Category Archives: SoWa

Last week The Boston Globe wrote that a notice was filed with the city just before the end of the year that the developer who purchased the now-closed Quinzani’s Bakery and Ho Kong Bean Sprout Co. on the corner of Harrison Avenue and East Berkeley Streets will develop a 300,000 square-foot housing and retail project.

There were no other specifics provided but the developer indicated the project would “provide for 18-hour uses and result in an enhanced, pedestrian-friendly public realm”.  The Boston Globe pointed out that by submitting the application on the last day of 2015, Related Beal (the developer) will not be subject to new requirements from the city of Boston for additional affordable housing benefits that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2016.

No doubt more details will be forthcoming in the months that follow. You can read the full article on the Boston Globe, Housing heading for old Quinzani’s site in South End.

Neighborhood rumblings about the rift between Chris Masci (owner of New England Open Markets) and Mario Nicosia (GTI Properties) have continued since my last post in early December, Can the South End host two farmer’s markets in the South End.

This past week I was contacted by another source who asked I not mention them by name.  They indicated that Chris Masci has opted to expand his market on The Greenway to a three-day market (Friday – Sunday) and if true would presumably not host a South End farmer’s market in 2016. But this makes no sense to me since that would mean The New England Open Market would compete with the Boston Public Market (open Wed – Sun from 8AM-8PM). The Boston Public Market is close enough to be viable competition and it has the added advantages of having more vendors, public parking and access to the T.

I’m currently in Brazil and have not been able to connect with New England Open Markets to ask if this latest rumor is true but since my previous questions have either resulted in no response or denials about GTI hosting their SoWa Farmer’s market it is hard to say if I’d get a reliable response.  Maybe larger blogs dedicated to such topics (e.g. EaterBoston or Hidden Boston) may be able to get more clarification. One thing that is quite clear, the proposed relocation of the South End Farmer’s Market under the I-93 expressway appears to be a deal breaker for many long-time vendors as yet another confirmed with me that they would not participate in the farmer’s market if it was located there.

Just as the South End Open Market season was coming to a close, New England Open Markets announced that they would be moving to the Ink Block in 2016; I wrote about it in my blog post: South End Open Market moves to Ink Block in 2016 but Food Trucks and Farmers Market stay put.

After writing the post I was contacted by New England Open Market and was told that the entire Farmer’s Market would be moving in 2016.  This conflicted with what I had been told by vendors. They were unhappy that the Farmer’s Market would be relocated under the I-93 expressway. Last week two longtime Farmer’s Market vendors confirmed they would not follow New England Open Market and would be joined by other vendors who would prefer to remain on GTI’s property, forming a second market for the neighborhood. How the market will be rebranded or which vendors will remain is unclear but it appears that differences between Chris Masci (owner of New England Open Markets) and Mario Nicosia (GTI Properties) are irreconcilable.

Mario and GTI Properties would seemingly have the upper hand in this feud with the public already familiar with the 450 Harrison Avenue location, ample parking and space for the market sandwiched between GTI’s recently renovated 460 Harrison Ave which now includes 40 new boutiques and Vintage Market. However, my question is can our neighborhood sustain two Farmer’s Markets?

Future Home of the South End Open Market® in 2017
Source: http://newenglandopenmarkets.com

For more background on their feud which led to this split I’d refer you to The Boston Globe’s story from early October, Bitter split muddles future of South End markets.