#1 Best of 2015 - Boston Garden Towers Project

A 1.87-million-square-foot, mixed-use project, with a price tag estimated at over $1 billion, will soon begin to rise over Causeway Street and the Zakim Bridge. The Boston Garden Towers will be constructed on a 2.8-acre parking lot located next to TD Garden, where the old Boston Garden once stood. The three tower project would connect 497 residential units, 668,000 square feet of office space and 235,000 square feet of retail to the sports venue and North Station.

The massive development located at 80 Causeway Street will dramatically alter the face of the TD Garden.

The new complex, designed by architect Elkus Manfredi, will rise over Causeway Street in two new towers: the office tower standing at 495 feet tall, and the residential tower rising to 486 feet. Both towers will be built above a five-story retail base.

A modern glass atrium will connect to a new entrance into TD Garden and to the MBTA's North Station.

Below ground, a four-level parking garage will be constructed to accommodate about 800 vehicles.

“We are creating a new front door to North Station, a new portal to the city,” said David Manfredi, of Elkus Manfredi Architects.

“We don’t want to create a mall; we don’t want to create privatized space. We want to create space that is inviting to the public.”

The $1 Billion + development will include:

•     40,000 square foot expansion of TD Garden
•     560,000 square feet of residential with 497 units
•     200,000 square foot hotel with 306 rooms
•     668,000 square feet of office space
•     142,000 square feet of flexible office space
•     235,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space
•     25,000 square foot glass atrium hall

Prior to leaving office, Mayor Menino had agreed to provide $7.8 million in tax breaks to help the developers lure the Star Market and build the underground parking spaces for the TD Garden.

The tax agreement will spread the relief over 15 years.

During that same period, the development is expected to produce $32.2 million in new tax revenue for the city.

Developer Boston Properties said the tax agreement was crucial to attracting a supermarket to the property and asserted the project will help enliven the area around the arena.

The massive project will be built in three stages, with the first phase to include the multi-story retail base, a supermarket, a cinema, a 306-room hotel, and the 4-story underground parking garage.

Click images to enlarge

Construction is expected to begin in the Fall.

#2 Best of 2015 - $1.6B Wynn Everett Casino-Resort

Casino mogul Steve Wynn, whose dazzling hotels line the famous Las Vegas strip, hit the jackpot in the Massachusetts casino sweepstakes to claim Greater Boston's sole casino-resort license. His vision is to turn the former site of a chemical plant along the Mystic River, just north of Boston in Everett, into a sparkling gambling resort.

The proposed $1.6 billion project would include a five-star resort with more than 500 hotel rooms, high-end retail and dining, a ballroom and meeting space.

The development would be spread over 30 acres of Mystic River waterfront with paths open to the general public leading to the harbor and more retail and dining overlooking the riverwalk.

The "family-friendly" casino-resort would take at least two years to build.

The design of the casino-resort would mimic local architecture: "If you like the way the Boston skyline looks, you'll love our building," says Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn. The buildings will have a classic brick look on the lower floors and a glassy Vegas look as the building rise.

The casino developer also envisions a fleet of custom-built catamarans ferrying conventioneers and tourists from Long Wharf in downtown Boston and the World Trade Center in the Seaport district, to his riverfront gambling palace in Everett

click to enlarge

As many as three water taxis would be in service at one time, leaving as frequently as 20 minutes apart.

Wynn Resorts insists the water shuttle service would reduce car traffic over already congested roads to the proposed resort.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Wynn Resorts the sole casino license based on economic factors, opportunities and jobs.

The company’s proposal offered a bigger development plan, strong financing, a large construction investment, and a big projected workforce and payroll.

The Greater Boston casino license is projected to be worth about $700 million to more than $800 million a year in gambling revenue.

In November, Massachusetts voters will decide whether the casino gambling law will be repealed.

#3 Best of 2015 - 52-Story Copley Place Tower

Simon Property Group is preparing for construction of a 52-story tower at 5 Copley Place that would be one of the largest residential buildings in Boston. The project will create 542 residences, a 40,000 SF addition to the Neiman Marcus store, a glass-enclosed garden and 75,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space at the corner of Dartmouth and Stuart streets.  The $500 million private investment will put 1,700 construction workers back on the job. 

Approximately 680,000 square feet of new residential space will be above the existing building, situated across from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Back Bay Station.

The building’s 433 rental apartments and 109 condos will be housed in a slender 52-story tower designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, and include 71 affordable housing units.

The plans call for a lap pool on the 6th floor, a 7th floor sky lobby and deck, garage parking spaces and secure bike storage.

At 569 feet, the skyscraper will be the second tallest residential building in Boston, behind the soon-to-be constructed, Four Seasons Tower.

The project will include a large 40,000 square-foot addition to the to the Neiman Marcus store, followed by a complete renovation of the existing 115,000-square-foot store - which will not close during construction.

It will also include additional space for smaller-scale retail shops and restaurants, with a “public winter garden” at the Stuart Street plaza. The developer has also committed up to $1 million towards new public art and $250,000 to Southwest Corridor Park.

The project will build on the strengths of the existing Copley Place complex at Stuart and Dartmouth Streets and infuse an already successful retail destination with an inspired and dynamic mixed-use development.

“The expansion of Neiman Marcus and Copley Place strengthens our retail destination in the Back Bay and contributes to the City’s economic vitality,” according to a press release. “The project will enhance the urban fabric of the neighborhood and be a striking addition to the city’s skyline.”

The project attracted controversy when state representatives accused the Governor of violating a 1997 agreement by signing a revised lease with the developer before city and state regulators could review its impacts on area residents.

Some neighbors have raised concerns, for example, that the project will add to the high winds and shadows thrown off by other skyscrapers in the area.

However, the developer has stressed that the tower would not significantly increase wind in the area, and would only cast minimal new shadows on surrounding open spaces.

It also said it has rotated the tower from its initial orientation on the site and made several other design changes “to minimize environmental impacts, provide improvements to the public realm, and greatly enhance the overall pedestrian experience.”

Built by Chicago-based Urban Investment and Development, Copley Place was at the time the largest mixed-use project in the country. It was criticized by neighbors and some public officials for the way its hulking buildings towered over town houses in the South End.

The original $500 million project eventually included the Westin and Marriott hotels, four office buildings, a shopping mall, 100 apartments, and a 1,400-space parking garage.

The existing building at Copley Place consists of parking, three levels of retail and seven floors of office space.

The new design will transform the brick-paved plaza entrance to Neiman Marcus into a multi-story atrium with a glass facade

The new tower would fill out the last undeveloped parcels in Copley Place, which was initially built in the 1980s over the Massachusetts Turnpike roadway and ramps, and on a former railroad yard.

Simon initially proposed the project in June 2008, but put it on hold when the recession dried up funding for big projects.

The company resurrected the project last year and hopes to break ground in early 2016. Construction is expected to last 3 years.

  

#4 Best of 2015 - New England’s Tallest Residential Tower

Construction will soon get underway on a $700 million, 61-story tower, to be built on the edge of Christian Science Plaza, at Belvidere and Dalton streets. The new 699-foot skyscraper, which will include 250-room Four Seasons hotel and 180 luxury condominiums, will be the tallest residential tower in New England. The 950,000-square-foot plaza redevelopment project will also include a 26-story residential tower with 255 apartments. Cambridge-based developer Carpenter and Company plans to break ground on the project next week, with construction expected to wrap up in 2017.

The 61-story tower, located at 1 Dalton Street in the Back Bay, will be designed by Henry Cobb, the same architect who designed the John Hancock Tower in the 1970s.

His firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners of New York, also designed the Christian Science Plaza and its signature reflecting pool.

The 712,500 square foot Back Bay tower, along with the adjacent 237,500 square foot residential building, will be located at the corner of Belvidere and Dalton Streets.

The 699-foot building is crafted in the shape of an equilateral triangle with rounded corners, a form designed to complement the adjacent Christian Science Church, which was built in 1896.

One Dalton Street will stand 91 feet shorter than the city's tallest structure, but will surpass the Millennium Tower and the tower set to rise at 5 Copley Square - both slated for 625 feet - as the city’s tallest residential building.

Overall, the skyscraper will be the third-tallest structure in Boston, behind the750-foot Prudential Tower and the John Hancock Tower, which stands 790 feet.

The 250-room Four Seasons will occupy the first 20 floors of the building, and 180 ultra high-end condominiums will be spread across the upper 40. The Four Seasons will continue to manage its existing hotel on Boylston Street.

The new Four Seasons is designed to complement the existing hotel on Boylston Street. It will have smaller ballrooms and conference spaces, offering more of a boutique luxury product

The tower will include two restaurants, two lounges, and a health club and spa.

Its residences are certain to be among the most expensive in the city, challenging the Mandarin Oriental and new units under construction at Fan Pier.

The Four Seasons is designed to complement the existing hotel on Boylston Street. It will have smaller ballrooms and conference spaces, offering more of a boutique luxury product

The project’s master developer is Cambridge-based Carpenter & Co., which also developed Boston’s Liberty Hotel and the Charles Hotel in Cambridge.

The project will fill a void between some of the Back Bay’s most significant properties.

“Right now, the Christian Science Plaza and the Prudential Center sit next to each other, but don’t talk to each other,” said Cobb, a Boston native.

“This project will be a new connection and bring this very important part of the city to life.”

The First Church of Christ, Scientist has been lobbying for a redesign for years.

Much of the reason is financial: Profitable real estate would make the site self-sustaining, so that donations to the church can be put more directly toward its mission.

The church also aims to bring its plaza up to date with a 21st-century approach to urban design, in which active public spaces are key.

The site attracts plenty of sightseers as the Christian Science faith’s international headquarters and a major Boston landmark, but it has not lived up to its potential.

The new project is expected to bring thousands of new residents and visitors to one of the city’s most celebrated landmarks.