Category Archives: SoWa

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.

Leggat McCall Properties 700 unit residential complex would rehab 575 Albany Street

The Boston Globe reported this week that Leggat McCall Properties filed plans to build 700 new apartments; mostly one bedroom and studios in the South End. The plan suggests it would rehab the building shown above at 575 Albany, and demolish three smaller buildings on East Dedham and East Canton streets.

The Leggat plan joins a list of large residential developments in recent years that include the Ink Block (300+ residential units), Troy (375+ residential units), the yet to be named 345 Harrison project (550+ residential units) and 600 Harrison (150+ residential units) – and with the recent sale of the Boston Flower Exchange and Quinzani’s Bakery one should expect more announcements to follow.

According to the Globe, construction could begin in early 2017.  If you’d like to read more read the full article in The Boston Globe here.

Rendering of “Siena” loft residences at the Ink Block

National Development shared this image for Siena, a new 79-unit condominium building on the corner of Albany Street that will begin construction in 2016 and open in early 2017.  The building is the sixth in the complex better known as the Ink Block; where the Boston Herald building previously stood.

National Development pointed the interest in their other condominium building, Sepia, at the Ink Block which opens in November of 2105, when they introduced Siena. According to the release, the building will include studios, one, two, and three bedrooms, as well as the maisonettes, which they describe as a new concept to Boston living – loft-style units with ground floor terraces.

The building will also have something called their rooftop “Sky Lounge“, although I’m really not sure what that is. It sounds like a bar but if it is only open to residents then it may just be a fancy name for a roof deck, which considering its location could probably provide you with the best traffic updates for the Southeast Expressway and the Mass Pike in the city.

The 2015 SoWa Open Market returns to the South End on Sunday, May 3rd. The market is open every Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. through October 25, 2015 and spans three blocks along Harrison Avenue in Boston’s South End.

Every Sunday 15 to 20 Food Trucks will be located at 540 Harrison Avenue serving a variety of food.  Just up the street at 500 Harrison Avenue is the Farmers Market which includes an ever larger assortment of locally grown produce, flowers, plants, and gourmet specialty foods.  Lastly, be sure to check out the Arts Market located at the end of Thayer Street.  It is a great place to peruse some of the region’s best artists and designers.

The Boston Herald is reporting that new plans from GTI Properties have resurfaced for the Jesuit Urban Center which was shuttered in 2007.  GTI’s latest round of plans for the church, which was built back in 1858 and the adjoining property, would  call for 54 one- to three-bedroom apartments in the former Church of the Immaculate Conception and four townhome-style units in what they are calling an attached “Link Building”.   Back in 2013 GTI filed a letter of intent for the property to include 62 rental units but nothing ever came of it.  This new letter to the BRA is the first in more than a year.