Tuesday brought the news that a developer had submitted plans for a 36-unit, four-story apartment building called SOBO Place. That's SOBO as in South Boston (the development would be located at 55 West 5th Street). That got us to thinking of neighborhood names that are just kind of hanging there in the ether, waiting to be realized. Not nicknames, per se, such as the ill-starred (we think) SoBo, but new names for changing areas. Here are four such Boston areas that need such names.
The D Street Corridor
The corridor through Southie has seen some serious development in the last few years, including the newish Aloft and Element hotels, the West Square apartment complex, and one of the more successful new parks in New England in quite a while, the Lawn on D. The convention center expansion might be on ice, but the D Street corridor (Dorrider?) is undeniably different than it was at the start of the decade and increasingly distinct from the rest of Southie.
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Where the North End Meets the West End
There's tons going on in this area. For starters, construction got underway earlier this year on the Hub at Causeway, a multi-pronged project on the site of the old Boston Garden that will unleash 1.5 million square feet of apartments, hotel rooms, offices, and retail, including Boston's biggest supermarket. Part of it is rendered above.
There's also the 239-unit apartment project on the Bulfinch Triangle site known as Parcel 1B. It's being called the biggest workforce- and affordable-housing project in Boston in a quarter-century. And then there's the newish Lovejoy Wharf, which already includes Converse's new HQ and will include 175 parking-less condos. Maybe call it Northwest, with apologies to Kanye and Kim?
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Northeast Corner of the South End
More than a dozen large-scale projects are planned, going up, or recently completed in this area where I-93 meets the Turnpike, including the multifaceted Ink Block, the Lucas church conversion (rendered), and the block-long 575 Albany Street. We're talking thousands of new condos and apartments, and thousands of new residents to fill them. And a Whole Foods. Gritty this area ain't anymore. Maybe the Nines after the intersecting Interstates? Help us out.
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On Brighton's Edge
One slowly opening development is creating what's been called a new western gateway for Boston. The 15-acre Boston Landing in Brighton already includes a 250,000-square-foot headquarters for sneaker kingpin and lead developer New Balance (part of it is pictured above); and will soon include flourishes such as a hotel, a practice rink for the Bruins, a practice center for the Celtics, and housing. Boston Landing also spawned a fresh commuter-rail station. This sounds like a candidate for a sub-neighborhood name. Perhaps the Edge. "I live on the Edge in Brighton." Too precious?
- Oh, Come On: Developer Proposes Calling New Building on W. 5 Street SOBO Place [Hub]
- A New Southie Star(wood) Property Is Born: Aloft Seaport [Curbed Boston]
- Here's How Mind-Blowing the Lawn on D Maze Will Be [Curbed Boston]
- The Hub at Causeway: the Details on the Big TD Garden Party [Curbed Boston]
- Construction to Start on Big Bulfinch Triangle Project [Curbed Boston]
- Four Developments Rocking Boston's World Right Now [Curbed Boston]
- South End's Tallest New Building to Rise as Part of 710-Unit Development [Curbed Boston]
- At the New Ink Block, Even the Men's Room Is Worth Seeing [Curbed Boston]
- The 11 Projects Transforming Boston's South End Forever [Curbed Boston]
- Inside the Spaceship: New Balance's Boston Landing HQ [Curbed Boston]
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