Ruskin developer Gary Martell background
total recycling
JP - TEAR-DOWN: 1813-era farmhouse at 33 Bynner St.
===
WEST ROXBURY
http://www.wickedlocal.com/west-roxbury/archive/x165090307/Plans-for-Ruskin-
Street-property-alarms-neighbors
Plans for Ruskin Street property alarm neighbors
By Jessica M. Smith
Wed May 14, 2008, 04:22 PM EDT
During a meeting last week with abutters and city officials, developer Gary
Martell announced his intention to purchase the property and build two
additional residences on each side of the stately home.
===
ROSLINDALE
http://www.bulletinnewspapers.com/link.asp?smenu=140&twindow=Default&sdetail
=3322&mad=No&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=
Feb. 27 2008
City Calendar
ROSLINDALE
Construction discussions
The Mayor’s office of Neighborhood Services and City Councilor Rob
Consalvo’s office invite neighborhood residents to a community meeting to
discuss two proposals for new construction on Poplar Street. Both proposals
will be scheduled with the Zoning Board of Appeal for a public hearing. The
meeting will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at Roslindale House, 114
Poplar St., Roslindale. On the agenda, at ^:30 p.m., is a discussion of a
proposal to construct a single family home at 117 Poplar Street by
applicant Gary Martell. At 7 p.m., the agenda includes a discussion of a
proposal at 157 Poplar St. to remove an existing two-family building and
replace it with a three-family building. The applicant is Angelo Musto. For
more information, call David McNulty of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood
Services at (617) 635-4830, or City Councilor Rob Consalvo’s office at
(617) 635-4210.
TEAR-DOWN: Poplar St.
http://www.bulletinnewspapers.com/link.asp?smenu=205&twindow=Default&sdetail
=3373&mad=No&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=
New townhouses presented for Poplar Street projects
Dana Forsythe 06.MAR.08
The owner of 117 Poplar St., developer Gary Martell, also reviewed plans
calling for a single-family townhouse-style residence on subdivided land.
Gary Martell, a local developer, was also at the meeting to present his
plans for 117 Poplar St.
He had a Board of Appeals date earlier in the year, but for personal
reasons, said he couldn’t make the hearing.
Martell, who bought the two lots on either side of 117 Poplar St., is in
the process of planning to erect a single-family residence on each lot.
Previously, Martell had bought the lot at 121 Poplar St., tore the house
down and subdivided the lot. He now wants to create two separate units on
each plot of land.
Aside from one variance, to accommodate a lack of about 15 inches on the
front end of the property, both of his lots are within zoning laws and have
met IPOD standards.
According to Martell, the single-family homes would be about 2,200 to 2,300
square feet and would have parking in the rear yard.
In a previous informal meeting with an abutter, Martell said that he had
agreed to downsize one of the houses to give a little more green space
between their respective homes.
"Under the IPOD a space of ten feet is needed between houses; we cut down
our design by two feet to give a little more of a buffer between the two
buildings," he said.
Residents next brought up the issue of Martell’s neighbor at 113 Poplar St.
who is dealing with parking issues, specifically struggling with the city
to figure out where to place a parking entrance.
Curb cuts on the street are a concern because they would take away from
already sparse on street parking. In the woman’s case at 113 Poplar St. as
it was reported by residents, she was told she would have to move a storm
drain and electrical pole to put in an entrance on the corner of her
property, an expensive prospect.
Martell said he’d be happy to work with her and grant her an easement,
allowing her to park behind her house.
"We can certainly sit down and figure something out," he said.
A few residents were clearly frustrated with Martell, explaining that they
had tried to save the property from being subdivided and were not pleased
with the loss of a fairly large green space on site.
Martell countered by saying that he was within his legal zoning rights to
create the single-family houses proposed.
Again, in the end, snow shoveling came back as a hot button issue for
residents.
Residents chided Martell for not keeping his word about shoveling after
every snow storm, citing three separate incidents, while Martell returned
comment, saying he did the best he could and struggled with the nearby
school plowing snow onto his property.
In closing, Martell said that the two proposed single-family units would
each be priced at around $595,000 each.
===
HYDE PARK
http://www.hydeparkbulletin.com/link.asp?smenu=135&twindow=Default&sdetail=3
336&mad=No&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=
Community gets second look at River Street apartment plan
Dana Forsythe 28.FEB.08
Gary Martell, a consultant and designer with the project, spoke on the
updated design for the vacant parking lot.
"I’m a developer myself," he said. "I was hired to be a consultant by
Anthony and Claudio Diletizia (the owners and developers) and I do most of
the design stuff too — assisting with the design of the units, elevation
and site plan."
Martell said that the last plan, reviewed in the summer of 2007, was
retooled because of comments from the neighborhood and the BRA.
A Herald Exclusive; Big change in Jamaica Plain; Ex-funeral home due to
become upscale condos.(Real Estate)
From: The Boston Herald
Date: September 28, 2002
Byline: MARILYN JACKSON
COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER CO.
One of Jamaica Plain's grand Victorian homes, located on Centre Street, the
old highway to Dedham, is undergoing a major transformation. Most recently,
it had been the William J. Gormley Funeral Home, but local developer Gary
Martell acquired the property a couple of years ago and is creating 11
upscale condominiums.
Three one-level units are being fashioned out of the existing space in the
original building, while eight duplexes are presently under construction at
the rear.
According to the Boston Landmarks Commission, Charles F. Curtis, a
descendant of Samuel Curtis one of the early settlers of Jamaica Plain, ...
===
JAMAICA PLAIN
Brookley Road:
In 2006, Martell cleared the site, including demolishing a long-abandoned
former nursing home. But then the project mysteriously stalled, leaving a
large, fenced-in vacant lot.
TEAR-DOWN: 1813-era farmhouse at 33 Bynner St.
http://jamaicaplaingazette.com/node/2561
Condo plans expand for controversial lot
By JOHN RUCH February 7, 2008
Courtesy Photo
The site of the former nursing home on Brookley Road stands vacant.
STONYBROOK—Long-stalled plans for a condominium complex at 101 Brookley
Road recently ballooned from 29 to about 50 units, once again raising fears
in a neighborhood that has battled and negotiated with developers over the
site for more than a decade.
The changes appear to have surprised residents who worked for years on a
memorandum of understanding (MOU)—a legal agreement—with the developers to
lessen neighborhood concerns, especially about density and traffic.
“I was kind of astounded,” said abutting resident Joyce Perkit, noting the
MOU had been “signed, sealed and delivered.”
The changes essentially put the project—which received city approval at
least a year ago—back to square one. Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA)
spokesperson Jessica Shumaker said that any material changes to the plans
require the developers to re-file and go through a public process
again—“especially if they’re changing 29 to 50 units. That’s a big change.”
It appears that no new plans have been filed yet.
The Brookley Road site is owned by a limited liability corporation (LLC)
based at the large Boston real estate firm the Mayo Group. John McGrail,
the head of the Mayo Group, is listed as the LLC’s principal in property
records.
For years, Roslindale developer Gary Martell was a partner in the LLC and
its public face in the neighborhood. The Stonybrook Neighborhood
Association (SNA) negotiated the MOU with him in a process that dragged out
for years.
Responding to neighborhood concerns, Martell ultimately proposed a
mini-neighborhood on the site consisting of 29 condo units in 16
townhouse-style buildings with built-in garages.
In 2006, Martell cleared the site, including demolishing a long-abandoned
former nursing home. But then the project mysteriously stalled, leaving a
large, fenced-in vacant lot.
According to Perkit and other sources, Mayo Group development head Edward
O’Donnell informed neighbors last fall that Martell is now out of the
picture. O’Donnell is a former BRA official who led the public review of a
previous plan for the site years ago.
In recent months, O’Donnell circulated new plans showing about 50 units in
four large buildings, with all of the parking in surface lots.
O’Donnell, Martell and SNA head Maureen Monks did not return Gazette phone
calls for this article.
Perkit said O’Donnell has cited economic pressure as the reason for the
changes in the plan.
“They’re claiming the size and price of the units [in the Martell plans]
would not go in today’s market,” she said.
According to the North Shore newspaper the Daily Item, the Mayo Group last
fall sought a similar expansion of a condo project in Lynn. Citing the
mortgage crisis, low consumer confidence and rising construction costs, the
Mayo Group wanted to boost its project from 32 to 49 units, according to
the Daily Item report.
Whatever the economics, Perkit said, neighborhood character and agreements
still should be respected.
“It wasn’t ideal by any means, but the neighborhood accepted it because it
addressed so many of the neighborhood concerns,” she said of the 29-unit
Martell plan.
O’Donnell has said the MOU will be respected in terms of such provision as
handicapped-accessible units and funding for nearby parkland, Perkit said,
adding that the core restrictions on density and parking are being ignored.
“They’re saying that market conditions have changed…but I don’t think
that’s a reason to do something that will impact us in a bad way. It’s not
a justification,” she said. “I think that the community feels that they’ve
thrown out the MOU.”
“A lot of developers think that if there’s an empty lot, everybody would
prefer to have something [built] instead of a trash-strewn empty lot,” she
said. “[But] it doesn’t mean, as a neighborhood, you can just put something
there and it will be better.”
Years of controversy
The current proposal is similar to a version shot down by the neighborhood
a decade ago in a controversy that was partly responsible for the formation
of the SNA.
In 1997, O’Donnell was an upper-level BRA official responsible for
reviewing the Brookley Road proposal then on the table, which called for 48
units in three large buildings. At the time, he pointed out in a public
meeting that the proposed project was out of scale with the street.
“The change in density is a departure from the neighborhood,” the Gazette
quoted O’Donnell as saying at the time. “You only have to drive down
Brookley Road and see one- and two-family houses. There is very little
there that represents large-scale residential development.”
While the former Forest Hills Nursing Home on the site had no fans,
development plans have always run into neighborhood opposition and apparent
financial challenges.
In the early 1990s, a developer proposed a major housing project that was
rejected by city planners. The developer successfully sued the city over
the decision and received court approval to build 54 units. But the project
never materialized.
The 1997 proposal by a Brookline developer claimed the court decision
permitted a high number of units as well as nearly 80 parking spaces. But
neighborhood opposition—including a petition and a public protest—led to a
final proposal of 36 units and 55 parking spaces.
The developer said at the time that nine condo units had been pre-sold.
But, in what became a pattern for the site, negotiations with the
neighborhood over plan details dragged on for at least a year. The project
eventually died.
By 2001, the property was bought by a Callaghan McCarthy. Martell entered
the picture as the public face and the main hands-on developer. He took up
the 36-unit proposal. But after months of neighborhood negotiations—and
reportedly a falling-out with McCarthy over the length of the process—he
dropped the plan.
In 2002, the McGrail-headed LLC bought the property and Martell was on
board again. After about two years of negotiations, Martell settled on the
29-unit plan. But it took another two years for the MOU to be finalized
amid neighborhood complaints that Martell was violating some MOU provisions
already in place.
---
http://www.jamaicaplaingazette.com/node/1360
Historic house saved by demo crew
By JOHN RUCH May 11, 2007
Gazette Photo by John Swan
Instructor Steve O’Shaughnessy (left) helps North Bennet Street School
student Adam Reitano prepare strapping to move a foundation beam at 33
Bynner St.
HYDE SQ.—They came to demolish part of the historic house. They ended up
rescuing it with painstaking handiwork.
Steven O’Shaughnessy said he and his preservation carpentry students from
the North Bennet Street School fell in love with the small wing of the
1813-era farmhouse at 33 Bynner St., one of Jamaica Plain’s oldest houses.
The current team of owners, led by Gary Martell, initially contacted the
school to suggest a hands-on lesson in “sensitive demolition,”
O’Shaughnessy said.
“We came on site for a couple of days and started peeling away some bad
1970s [work],” he said. Then they saw outstanding 1820-era woodwork
underneath, including a frame held together by wooden pins. “We said, ‘Why
not let us save the wing?’”
Martell agreed, and the 13 students were scheduled to complete a remarkable
re-framing of the wing this week after a month on the job, largely using
old-school hand tools.
It’s a surprising turn of events—not only for a wing that the community
expected to see torn down, but for Martell, who has been vilified as
historically insensitive by some residents for various aspects of the project.
Martell did not return a Gazette phone call for this article.
Last year, Martell ignited a controversy by cutting down old trees and
demolishing a historic rock outcropping on the site, which helped spark a
local effort to preserve trees.
Then Martell proposed tearing down the two-story wing on the house, saying
it was too damaged to save. The Boston Landmarks Commission placed a 90-day
demolition delay on the property so alternatives could be considered, but
that expired in January with no new rescue plan.
But the owners remained history-minded, O’Shaughnessy said, noting they
contacted the school’s preservation carpenters about at least doing the
demolition right.
“They just couldn’t see it fitting in…to the scope of the main dwelling.
They felt it was a liability to the main house,” O’Shaughnessy said.
But they quickly agreed to save the wing when the students said it was
possible—a decision made “partly because of the reaction in the
neighborhood” against the demolition idea, O’Shaughnessy said.
It was a decision that in some ways cost more in special materials and
time, he added. “They’ve been really great hosts. They put up with our slow
pace,” he said.
Martell wasn’t exaggerating about the condition of the wing, O’Shaughnessy
said. The frame was sagging, badly damaged by insects and dry rot. The
students had to replace an entire corner post supporting the wing, the
fieldstone foundation and some of the sills.
“There were no mechanical fasteners, no nails,” O’Shaughnessy said. His
students copied the historic techniques, crafting wooden pins and cutting
mortise-and-tenon joints.
The work also required custom-cut timber. For example, the corner of a
modern house is made by nailing a few 2-by-4s together. But this project
required a replacement corner post that was a single 9 ½-by-8 ½-inch pine
log 14 feet long.
“It’s not just something you can get at Home Depot,” O’Shaughnessy said.
The students only worked on replacing the frame. Martell, a contractor,
will do the finish work.
Founded in 1885, the North Bennet Street School is the oldest trade school
in the country and remains in its original North End headquarters. Its
courses include such trades as violin-making and bookbinding—“Old World
hand skills, skills that have died out a long time ago,” O’Shaughnessy said.
The preservation carpentry trade involves learning to work with and
recondition historic hand tools, and carpentry “bordering on the skill
level of cabinet-makers,” he said.
O’Shaughnessy is a graduate of the school and a former preservation
carpenter for the preservation group Historic New England. He now teaches
first-year preservation carpentry students.
The students have no trouble finding hands-on field experiences in the
Boston area, he said. Owners of historic properties can hire a class for a
“nominal” service charge and the cost of materials.
---
http://www.jamaicaplaingazette.com/node/464
House tear-down on hold
By JOHN RUCH November 3, 2006
HYDE SQ.—Demolition of part of an 1813-era farmhouse at 33 Bynner St. was
put on hold by the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) last week.
The BLC imposed “demolition delay” on the project at an Oct. 24 hearing,
meaning developer Gary Martell must wait 90 days to consider possible
alternatives. If Martell can convince the BLC that there are no
alternatives, demolition could be allowed earlier than that. Otherwise, the
BLC ultimately can’t stop the demolition after the 90 days are up.
Martell reportedly originally intended to save the entire house, which is
one of Jamaica Plain’s oldest and recommended for historic protection by
the BLC. But now he is proposing to demolish a section of the house, saying
it is in disrepair. That section may be original and is at least a very old
addition, according to the BLC.
Martell is building a new house next to the historic house. He did not
return a Gazette phone call for this article.
The old house currently has no historic protection. The strongest
protection would be official landmark status. One way to get that status is
for residents to file a petition with the BLC.
According to the demolition delay process, Martell was supposed to hold a
public meeting about the demolition plans before the BLC hearing. It is
unclear whether such a meeting took place. The Mayor’s Office, which is
supposed to make sure the meeting happens, did not have immediate comment.
Martell drew controversy earlier this year with the 33 Bynner project when
he cut down large trees and demolished a rock outcropping the BLC had once
identified as a significant historic landscape feature. The tree-cutting
helped spark a local effort to save trees.
“This person is not to be trusted with our treasured history,” said Kathy
Holland, a member of JP Trees, about Martell, referring to his previous
tree-cutting. “Now he’s going to smash down part of the house. Not many
cities have something that goes back to the War of 1812.”
---
http://www.jamaicaplaingazette.com/node/396
Historic house faces partial tear-down
By JOHN RUCH October 20, 2006
HYDE SQ.—One of Jamaica Plain’s oldest houses is facing partial demolition
as part of a housing development.
Developer Gary Martell originally intended to save the entire 1813-era
farmhouse at 33 Bynner St., which is recommended for historic protection by
the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC). But now he is seeking to demolish a
two-story piece of the house containing an old kitchen. The BLC will review
the issue at an Oct. 24 hearing. [See JP Agenda.]
“It’s early and may be original,” BLC Executive Director Ellen Lipsey said
of that piece of the house in a Gazette interview.
Martell drew controversy earlier this year for cutting down old trees and
demolishing a rock outcropping on the site, which helped spark a local
effort to preserve trees. The outcropping had been cited as an important
feature in the 1984 BLC survey that recommended 33 Bynner and nearby houses
for historic protection. The house currently has no historic protection status.
Martell did not return a Gazette phone call for this article.
According to Lipsey, Martell is seeking to demolish a section of the house
that sticks out from the left side, as viewed from the street. It’s known
as the “ell,” though it doesn’t really make an L shape.
Martell previously demolished a kind of sunroom on the house that was a
later addition, but otherwise intended to sell the house as it was, Lipsey
said.
Before work began, Lipsey did a walk-through of the house at Martell’s
request as a BLC staff consultation. “He wanted to know what the
significance of the side ell was,” Lipsey said. “I told him it was
definitely early, could be original.”
Martell’s BLC application now says the “ell” is in “disrepair and it’s
cost-prohibitive to restore it,” Lipsey said.
Because of the building’s age, Martell had to automatically apply to the
BLC for “demolition delay.” That means the BLC will decide at the hearing
whether demolition should be delayed for 90 days so the developer can
consider feasible ways to save the structure.
The BLC ultimately can’t prevent demolition through demolition delay. After
the 90 days are up, the city’s Inspectional Services Department can
consider issuing a demolition permit.
The developer is also supposed to hold or attend a community meeting about
the proposed demolition and possible preservation before the BLC hearing.
It is not clear whether Martell has scheduled one. The Gazette has received
no notice of any such meeting.
According to the 1984 BLC survey, 33 Bynner was apparently built by
Jonathan Smith, a “victualler” who brought produce to market in the city
from what was then the Roxbury countryside. The survey recommended the
house, along with 47, 51 and 55 Bynner, as a historic district on the
National Register of Historic Places, and also as an Architectural
Conservation district.
Lipsey told the Gazette earlier this year that 33 Bynner was in “very good
condition” at the time of her walk-through. The BLC recently recommended a
more recent JP farmhouse, the circa 1822-27 Jabez Lewis house in Arnold
Arboretum, for official consideration for landmark status.
---
http://www.petestidman.com/?q=node&page=6
Disappearing trees kindle local action
JAMAICA PLAIN GAZETTE
By Pete Stidman at 07/07/2006
As the number of times a developer fells a tree in Jamaica Plain to make
room for new construction rises, so grows the number of neighbors clamoring
for chainsaw accountability. It isn’t necessarily a rule of thumb, but it’s
happening.
When developer Gary Martell clear-cut two very old trees at 33 Bynner St.,
the JP Neighborhood Council (JPNC) scheduled a joint meeting between its
Housing and Development Committee and Parks and Open Space Committee on
June 20 to brainstorm ways developer buzzsaws might be checked, or at least
put under a public review process.
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http://www.jphs.org/locales/2005/9/30/egleston-square.html
98 - 100 West Walnut Park
John McGrail ,owner
Gary Martell, architect and contractor
2 family woodframe house. One of two attached homes.
The second faces Amory Street.
Permit: Sept. 12, 2002
Completed May, 2003.
Estimated cost $225,00
Atherton Street
===
(no state licenses match "Gary Martell")
http://db.state.ma.us/dps/licenseelist.asp
Department of Public Safety Licensee Lookup
http://db.state.ma.us/dps/licdetails.asp?txtSearchLN=CSL44799
License Type Construction Supervisor
License # 44799
Restriction 00
Name Gary R Martel
City, State, Zip Foxboro, MA, 02035
Expiration Date 11/2/2009
Status Current
http://db.state.ma.us/dps/licdetails.asp?txtSearchLN=HIC100993
License Type Home Improvement Contractor
License # 100993
Restriction
Company G M C Construction & Design
Name Gary Martel
Address 21 Hillside Road
City, State, Zip Plainville, MA, 02762
Expiration Date 6/24/2006
Status Expired