Fear of New York, fear of heights, and Boston's Greenway--a fool's paradise of Menino's own making

"Mayor Thomas M. Menino said the height restrictions on these particular properties are intended to prevent shadows and strong winds thrown off by tall buildings from making the Greenway a cold, uncomfortable place."

I think the Mayor means well. But, Mr. Mayor, in all due respects, have you been on the Greenway lately? It already is a cold, uncomfortable place. In fact, it's also boring and utterly unused. Every proposed non-profit project has collapsed. I for one don't look over my shoulder at New York all day (“I don’t want to Manhattanize the Greenway,’’ the mayor said.) Why not? Manhattan is exciting. Or try the waterfront of Sydney, or Hong Kong, or any major, thriving city in the world that is not afraid of itself.

Now let's get to the economics. Columbus Center let out its final death knell on Monday. The project was not feasible from its inception due to height restrictions on air rights requiring decking. The pictures were pretty, but nobody ever believed in the project. And we gave money to the "developer" every time he whined.

On the south side of the Harbor, nothing is really happening in the private sector. One new office building in 10 years. We are a market of 72 million square feet. The total amount of space under construction and not already leased is 230,000 square feet in exactly 2 buildings--One Marina Park Drive and Russia Wharf. From the start of construction, it takes 3 years to construct a building for occupancy. The City is not prepared for the future demands of the modern tenant, because we are not allowing the construction of tall, modern, green, highly technical buildings which our companies will demand.

To connect the city to the sea, as the Mayor desires, we must provide a reason for people to approach the connection itself. Nobody uses the Greenway today because it is perceived as a curving linear path between South Station and North Station. It is shorter and far more interesting to walk up the streets of the Financial District, stopping at the Langham or Faneuil Hall for a beverage or lingering on the grass at Post Office Square, than it is to walk a barren stretch of disconnected parcels of grass.

If we want a thriving Greenway, we need to get over our fear of heights and our fear of the private sector.  Otherwise, we will end up with the country's most expensive dog-walking parks.