#4 STORY OF 2019

2-Building Project will Bring 250 Apartments to Hyde Park 

A large two-building development is set to rise near the Readville commuter station, bringing with it 250 new apartments.

Boston-based Noannet Group is developing the project at 36-40 Sprague Street in Boston’s Hyde Park section.

The original plan called for a much bigger development - a four-building campus with 521 housing units, including condos, and features such as co-working space and a big steel-frame sign reading “Readville” to trumpet that area of Hyde Park.

Local opposition resisted the original proposal and led to curtailments that eventually resulted in the two-building, 250-unit project that the Boston Planning and Development Agency approved in mid-September. 

Current plans call for just two, five story residential buildings with 14,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, and 3,000 square feet for community space.

The residential component will consist of 110 one-bedroom apartments, 88 two-bedroom units, 44 studios, and eight three-bedroom apartments. Thirty-two units will be set aside for lower income tenants.

Amenities will include a fitness center, a courtyard, and a daycare facility, as well as parking for 251 vehicles.

The developer is providing new traffic signals to the area as part of the project. It was traffic that fueled opposition to the original proposal, with residents concerned about more cars on the Readville roads. 

Hyde Park is one of the few affordable neighborhoods left in the Boston area, with average rents around $1,750 for one-bedroom apartment.

#3 STORY OF 2019

New Apt Complex Next to South Bay Shopping Center

The neighborhood around South Bay is changing fast. And next up could be a large apartment building at 173 Boston Street in Dorchester that would include about 400 units.

Developer Bass Realty has filed plans with the Boston Planning & Development Agency, for a five-story apartment building on the site of a Verizon service center and a neighboring warehouse at 15 Enterprise Street. 

Bass Realty has owned the buildings since the mid-1990s as industrial property. 

The four acre project would include about 400 units in three wings, along with nearly two acres of publicly accessible open space, as well as a one-way street that would cut through, connecting Boston Street and South Bay. 
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The project will also include 18,000 square feet of commercial space, a 260-space underground parking garage, and 25 on-street parking spaces. 

The development site is next door to the recently opened expansion of the huge South Bay shopping center, which added 475 apartments, a movie theater, and a more pedestrian-oriented street grid, to its big-box stores and enormous parking lot. 

This new project will knit that expansion more neatly into the neighborhood to the south and east.

The owners of South Bay envision eventually redeveloping the entire 50-acre shopping complex to feel more like a traditional mixed-use neighborhood, though plans for that are still in early stages.

#2 STORY OF 2019

3-Building Project in North Quincy to Create 610 Apartments

The Abby, a three-building apartment complex set on a 7.2-acre parking lot adjacent to the Red Line stop, will bring 610 apartments to North Quincy.

The project being developed by Maryland-based Bozzuto Development Company will include 45,000 square feet of retail space, including a Target, as well as a parking garage with 1,314 spaces. 

All of the buildings in the project—named for first lady Abigail Adams, will be connected.

Quincy is seeing a wave of development near its Red Line stops to its proximity to Boston. The Abby is under 25 minutes from Cambridge’s Kendall Square on the Red Line and 15 minutes from Boston’s South Station. The site is also about a mile from I-93.

The complex, designed by Icon Architects, is scheduled to wrap in phases. The first phase includes the garage, which is slated to be ready in summer 2020; Building A, which is scheduled for completion in spring 2021, with 218 apartments and the 40,000-square-foot Target store.

Building B is scheduled to wrap in summer 2021, with 137 apartments and 2,500 square feet of retail space, as well as 219 surface parking spaces.

The second phase will include a 255-unit Building C, which will also have 2,500 square feet of retail space and 130 parking spots for residents. 

Amenities at the Abby will include a fitness center, a solarium, a lounge, a dog spa, a bike-repair area, two landscaped courtyards, and electric-vehicle charging stations.

The development team is also donating $4.8 million to Quincy’s affordable housing trust as well as to public space improvements at North Quincy High School and nearby streets and sidewalks.

#1 STORY OF 2019

$400M+ Raffles Hotel & Condos to Rise in Back Bay 

A huge 33-story, $400 million+ Raffles Hotel and Residences will soon begin to rise at 40 Trinity Place in Back Bay. 

The Saunders Hotel Group and the Noannet Group landed a $314 million construction loan in July.

The 154-room Raffles Hotel and 146 Raffles Condominiums will replace the current Boston Common Hotel & Conference Center, an eight-story, 85,000-square-foot building featuring 64 hotel rooms and a 13,650-square-foot conference facility.

The new tower is planned to rise 33 stories, and will also include restaurant and retail space as well as expansion space for the adjacent University Club. 

Amenities will include a two-story sky lobby perched high above Copley Square, six food and beverage venues, a state-of-the-art Raffles Spa with a 20-meter indoor pool and fitness club, conference rooms, a grand ballroom, and a rooftop garden terrace and lounge.

The project will provide over $22 million in public benefits in total, including street and public realm improvements, seven on-site affordable housing units and a contribution of over $13 million that will support additional affordable housing in Boston.

The hotel will be the first mixed-use property in North America for the world-renowned and iconic hospitality brand, and is expected to thematically reflect Boston—as other Raffles hotels in places such as Paris, Singapore, and the Seychelles reflect their locales.

The tower—officially named Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences— will be built to LEED Gold sustainability specifications and is scheduled to open in 2022. 

Massive Columbia Point Mixed-Use Development

A massive 20-acre development covering more than 2.5 million square feet located on Dorchester’s Columbia Point will soon begin breaking ground along the Harborwalk overlooking Boston Harbor. 

The building site was formerly home to the now-demolished Bayside Expo Center, located three miles from Downtown Boston, just steps from the MBTA Red Line and only minutes to Interstate 93.

UMass Boston, the site’s owner, has hired a development partner to transform the site into a modern-day Harvard Square, planning for up to 3.4 million square feet of mixed-use development.

The university has big plans for the new neighborhood which will be integrated with the existing UMass Boston campus and includes academic, research, retail, residential, dining, entertainment, and cultural uses.

New buildings and landscapes are to take full advantage of the site’s waterfront location and maximize public access to the waterfront. 

Additionally, the project will replace an underground garage and create fund a new home for the nursing school.

Developer Accordia Partners recently finalized an agreement to lease the 20-acre site, signing a 99-year ground lease for the UMass Boston property with an expected value of $235 million.

The deal will provide some relief to the financially-strapped university.

Accordia was selected as the winning bid from proposals offered by 16 developers for the prime waterfront land on Columbia Point in February.

All the new buildings will feature state-of-the-art energy efficiency and be LEED certified. 

The entire project is expected be under construction for about 10 years.

Seaport Square Project Changes from Residential to Offices

The Boston Planning and Development Agency has approved WS Development’s plan to switch plans for its project at 350 Summer Street in Seaport Square from a residential conversion to 384,000 square feet of office and lab space.

Per the developer’s original September request, the building will be comprised of approximately 384,000 square feet of office and/or research and development uses and about 38,000 square feet of restaurant, entertainment, and retail space.

The building had been slated to host 350,000 square feet of residential and 72,000 square feet of restaurant-entertainment-retail.

WS Development has a potential office tenant lined up already too. Foundation Medicine, a Cambridge-based life sciences firm that has already leased 580,000 square feet at WS’ under-construction 400 Summer Street for its new headquarters, has a right of first refusal to take space in 350 Summer Street as well.

The project is the latest major life sciences-related real estate move in the Boston region. 

New projects from Somerville to Watertown and different parts of Boston, including South Boston and Allston, have been drawing interest from numerous biotech firms. 

No surprise, given the industry’s presence regionally—but still notable given that all these projects have been proposed in just the past 12 months.

The shift at 350 Summer Street has raised concerns about the loss of residential units in a Seaport District—and a Boston—that needs housing of all kinds. 

WS said that it would still build the approximately 3,200 units it originally proposed for Seaport Square, in part by shifting the mix of unit types to include smaller, lower-priced units and fewer large luxury units.

A 212-Room Canopy by Hilton to Rise on North Street

A new 212-room Hilton-branded hotel will soon break ground at 111 North Street near the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

The joint venture between CV Properties, Harbinger Development, and Olshan Properties expects to complete the $200 million building by the middle of 2021. 

The hotel will operate as a Canopy by Hilton, a brand that the hospitality colossus launched only last year with a Washington, D.C., development.

Canopy by Hiltons are supposed to be more integrated into their surrounding neighborhoods than other hotels from the company. 

The 111 North site straddles Boston Haymarket area and the city’s historic North End, so it appears to be a good fit for the location.

Aside from the hotel, the project is also due to include 13,000 square feet of retail space and restaurant space. There will be a 2,500-square-foot bar and restaurant, too, with views of the Greenway and a glass wall that retracts.

The Canopy by Hilton will join a slew of planned hotel projects in Boston along the Greenway. 

Developer Boston Residential Group plans to replace a surface parking lot at 55 India Street with a 12-story, 29-unit condo.

Other planned hotels include a Raffles-brand hotel in Back Bay, an expanded Onyx hotel in downtown, a Club Quarters in Back Bay, a citizenM hotel near TD Garden, and a new boutique hotel adjacent to Fenway Park.

What’s driving this hotel construction boom? Boston’s high occupancy and nightly rates—some of the highest in the United States—have quite a bit to do with it. 

Also the fact that Boston-area hotels historically sell for substantial prices when owners and investors decide to check out.

Dorchester Project to Create 207 New Apartments

A 1.81-acre parking lot at 780 Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester, that used to host the Phillips Old Colony House and Freeport Tavern, will soon be home to a new apartment building.

Camden, New Jersey-based Michaels Development, which purchased a controlling interest in the site, has plans to construct a six-story apartment complex. 

The project promises to bring in more much-needed affordable housing to one of Boston’s neighborhoods.

The new development will create 207 new apartments, with 92 studios, 94 one-bedroom apartments, and 21 two-bedroom units. Plans also include a 136-space parking garage.

Michaels Development bills itself as the “nation’s largest privately-held owner of affordable housing.” This would be its first project in Massachusetts.

The development will also cause the demise of another surface parking lot in Boston. The trend has gathered steam in just the past several months, with several new projects planned in downtown, Fort Point, Back Bay and Bay Village. 

The redevelopment of the site, now used for parking, is the latest in what’s becoming a trend for a city in need of housing as developers gobble up old parking lots and garages in favor of mixed-use developments in tightly woven neighborhoods all across Boston.

The trend is likely a result of not only the high land values in Boston—which make sales particularly alluring for lot owners—but the changing nature of driving and parking in the city.

2-Building Project will Bring 250 Apartments to Hyde Park

A large two-building development is set to rise near the Readville commuter station, bringing with it 250 new apartments.

Boston-based Noannet Group is developing the project at 36-40 Sprague Street in Boston’s Hyde Park section.

The original plan called for a much bigger development - a four-building campus with 521 housing units, including condos, and features such as co-working space and a big steel-frame sign reading “Readville” to trumpet that area of Hyde Park.

Local opposition resisted the original proposal and led to curtailments that eventually resulted in the two-building, 250-unit project that the Boston Planning and Development Agency approved in mid-September. 

Current plans call for just two, five story residential buildings with 14,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, and 3,000 square feet for community space.

The residential component will consist of 110 one-bedroom apartments, 88 two-bedroom units, 44 studios, and eight three-bedroom apartments. Thirty-two units will be set aside for lower income tenants.

Amenities will include a fitness center, a courtyard, and a daycare facility, as well as parking for 251 vehicles.

The developer is providing new traffic signals to the area as part of the project. It was traffic that fueled opposition to the original proposal, with residents concerned about more cars on the Readville roads. 

Hyde Park is one of the few affordable neighborhoods left in the Boston area, with average rents around $1,750 for one-bedroom apartment.

New Apt Complex Next to South Bay Shopping Center

The neighborhood around South Bay is changing fast. And next up could be a large apartment building at 173 Boston Street in Dorchester that would include about 400 units.

Developer Bass Realty has filed plans with the Boston Planning & Development Agency, for a five-story apartment building on the site of a Verizon service center and a neighboring warehouse at 15 Enterprise Street. 

Bass Realty has owned the buildings since the mid-1990s as industrial property. 

The four acre project would include about 400 units in three wings, along with nearly two acres of publicly accessible open space, as well as a one-way street that would cut through, connecting Boston Street and South Bay. 

The project will also include 18,000 square feet of commercial space, a 260-space underground parking garage, and 25 on-street parking spaces. 

The development site is next door to the recently opened expansion of the huge South Bay shopping center, which added 475 apartments, a movie theater, and a more pedestrian-oriented street grid, to its big-box stores and enormous parking lot. 

This new project will knit that expansion more neatly into the neighborhood to the south and east.

The owners of South Bay envision eventually redeveloping the entire 50-acre shopping complex to feel more like a traditional mixed-use neighborhood, though plans for that are still in early stages.

3-Building Project in North Quincy to Create 610 Apartments

The Abby, a three-building apartment complex set on a 7.2-acre parking lot adjacent to the Red Line stop, will bring 610 apartments to North Quincy.

The project being developed by Maryland-based Bozzuto Development Company will include 45,000 square feet of retail space, including a Target, as well as a parking garage with 1,314 spaces. 

All of the buildings in the project—named for first lady Abigail Adams, will be connected.

Quincy is seeing a wave of development near its Red Line stops to its proximity to Boston. The Abby is under 25 minutes from Cambridge’s Kendall Square on the Red Line and 15 minutes from Boston’s South Station. The site is also about a mile from I-93.

The complex, designed by Icon Architects, is scheduled to wrap in phases. The first phase includes the garage, which is slated to be ready in summer 2020; Building A, which is scheduled for completion in spring 2021, with 218 apartments and the 40,000-square-foot Target store.

Building B is scheduled to wrap in summer 2021, with 137 apartments and 2,500 square feet of retail space, as well as 219 surface parking spaces.

The second phase will include a 255-unit Building C, which will also have 2,500 square feet of retail space and 130 parking spots for residents. 

Amenities at the Abby will include a fitness center, a solarium, a lounge, a dog spa, a bike-repair area, two landscaped courtyards, and electric-vehicle charging stations.

The development team is also donating $4.8 million to Quincy’s affordable housing trust as well as to public space improvements at North Quincy High School and nearby streets and sidewalks.

$400M+ Raffles Hotel & Condos to Rise in Back Bay

A huge 33-story, $400 million+ Raffles Hotel and Residences will soon begin to rise at 40 Trinity Place in Back Bay. 

The Saunders Hotel Group and the Noannet Group landed a $314 million construction loan in July.

The 154-room Raffles Hotel and 146 Raffles Condominiums will replace the current Boston Common Hotel & Conference Center, an eight-story, 85,000-square-foot building featuring 64 hotel rooms and a 13,650-square-foot conference facility.

The new tower is planned to rise 33 stories, and will also include restaurant and retail space as well as expansion space for the adjacent University Club. 

Amenities will include a two-story sky lobby perched high above Copley Square, six food and beverage venues, a state-of-the-art Raffles Spa with a 20-meter indoor pool and fitness club, conference rooms, a grand ballroom, and a rooftop garden terrace and lounge.

The project will provide over $22 million in public benefits in total, including street and public realm improvements, seven on-site affordable housing units and a contribution of over $13 million that will support additional affordable housing in Boston.

The hotel will be the first mixed-use property in North America for the world-renowned and iconic hospitality brand, and is expected to thematically reflect Boston—as other Raffles hotels in places such as Paris, Singapore, and the Seychelles reflect their locales.

The tower—officially named Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences— will be built to LEED Gold sustainability specifications and is scheduled to open in 2022. 

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Big Plans to Construct Boston's Third Tallest Tower

A developer has plans to build one of Boston’s tallest buildings in downtown’s Financial District. The 740-foot glass tower will include a 300-room hotel, offices, retail space, a restaurant and 150 luxury condominium units.  Costing as much as $900 million to build, the 900,000-SF skyscraper will add a new showpiece to Boston’s rapidly changing skyline.

The building would be the tallest building in the downtown area and will include a 300-room hotel, retail space, offices, and up to 150 condominiums on the upper floors.

The tower proposal comes during one of the most dynamic periods of construction in the city’s history, as numerous skyscrapers aim to alter the Boston skyline.

At 740 feet, the angular skyscraper would be Boston’s third-tallest structure, behind the 750-foot Prudential building and the 790-foot John Hancock Tower.

An office building at 133 Federal Street would be combined with the new tower at ground level to create a 72,000-square-foot lobby with restaurants and shops.

The complex, called 111 Federal Street will rise on one of the Financial District’s last major development sites, replacing the city-owned Winthrop Square parking garage presently on the site.

Before work can proceed, developer Steve Belkin must negotiate a deal to buy the property from the city.

The dilapidated garage at 111-115 Federal Street will be demolished and replaced with glass storefronts and modern lobbies for the offices and a luxury hotel.

Former Mayor Thomas Menino selected Steve Belkin to redevelop the property in 2006, but the project failed to attract enough tenants amid the economic downturn.

The original plan called for a 1,000-foot office tower, but that proposal was rejected because it would have interfered with air traffic. The new proposal calls for a tower 260 feet shorter.

The building will be one of only a few towers built in the densely packed Financial District since the 1980s. In recent years, tech companies, restaurants and retailers have brought new life to the area.

The project, designed by Boston-based CBT Architects, is expected to begin construction sometime later this year.

Giant 52-story Tower to Rise at 5 Copley Place

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 construction is expected to last 3 years.

  

Plans to Construct Six New Office Towers in Government Center

Developers plan to construct a huge 528-foot glass skyscraper at the corner of Congress and New Sudbury streets. The curvy 47-story tower would be the centerpiece of a Government Center redevelopment project, where builders are preparing to construct a cluster of high-rises to replace portions of the Government Center Garage.

The project, estimated to cost well over $1 billion, will include construction of three high-rises and three smaller buildings containing more than 2.3 million square feet of commercial and residential space.

The project will begin with a 42-story residential tower with 450 rental and condominium units, followed by removal of the part of the garage that hangs over Congress Street and the construction of the 47-story office building. The developer wants to begin construction later this year.

The new office tower, designed by architect Cesar Pelli, would be an unusually dramatic building for Boston, a city that has shied away from the kind of eye-popping architecture that defines the skylines of other major cities.

In all, the project would result in six buildings containing 2.3 million square feet of commercial and residential space.

Three high-rises would be built on the western portion of the site, and three smaller buildings would be built along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

A retail plaza would create a new connection between the Greenway and Canal Street.

While the portion of the garage above the street would be demolished, the core of the building at Congress and New Sudbury would remain, preserving 1,100 parking spaces. That part of the garage would be hidden behind the new high-rises.

The development has received approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, but plans for each building must also be approved by the agency’s design commission. BRA director Brian Golden has offered strong support for the project.

“The redevelopment of the Government Center Garage site will reshape the downtown skyline in a way that few projects can,” he said. “We welcome a creative approach to its design and look forward to working with the architecture team to review their proposal more carefully.”

Developer Tom O’Brien, a principal of HYM Investment Group, said the project’s architecture is meant to call attention to the vast change it would bring to the city’s downtown.

He noted that it would remove one of the area’s worst eyesores, a relic of the Urban Renewal Era, and reconnect the Bulfinch Triangle to the North End and Beacon Hill.

Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects of New Haven is collaborating on the design with CBT Architects of Boston.

The project's primary investor is the National Electrical Benefit Fund.

Boston is experiencing a burst of real estate development, transforming much of its downtown and outlying neighborhoods. A retail and condominium tower is under construction at the former Filene’s site in Downtown Crossing. Additional towers are being proposed at Winthrop Square in the Financial District and at the site of the Harbor Garage on Atlantic Avenue.

In the Bulfinch Triangle, Related Beal is building a new headquarters for Converse Inc., and Boston Properties plans to construct a series of towers in front of the TD Garden.

Plans to Demolish & Rebuild Cambridge Housing Project

The Cambridge Housing Authority has plans to use proceeds from a $30.8 million bond from MassDevelopment to demolish and reconstruct the Jefferson Park apartments, a 100% affordable multi-family housing project in North Cambridge.

The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development ruled the site’s conditions obsolete, calling for demolition of the buildings.

Rebuilding will create 104 units: 32 one-bedroom units, 53 two-bedroom units, and 19 three-bedroom units.

Other improvements will include private entrances for each of the units, along with maintaining private outdoor spaces and landscape designs.

Bank of America is the project’s bond purchaser and MassDevelopment also assisted DHCD with the approval of federal low income housing tax credits that will provide approximately $25.1 million in equity.

“Providing affordable housing in Cambridge remains crucial in one of the commonwealth’s most competitive housing markets,” said Marty Jones, MassDevelopment president and CEO.

MassDevelopment issued the $30.8 million tax-exempt bond on behalf of Jefferson Park Apartments LLC, an entity managed by the Cambridge Housing Authority. Bank of America is the bond's purchaser.

Federal low-income housing tax credits will provide $25.1 million in equity for the project. MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development worked together to secure the tax credits.

Jefferson Park spans six buildings in North Cambridge. The properties built in 1950 and served as housing for veterans and their families in the aftermath of World War II. Since then, the Cambridge Housing Authority has provided affordable housing for families and individuals in these units.

CHA is a national leader in the development, management, and administration of subsidized affordable housing for more than 5,000 households of low-income elders, families, and disabled individuals. MassDevelopment has issued bonds on behalf of several CHA projects, most recently $104 million in tax-exempt bonds for three affordable housing developments.

 “The revitalization of Jefferson Park-State exemplifies the CHA’s commitment to provide its residents with high quality, energy-efficient housing that will remain affordable for generations to come," said Greg Russ, executive director of the Cambridge Housing Authority.

Huge Fenway Center Project Preparing to Begin Construction

Fenway Center, one of the largest stalled projects in Boston, is getting ready to begin construction later this Spring. The five-building, 1,300,000-square-foot mega project has secured financing for the project’s two-building first phase, which will include 313 residential units. The project has an estimated price tag of $700 million.

The 1.3 million-square-foot complex will be developed over air rights which span eight lanes of the Massachusetts Turnpike. 

The finished project will include 550 apartments and commercial space in five buildings between Brookline Avenue and Beacon Street; 1,290 parking spots, open space, and streetscape improvements. 

Plans also call for a farmers market and a bike-sharing station.

Fenway Center will be among the most transformative development projects in Boston.

Boston regulators approved a $4.6 million tax break to spur construction of a new neighborhood near Fenway Park that would straddle the Massachusetts Turnpike and include hundreds of apartments, stores, restaurants, and offices. 

The tax deal for the $550 million Fenway Center development, negotiated by Mayor Walsh, received unanimous support from the board of the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The tax break will provide an important stimulus to a project that promises to create 1,800 construction jobs and boost economic growth.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority voted to petition the City Council for approval of a Special Tax Assessment Agreement between the City of Boston and MK Parcel 7 Development, LLC, the developer of the Fenway Center project.

The project has languished for years due to legal and permitting challenges, and the developer has struggled to generate enough funding to move forward.

The development was approved by the BRA Board in 2011, but has been delayed due to litigation and rising costs.

Fenway Center is particularly costly and complex because it requires construction of a $45 million deck over the Mass Pike to support its main parking garage and a 27-story tower with offices, apartments and stores.

The project would be the first development to be constructed on air rights over the turnpike since Copley Place was built in the 1980s.

“We are going to cover up the highway and build a new neighborhood out of thin air,” said John Rosenthal, president of developer Meredith Management Corp.

Fenway Center will combine:

•     Fully funded, energy neutral MBTA Yawkey Commuter Rail Station
•     1,290 Parking Spaces including 750 shared-use spaces
•     500 Residential Apartments including 10% on-site affordable units and 5% offsite
•     170,000 SF of Office Space
•     Over 90,000 SF of Retail Space
•     Over 30,000 SF of Parks and Green Spaces
•     Bicycle Storage and a Bicycle Share Station
•     Community Space
•     Daycare Center

The tax relief is structured to help fund construction of the project’s retail spaces, not its apartments. The deal will reduce the project’s taxes over a six-year period during its construction and early years of operation.

After its completion, Fenway Center is expected to generate about $5 million a year in taxes. The developer would also pay the state $226 million to lease the 4.5-acre development site over 99 years.

Currently, the property generates about $152,000 a year.

Click images to enlarge

  

31-Story Hotel-Condo Tower to Rise near Copley Square

For the last few years, developers have been working with the city to construct a midsized high-rise building in Back Bay near Copley Square. After several delays, construction is finally about to break ground on 40 Trinity Place.

40 Trinity Place will be a 31-story tower with a four-star hotel on the lower floors and luxury condominium units on the upper floors. 

The 429,000 square foot building will rise 393 feet tall at the southeast corner of the intersection of Stuart Street and Trinity Place.

The new tower will have 154 hotel rooms, 146 residential units, a celebrity chef restaurant, a sky lobby and bar, a two-story public outdoor patio and high rise conference center, and ground floor retail and restaurant space.

Amenities for those who live in the residential portion will be located on the 17th and 18th floors and include concierge service, valet parking, a movie theater and a spa.

The highlight of the building will be a two-story sky lobby and bar, which will be set on the 15th floor.

The developers are planning on having a celebrity chef operate the restaurant and people from all over Boston will be able to come and view the city below from 150 feet in the sky.

The restaurant will also feature an outdoor patio, which when completed, will become the highest rooftop bar in the city.

40 Trinity will be built adjacent to the existing Boston Common Hotel, with an 11,300 square foot expansion for the hotel's University Club located on the building's third floor.

The ground floor of the building will open up retail space allowing for more business in the neighborhood.

Previously proposed on-site affordable housing units have been eliminated; instead, 39 affordable housing units would be built off site.

A total of 17 on-site affordable units were previously proposed.

The look of the building has been designed to minimize visual impact on the Boston skyline.

The design is particularly sensitive to context as the building is within close proximity to Copley Square and adjacent to the iconic Hancock Tower. The building exterior is sculpturally distinctive, explicitly designed to distinguish it from the adjacent buildings.

Many architects have praised its sculpture-like design.

According to the architectural team that designed the building, it was “explicitly designed to distinguish itself from adjacent buildings” nearby. They also pointed out that “shadow and wind impacts on the surrounding area were carefully considered”.

40 Trinity will have a boutique and elegant feel unlike some of the larger buildings going up around Boston which consist of 200 or more units such as Millennium Tower, the New Four Seasons and Pier 4.

The hotel portion of the tower is being designed by Stonehill Taylor Architects of New York City.

40 Trinity is set to break ground in late spring and will be built by Suffolk Construction. The project will create approximately 700 construction jobs as well as approximately 350 permanent jobs.

The building is designed to meet LEED Silver certification, incorporating a number of sustainable design features to preserve and protect the local environment.