JOB TRAILER DELIVERED!

Site Trailer at 226 Highland St, Boston

We got our job trailer delivered this week, a step closer to ground breaking!

JOSIAH SMITH TAVERN AND OLD LIBRARY PROPOSAL

Cover of Weston Town Crier, September 20-26 2012

Urbanica presented a new proposal to the Town of Weston for the adaptive reuse of the historic Josiah Smith Tavern and Old Library. The development team presented the exciting proposal to the Board of Selectmen on the evening of September 11 2012 with positive feedback from the board and the town. The proposal is now under evaluation by the Town of Weston and their consultant for the next steps forward.

Envisioned as the "Weston Town Center on the Common", the plan proposes a mixed-use development that will provide a welcoming setting for civic and cultural events and encourage gatherings of local residents. The program will include a bed and breakfast, cafe/restaurant, event space, spaces for the Weston Historical Society and the Women's Community League of Weston and 4 condos at the Old Library.

Kamran Zahedi, principal of Urbanica and longtime resident of Weston, envisions the tavern to be restored into a small-scale bed and breakfast to evoke its origins as a lodging house. Two active community groups, Weston Historical Society and Women's Community League of Weston, will remain and occupy most of the barn and connector while a new addition of a cafe will enliven the town center.

According to The Weston Town Crier, Selectman Doug Gillespie found that Urbanica's proposal "is a very intriguing and a great initial proposal ... at the same time, [he] is looking forward to the feedback from the citizenry". Selectmen Chairman Michael Harrity praised the plan for its responsiveness to significant concerns from the town boards and residents.

Urbanica looks forward to ongoing evaluation and public process and hopes that this exciting project can come to fruition.

For the complete write up by The Weston Town Crier, please click  [HERE] and [HERE] for articles by Weston Town Crier staff writers, Susan Wagner and Michael Wyner respectively.

FROM WEEDS TO RENAISSANCE

Extract from the Editorial on the Boston Globe, July 09 2012

Ou latest project--the Melnea Hotel and Residences at Parcel 9 Roxbury is in the news again. The July 09 2012  editorial on the Boston Globe highlights the importance of our proposal in the revitalization of the Dudley Square neighborhood. To read the rest of the Boston Globe editorial, please [CLICK HERE]

Neighborhood revitalization is a core value  that we hold dear to. We strongly believe that good design and responsible development can vastly improve the quality of life for inner-city residents. 

We could not agree more to the statement made by the Chairman of the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee, Darnell Williams, that inner city projects need to be commercially dynamic. It needs to more than mega-institutional projects. The vitality and energy of neighborhoods have to extend beyond the 9-5 schedule. We are confident that our proposal for a hotel, retail spaces and residential buildings will be crucial in providing the spark for neighborhood activities around the clock. 

Without a doubt, the upcoming Melnea Cass Boulevard developments are signs of greater things to come for the Roxbury neighborhood.

UPDATES ON E+ HOMES: 226-232 HIGHLAND STREET

226-232 Highland St: Front View

226-232 Highland St: Back View

Our project at 226-232 Highland Street is in the news! Matt Casey from the Beacon Hill Patch did a nice write up on the Boston Energy Plus Green Housing Program. For the complete article, please [CLICK HERE]


Urbanica Design and Development is one of 3 winning firms that will create sustainable and energy efficient homes in the Roxbury area.Our design partner is Interface Studio Architects, from Philadelphia and they made their name designing and building the 100K house a few years ago.

The project is conceived as a replicable prototype of efficient and sustainable residential construction for the city of Boston. The building consists of four three‐bedroom townhouses, approximately 1,750sf each. Sited on a currently vacant parcel in a vibrant urban neighborhood.

The houses’ form and orientation serve to maximize natural daylight and solar gain for the photo‐voltaic array that will generate more electricity than is needed. Our approach includes two major strategies for energy reduction: first, a super insulated envelope minimizes heat transfer without relying on mechanical conditioning techniques; second, a feedback mechanism provides information and prompts to users in the house regarding their energy‐related activity.

The project, in spite of its technological advancements, is inexpensive and simple in its construction, allowing transfer and easy replication in whole or part of its strategies to new and existing units in the region.

Stay tuned for more updates on this project as we moves closer to breaking ground in a couple of months!

PARCEL 9 FEATURED ON THE BOSTON GLOBE

Extract from Boston Globe Business Page, May 29 2012

The excitement surrounding Parcel 9 is fast rising in the cit;  the project was featured on Boston Globe on May 29, 2012 with Casey Ross of the Boston Globe writing " For decades, Melnea Cass Boulevard in Roxbury has been no more than a high-traffic passageway to other parts of Boston. But under new plans approved by Boston regulators, Melnea Cass is due for a dramatic change that will result in new shops and restaurants, a supermarket, a hotel, and dozens of homes."


Parcel 9 will be one of two key projects that will  spur the development of the area. Kamran Zahedi, principal of Urbanica, feels strongly that “the neighborhood needs activities that strengthen the culture that’s already there. We’re not trying to bring the South End to Roxbury. Roxbury is going to take its own shape based on its landscape and demography.”


There are high hopes for Parcel 9 and Parcel 10 to spur an economic revitalization in the Roxbury/ Dudley Square areas. Urbanica is proud to be part of this renaissance of area.


To read the rest of the article, CLICK HERE