March 30, 2008

Upton Street, Again

No news this week regarding the Pine Street Inn purchase on Upton Street; however, a Fenway News post from last summer about my NIMBY neighbors included a letter from the co-president of the Union Park Neighborhood Association. It sounded like she wanted to distance the association from the most vocal opponents of the Pine Street Inn:

Both Jerry Frank and Norm Knickle are expressing their own personal views, not the views of the neighborhood association, which has purposely taken no position on this issue. Neither gentleman is an abutter of Hope House. This is a private sale, and the neighborhood association cannot dictate to whom property owners can sell their holdings…

The people of Hope House have been good neighbors, no one disputes that, and the neighborhood will sorely miss them.

HARRIET FINKELSTEIN, Copresident, Union Park Neighborhood Association, Boston

I’m going to guess she was one of the recently-replaced board members. In a sad turn of events, Linda Rodriguez of the South End News referred to Finkelstein as a former board member, Frank as the president, and Knickle as a board-member. According to the South End News:

Norm Knickle, an Upton Street resident for more than three years and a member of the UPNA board, said that their primary concern is the actually the size of the proposed project. Knickle, who refers to the three row homes as a “complex,” said that the three residential homes “will really define the street.”

Norm, buddy, the character of the street was defined long before you blessed the South End with your presence.

Several Upton Street residents placed their homes for sale recently. If you chose to purchase a home on that street, I feel obligated to warn you:

1. Hope House operates a transitional-living facility on that street.
2. Pine Street Inn will purchase the facility and continue its operation as a transitional-living facility.
3. You shouldn’t whine about it; Hope House moved in long before you.

7 Upton Street, #1
Beds: 2/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1750
$/SQ.FT.: 502
$879,000

14 Upton Street, #1
Beds: 2/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1637
$/SQ.FT.: 433
$709,000

27 Upton Street, #3
Beds: 3/Baths: 2
SQ.FT.: 1831
$/SQ.FT.: 791
$1,449,000

And, closest to the “complex”:

46 Upton Street, #2
Beds:1 /Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 645
$/SQ.FT.: 712
$459,000

 More of Alyk on the South End

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