought the derelict store and huge parking lot for like $1.25M, couldn't make it work for their plans, so put it back on the block for like $2.5M. Any truth to it? And are there any other abandoned sites (Apex-like stores; mini malls, etc) like this out there?

[Dan]

Smith Hill thread

[runawayjim]

americabizarro, on Apr 17 2006, 08:39 PM, said:

Does anyone know the deal with the old ValueLand store on Smith Street? I hear that PC bought the derelict store and huge parking lot for like $1.25M, couldn't make it work for their plans, so put it back on the block for like $2.5M. Any truth to it? And are there any other abandoned sites (Apex-like stores; mini malls, etc) like this out there?

here's what i've heard... PC wanted to use the property for sports fields. the land has a lot of toxic waste that would've needed to be cleaned up before converting to sports fields. the college doesn't have the money to spend on that as it would've added a lot of extra cost. so they put it back up for sale. it's possible that the value of the property did increase, but i am not sure what exactly they're trying to sell it for. i do know they did use the property as a parking lot of the construction workers when they built the new dorm and academic building that were completed about a year or so ago.

[Jerry2]

Wow! In 3 weeks, the Tim Horton's site on Douglas went from an abandoned lot to a fully-constructed building! Imagine if all development in this city went that quickly after they attained the final permits. Also, the Irish-bar-illegal gambling parlor-Mafia holdout next door to this site that mysteriously burned in a fire last month is undergoing new construction and renovation.....Hmm

[Frankie811]

Jerry02908, on May 20 2006, 09:37 AM, said:

Wow! In 3 weeks, the Tim Horton's site on Douglas went from an abandoned lot to a fully-constructed building! Imagine if all development in this city went that quickly after they attained the final permits. Also, the Irish-bar-illegal gambling parlor-Mafia holdout next door to this site that mysteriously burned in a fire last month is undergoing new construction and renovation.....Hmm

Jerry, our man on Smith Hill! Do you know how the bed & breakfasts that are on Brownell/Common St are doing?

[Jerry2]

Frankie811, on May 21 2006, 06:14 AM, said:

Jerry, our man on Smith Hill! Do you know how the bed & breakfasts that are on Brownell/Common St are doing?

I don't know. I would imagine they're doing just fine. They attract parents of college students attending PC. If I'm walking around , I get people asking me directions. If it's not PP Mall, it's the bed & breakfast.

Jerry02908, on May 20 2006, 10:37 AM, said:

Wow! In 3 weeks, the Tim Horton's site on Douglas went from an abandoned lot to a fully-constructed building! Imagine if all development in this city went that quickly after they attained the final permits. Also, the Irish-bar-illegal gambling parlor-Mafia holdout next door to this site that mysteriously burned in a fire last month is undergoing new construction and renovation.....Hmm

Tim Horton's built right to the street with this building too. Although there will be surface parking, Douglas is poised to look a lot better as this site has been a trash-strewn lot for well over 15 years.

[CtownMikey]

http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_2...9.1255b9c2.html

[runawayjim]

CtownMikey, on May 23 2006, 01:49 PM, said:

http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_2...9.1255b9c2.html

that'll be nice... i wonder if they'll fix sidewalks in all of elmhurst...

[Jerry2]

CtownMikey, on May 23 2006, 01:49 PM, said:

http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_2...9.1255b9c2.html

Who's going to empty them? If Waterplace or the riverwalk are any indicators....

[Recchia]

I saw on the news the other night a groundbreaking for affordable condos/townhouses on Smith Hill. Anyone know the specifics?

[runawayjim]

Recchia, on Jun 11 2006, 11:18 AM, said:

I saw on the news the other night a groundbreaking for affordable condos/townhouses on Smith Hill. Anyone know the specifics?

do you know where?

[Cotuit]

runawayjim, on Jun 11 2006, 12:41 PM, said:

do you know where?

Douglas Ave. Capitol Something-or-other. Affordable 1-3 bedrooms running $180k-260k(?).

[eltron]

Cotuit, on Jun 11 2006, 01:16 PM, said:

Douglas Ave. Capitol Something-or-other. Affordable 1-3 bedrooms running $180k-260k(?).

Its an excellent mixed-use building. Storefronts on the street, two floors of condos above. Donald Powers is the architect. I have seen several renderings and it is a really high quality design. Developer is Smith Hill Community Development Corporation.

[Cotuit]

eltron, on Jun 12 2006, 09:56 AM, said:

Its an excellent mixed-use building. Storefronts on the street, two floors of condos above. Donald Powers is the architect. I have seen several renderings and it is a really high quality design. Developer is Smith Hill Community Development Corporation.

I started a thread about it here.

[runawayjim]

according to the agenda for tomorrow's board of licenses meeting, the tim horton's that's opening on douglas wants to be open until 4am!

[Recchia]

runawayjim, on Sep 12 2006, 04:08 PM, said:

according to the agenda for tomorrow's board of licenses meeting, the tim horton's that's opening on douglas wants to be open until 4am!

Smart move being close to PC.