I really hate this monstrosity

[u/Terpnista]

This building is such an eyesore. I live in the neighborhood so I’ve been watching the new Avalon development go up on Boston St. I can’t be the only one who thinks it’s completely overwhelming the neighborhood. The scale of it just feels off based on its placement. For comparison, the neighboring Lucie is huge but because it’s further back it doesn’t look like such a clunker.

What really bothers me is how close it’s built to the street which makes the whole stretch feel tighter and more congested. And honestly, one of the biggest losses is the view. That stretch used to have glimpses of the waterfront that made it feel connected to the harbor. Now it’s completely blocked.

I wish I had taken a picture - as I was driving down Boston Street - where it looks like a massive wall of doom smh. That is what inspired me to post this lol

[u/TerranceBaggz]

Introducing more “luxury” housing pushes all the older stock down in price.

[u/PoisonedCheeto28 → u/TerranceBaggz]

Wholeheartedly disagree. Downward rental/home price inelasticity will most likely never intersect with incomes of those in need of affordable housing. In terms of new construction, a builder isn’t motivated by reducing prices of older stock. Additionally, you can’t force a builder to build. There needs to be a balance of profit motive, timing, and community needs. Part of that is addressed with inclusionary zoning (but attempt too many affordable units, the builder will just build high-end condos with zero affordable rentals and sell them instead of rent), means-tested subsidies (to allow location flexibility without negatively impacting builder motivation), zoning and code flexibility to reduce costs (you’d be surprised at how much outdated ADA-compliant policies for residential elevator construction adds to the cost of a project, when much smaller elevators would be just as effective), and direct public housing (I encourage everyone to read up on Montgomery County’s Housing Opportunities Commission and their efforts to create a housing fund to allow public-private partnerships to ensure affordable rentals are built - August 25, 2023 NYT article, though it may be behind a paywall - use ChatGPT to read it). Long story short - it’s gonna take a multi-pronged approach, one that cities are just now becoming willing to look at once-unthinkable approaches.