Criterion Development Partners profile

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{4 years, 8 months ago}

Hi Patricia- Sorry for the delay. You'll find the information you requested in the response to your prior comment.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{4 years, 8 months ago}

Hi Patricia- We appreciate your interest in The Residences at Forest Hills but unfortunately we're not quire ready for leasing.

If you are interested in an affordable unit, we suggest that you subscribe to The City of Boston's MetroList at https://www.boston.gov/metrolist/subscribe. If you scroll down and provide your email address the City will notify you directly when applications for the lottery are available. It may be 3 to 4 months before applications are available.

If you are interested in a market-rate unit, keep an eye out for leasing signs at the site in a few months, or you can send an email to info@criteriondp.com and request that you be notified when leasing gets underway.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{4 years, 8 months ago}

Hi Glorivettd - Before applications can be accepted, the City of Boston must approve our marketing plan and we think that's still several months away. We suggest that you go to the City of Boston's MetroList website at https://www.boston.gov/metrolist/subscribe, scroll down and enter your email address. When applications for the lottery are available, you will be notified directly by the City.

Thank you for your interest!

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{5 years, 4 months ago}

Thank you, Richard. There have been challenges working adjacent to an ongoing roadway construction project but we are excited to see the transformation of this portion of the Arborway. We know our neighbors have waited a long time for these improvements and have dealt with a lot of changes. We are working hard to minimize any additional inconvenience during construction of our Project and appreciate our neighbors' patience.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{5 years, 4 months ago}

Hi Adrienne- The Orchardhill Road restoration should be complete by the end of this week, weather permitting. Have a good day.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{5 years, 4 months ago}

Patrice- We understand the critical demand for affordable housing and appreciate that this can sometimes lead to the frustrating results you describe. We worked hard to maximize the affordable component of the Project and will be adding 50 new units at this location. As of today, we are in the early stages of project construction and estimate that it will be at least 15 months before the first building will be open to tenants. Over the next 6 months, we will be developing a marketing and tenant selection plan in consultation with the City of Boston’s Office of Fair Housing and Equity and the Boston Planning & Development Agency. Upon approval, we will post information on this website about the units, tenant eligibility, public informational meetings and the housing lottery process. Please check back and be on the lookout for updates on the Project.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{5 years, 5 months ago}

Hi Adrienne - We did do work within Washington Street and Orchardhill Road to make utility connections and we will definitely be returning the surfaces to their improved state. Orchardhill Road will be done sooner as there was only one connection being made there. Let me check on the timing and I will provide an update. Thank you.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{5 years, 8 months ago}

Hi Clay- We did encounter some automobile parts but nothing readily distinguishable as to type or age. If we do find anything of interest we will be sure to share the news.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{5 years, 11 months ago}

Hi Sam - We are working on obtaining the last of our permits and hope to start construction early next year. When we have an official construction start date we will post an update. Thank you for your interest and Happy Holidays.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 3 months ago}

Thanks for your support Kieran and Adam! With our major approvals in hand, we are working on construction documents and the remaining local and state approvals. We are hoping to start construction by the end of the year and will be using the coUrbanize platform to keep everyone up to date on construction operations. As we've said before, we do not have enough space for a full-size grocery store but we are talking to non-traditional and local grocery operators to see if we can make something work. Stay posted!!

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 7 months ago}

We agree with you, Jennifer. While we don't have enough retail space for a traditional grocery store we are looking at some other options. We'll keep the community posted. Thanks.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 8 months ago}

Hi Sarah. Apologies for the delayed response. We have been working very closely with DCR and MassDOT to ensure that the proposed landscaped pocket park at the corner is compatible with the Casey Overpass Project improvements. We think that the proposed park that includes seating walls, a walkway and plantings makes great use of this area that otherwise would be left primarily as a grassed slope. Thank you for your interest!

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 8 months ago}

Sorry for the delay in responding Leslie. Yes, the affordable units will be open to Section 8 Voucher holders. However, it will be a while before that application process begins as we have many approvals to obtain before we can start construction. If we obtain the approvals, we anticipate that units would be available in Spring 2018.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Peter-
The BPDA is amenable to helping us develop a parking permit restriction for our tenants that would be enforceable by the City. As for changes to the existing neighborhood parking restrictions, CDP will work with the City to define the options and relay the information to interested neighbors. CDP will also assist the neighbors and/or the City in preparing paperwork necessary to initiate any neighborhood-approved changes.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Clay - CDP does appreciate that importance of the Arborway as a public amenity and we have met with DCR and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy to review our proposal. Our research shows that the project site is buffered from the Arborway by the old Morton Street right-of-way. However, in response to your and others' concerns we are creating an additional 10 feet of landscaped setback in this area. These changes are underway and we'll post them when they're available.
We are aware that the color legend used for the bike shop is confusing and we'll address this in future plans. Sorry!

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Rudy & Lin - We agree with your comments about adding some natural and softening elements to the building facades. We've incorporated a wood-like tile on a part of the building and are working on adding other treatments.
Lin- You'll be happy to know that at we eliminated the box-like protrusions!

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Thank you David. We are working diligently to be responsive to our neighbors and appreciate your acknowledgement.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Lauren- We appreciate your comments. We do want to clarify that the proposed design will provide sight lines into the landscaped courtyard area from the adjacent streets so that this amenity can be enjoyed visually by anyone passing by the site. Additional landscaping will be added along the street edge and we are proposing to create a park area with seating areas at the corner of Washington Street and the Arborway. Given that the site currently consists of 2 acres of asphalt, the project will introduce substantially more green space to this location.

We understand your frustration with traffic conditions given that the neighborhood has been subjected to so many changes related to the ongoing Casey Overpass Project and area development. Fortunately, the Casey Overpass improvements should be in service before construction of the proposed project begins. Additionally, elimination of the commuter parking lot should reduce traffic demand in the area.

Thank you for your comments.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Jennifer & Eric, we agree that a grocery store would be a valuable amenity for the neighborhood and have reached out to supermarket representatives to discuss space requirements for an urban location such as Forest Hills.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Scott, thank you for your support.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Thank you, Tim, for this valuable insight.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Timothy- You make some very valid points. While CDP cannot require tenants to have in-state registration, we could add a note in the lease reminding tenants of the local law that requires a car be registered where it is garaged.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Doug- we met several times with the BCDC and they have undertaken a detailed review of the proposed architecture. In an effort to break up the massing of the 3 buildings, we are proposing that each of the buildings look different but related, which is what you are suggesting. We are still working through the treatment on the facade and will keep your thoughts in mind as we move forward.
As for what looks like commercial space in Building B, it is actually a bike room for tenant use and not intended for commercial use. The color of this space in our plans has caused some confusion and we will make sure to correct this.
On affordable housing, CDP is committed to building the affordable units onsite and not at an offsite location. We feel strongly that our tenant mix should represent the existing neighborhood.
Thanks for your comments.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{6 years, 11 months ago}

Doug & Lin - At a minimum, the 7 existing Zipcars in the LAZ parking lot will be replaced onsite. We have been in touch with a Zipcar representative who indicated that Zipcar continually monitors membership demand for shared car service at all of their locations. Upon completion of the project, if Zipcar wants to provide additional cars to meet increased demands in the Forest Hills neighborhood, additional cars can be accommodated onsite.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years ago}

Mark, we are happy to report that with the change in our site design we are able to maintain the 7 existing Zip Car spaces and may even be able to increase this supply.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 1 month ago}

Lisa, based on your suggestion we have committed to including Artist Certified live/work space at the project. Thank you for helping us to improve our proposal!

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 1 month ago}

Kk- During the summer, the MBTA had a proposal that we thought would address the commuter parking issue. The proposal was to use a portion of the Arborway Yard site on the north side of the Arborway as a commuter parking lot. This would generate revenue for the State until funding for the redevelopment of the Bus Maintenance Yard is obtained and give the MBTA an opportunity to find a long term solution for commuter parking. We were told that the proposal was not well received by the community as it was seen as delaying redevelopment of the Arborway Yard and the creation of affordable housing that was tied to the overall project. We understand your concern and continue to investigate ways to address this issue.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 1 month ago}

Thank you for such a comprehensive summary! We appreciated the opportunity to meet with our Abutters @ Tower St. and get your input. We have developed a revised concept that pushes the building away from the Tower Street property line to create a buffer and provide parking for the funeral home. These changes result in the loss of a number of proposed units. With regard to building height, we already planned to reduce the building height at the southerly end of the property given the proximity to our residential neighbors. Unfortunately lowering the building further in this area will further reduce the unit count and impact the viability of the project. We would like to review the revised plan with you and your neighbors to see if we can strike a balance between the building setback and height. As for timing, we still have a lengthy permitting process before us. If we are successful in obtaining land use approvals, we would not likely be starting construction until 2018. By that time, the Casey Overpass improvements should be in service as will a number of the residential projects that preceded us in the permitting process.
With regard to commuter parking, we fully support the creation of additional commuter parking on publicly owned parcels, such as Parcel S, as recommended in the 2008 Forest Hills Improvement Initiative. As you are aware, the project site is privately owned and the owner no longer wishes to operate it as a parking lot.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

Lisa, we are definitely amenable to including Artist Certified Housing in the project.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

We understand that the loss of commuter parking is a concern. However, the elimination of this activity will certainly reduce traffic congestion, especially in the morning peak hour as vehicles queue to turn into the lot. We are working to identify options to satisfy the demand for commuter parking. Thank you, Brian.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

Thank you for your comments, Susan.
While we cannot speak for prospective tenants of the other new housing developments, we do have experience with tenants of our own projects similar to what we are proposing in this community. Based on this experience we are providing adequate parking for our residents. Many of the residents in our developments do not own vehicles and choose to rely on public transit, zipcars and uber. For some, this is an affordability issue (both the cost of vehicle ownership and the cost of additional rent for parking) and for many others, a sustainability issue. We understand your concerns regarding overflow parking. In other communities where this issue has arisen, we have proposed a clause in our lease whereby a tenant agrees not to apply for a resident sticker. The City helps us enforce this agreement by denying such a sticker to tenants identifying the project as their place of residence.

Building “extra” parking at the site for use by the public may be an option. However, it does have
other implications in terms of additional traffic and the potential to require a secondary garage access on Orchardhill Road to accommodate this traffic. We have heard from many residents who are opposed to such an access.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

@Mark- These are great observations and we will certainly look into opportunities to increase the number of onsite car share spaces. Thank you!

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

Kk - Onsite commuter parking is not included in our current proposal. We understand the need for such parking and realize it is a key concern of the community. We will continue to look at options for addressing this demand.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

Margaret -

We understand your concerns about the loss of commuter parking and will continue to evaluate this aspect of the project.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

Thank you for your comment Clay. We will certainly look at ways to incorporate additional buffers as we refine our proposal.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

@Alyssa- We appreciate your concerns about commuter parking demand. We will continue to evaluate this aspect of the project. With regard to affordable housing, we are committed to providing units at a range of affordability including our three bedroom units and townhouses specifically to meet the needs of families. While we are still refining our evaluation, the number of affordable units will exceed the level required by the City.

The coUrbanize forum is only one of many tools we are using to involve the community. There will be formal community meetings as part of the BRA process and we will post information as soon as they are scheduled.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

Sonja- We appreciate that the benefits of change are sometimes difficult to envision. With new housing and an increase in population comes opportunity - more people caring about and involved in the community, safety, and new demand for restaurants and service-oriented retail.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

Thank you for your comments Sarah. The project supports multi-modal transportation in a number of ways: it provides easy access to public transportation as well as a Hubway facility to be located at the northwest corner of the Arborway and Washington Street; we provide our own onsite bike share system where tenants can sign out a bike for short-term use with no charge; and we will have a Zipcar accessible to the public as well as residents. We are providing a significant amount of landscaping and new trees. We are working out the final number of affordable units but are committed to exceeding the number currently required.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

We appreciate your interest in the transit-oriented benefits of the project.

Bicycle parking for tenants will be provided in one or more secure bike storage rooms in the parking garage. We will also provide a bike shop area with bike stands, tools and pumps so that tenants can work on their bikes. This area will be located at street level to take advantage of natural light and to also provide active uses along the building facade. Outdoor bike racks will be provided for guest use.

We will also provide a number of bikes on-site that tenants can sign out for short term use.

We will provide a Zipcar space in the courtyard area that is accessible to the public. We cannot provide Zipcars in the garage as this area is not publicly accessible.

Short term delivery and pick-up/drop-off activity will occur in the courtyard area. Move-in trucks will use dedicated service areas internal to the site.

We agree that the project will have a positive impact on traffic along Washington Street. This benefit is borne out in our traffic analysis which we will include in our next submission to the BRA.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 3 months ago}

Hi Mark-

We agree and do support the Emerald Necklace vision. A significant amount of new trees will be planted along the Arborway as part of the ongoing improvements. To the extent that we can supplement those improvements with additional trees, we will do so. Thank you.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 4 months ago}

Simone, thank you for taking the time to visit our project page.

Relative to your concerns:

-- We propose to drop the building height from 6 to 5 stories where the southerly building is closest to our Orchardhill Road and Tower Street neighbors.

-- We understand your concerns regarding the path.

-- Almost all of the neighborhood streets currently have parking restrictions. On streets without such restrictions, if there is a consensus from the residents, we will work with the City to implement them.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 4 months ago}

Welcome to the project page William and thank you for your comments.

1. Given the change in elevation between the site and Orchardhill Road, the walkway we originally considered had several switchbacks to make it accessible and was rather circuitous. As such, it may be just as convenient to walk to the corner and along the Arborway to access the commercial space. However, we will defer to our neighbors on the matter of the sidewalk from Orchardhill Road. Your support is noted.

2. We are committed to working with the community and the City to address concerns about overflow parking and are prepared to implement tenant restrictions.

3. Very daring! We appreciate your input.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 4 months ago}

Hi Margaret. We appreciate your concerns regarding the number of parking spaces at the project. Our experience at our other transit-oriented communities shows that many tenants do not own cars, choosing instead to rely on public transportation, bikes and ride-share options. We will have more than adequate parking for our tenants and will not burden the neighborhood in this regard. Thank you!

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 4 months ago}

Thank you for your comment Jeb-

Elimination of the existing parking lot has been contemplated for many years. In 2008, the Forest Hills Improvement Initiative documented the community vision for publicly- and privately-owned land in the Forest Hills Station area. In this planning study the site was envisioned as a residential use. Commuters currently parking at the site can park at other commuter lots along the Needham commuter rail line and take the train to Forest Hills Station or take a bus to Forest Hills Station. Some may choose to relocate to Forest Hills given the new housing opportunities and convenient access to public transportation.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 4 months ago}

Douglas-

The existing homes that back up to the site on Orchardhill Road sit approximately 15 to 20 feet higher than the site. This difference in elevation offsets the relative height of the proposed buildings. We are also dropping the height of the building and eliminating one floor as we get closer to our Orchardhill Road and Tower Street neighbors.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 4 months ago}

Douglas-

Based on input from our neighbors we made several changes to our original proposal – we moved the buildings farther back from Orchardhill Road, relocated the service activities internal to the site and eliminated the driveway on Orchardhill Road. With these changes, it may not be possible to provide a sidewalk into the site from Orchardhill Road. However, if there is a consensus from the neighbors we can revisit this. We are working with the City to confirm that they are comfortable with the elimination of the driveway on Orchardhill Road. If required to do so, we can accommodate this driveway in the current layout. The suggestions about grass pavers and the garage door design are appreciated and will certainly be considered if we move forward with this access.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 4 months ago}

Thank you for your comment Douglas. We value your input and will respond as soon as possible.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 4 months ago}

Thank you for your comment Douglas. We value your input and will respond as soon as possible.

Criterion Development Partners commented on The Residences at Forest Hills ^{7 years, 4 months ago}

Hi AE-

We’re glad that you find the website helpful. In terms of your questions:

- Based on feedback from the neighbors and the topography of the hillside we are not currently proposing pedestrian access from Orchardhill Road into the site.

- The three bedroom townhouses will be located on the internal courtyard side of the proposed building at Orchardhill Road and the Arborway. These and all units will be rental units.

- We certainly understand the difficulty in assessing the scale of the project. To help with this, we are preparing cross-section plans that will show the elevations of the proposed buildings and the surrounding residences. We are also preparing views from Orchardhill Road and Tower Street.

- CDP will work with the community to address concerns about residents of the project parking on neighborhood streets. One way to accomplish this is with a restriction in the lease. We will also help the residents of Orchardhill Road lobby the City for parking restrictions, if there is a consensus on this.

- We have estimated the project’s parking demand based on our experience at comparable transit-oriented projects. We will be sure to include our parking data in the Project Notification Form being prepared for the project.

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