New England’s Tallest Residential Tower, 691 Feet

Construction will soon get underway on a $700 million, 60-story tower, to be built on the edge of Christian Science Plaza, at Belvidere and Dalton streets. The new 691-foot skyscraper, which will include 250 hotel rooms and 180 luxury condominiums, will be the tallest residential tower in New England. The 950,000-square-foot plaza redevelopment project, which is expected to begin later this year, will also include a 26-story residential tower with 255 apartments.

The 60-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 691-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.

The Christian Science Tower will stand 99 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.
 

Copley Place Tower to be Largest Residential Building in Boston

Simon Property Group is preparing for construction of a 47-story tower at 5 Copley Place that would be the largest residential building 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 785,000 of new square footage will be added to 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 47-story tower designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, and contain 670,000 square feet of new residential space, including 67 affordable housing units.

At 625 feet, the skyscraper will be one of the tallest residential buildings in New England.

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 late in 2013 and hopes to start construction by the end of this year. Construction is expected to last 3 years.

  

Let Freedom Ring

Boston Cargo Terminal Project Ready to Cruise

A massive cargo terminal planned for the South Boston waterfront is steaming ahead again after years of delay and a recent downsizing to make the project financially viable. Developer Marine Terminal Operator has secured approvals for its Notice of Project Change for the $220 million, 510,552 square foot Boston Cargo Terminal project in the South Boston Waterfront neighborhood.

Marine Terminal dropped about 50,000 square feet from the three-building complex it wants to build on a 30-acre swath of city-owned Seaport District land that’s under long-term lease to the Massachusetts Port Authority.

The development site is located within the 129-acre Boston Marine Industrial Park.

The new Boston Cargo Terminal project will now include three commercial / warehouse buildings, a 120,000 square foot roof-top greenhouse structure, and 160 on-site parking spaces.

The project will include the construction of new marine industrial space to be configured in three new buildings:

• Building A - approximately 279,000 sf,
• Building B - approximately 173,560 sf, and
• Building C - approximately 58,000 sf

In addition to the new industrial buildings, the project will also include:

• Construction of a new 4.3-acre bulk cargo handling facility - to be used for an import /export cement distribution operation; 

• Renovation of a portion of the existing 900 foot North Jetty, and 

• Construction of a new 400 foot barge berthing space.

• Public benefits will include the construction of a Harborwalk viewing area.

Arrowstreet is the architect for the $220 million, 510,552 square foot project.

Huge Fenway Center Project Closer to Reality

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.

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

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.

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.

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Northampton Square Phase II Moves Forward

The second phase of the Northampton Square project, a $154 million development that will bring 371,881 square feet of affordable housing and rooftop open space to the South End, has been approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority. Phase II will include the construction of Albany Tower, a 26-story tower with 211 luxury apartments, at the corner of Albany and Northampton Streets, and the rehabilitation of the 12-story Harrison Tower residential building at 860 Harrison Avenue.

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The Northampton Square complex is located in the South End -Lower Roxbury neighborhood, one block away from Boston Medical Center and the Boston University Medical Campuses.

Phase II of development contains two main components - the renovation of 860 Harrison Avenue, and the construction of a new residential tower at the corner of Northampton Street and Albany Street.

Albany Tower will include 211 luxury apartments, consisting of one and two bedroom units and 53,000 square feet of office space for the Boston Public Health Commission. The tower is estimated to cost $85 million to build.

Harrison Tower will include 109 residential units. At least 102 of the units created by Phase II will be affordable. Once the project is completed, the site would have close to 64 percent affordable housing.

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The plaza on top of an existing parking garage will be renovated into an open space amenity for residents, including areas of green roof and rooftop farming.

The two approved buildings are part of the 3.59 acre Northampton Square Campus, which includes the existing offices of the BHCC, the South End Fitness Center, the Carter Auditorium, and a 538-space parking garage.

No changes would be made to the garage that currently serves the two existing buildings.

Trinity Northampton Limited Partnership is the developer and The Architectural Team is the architect on the project.

The total development cost for Phase II is estimated at $154 million, and is slated for completion in 2017.

The original complex was built between 1969 and 1973 to house the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing. The Boston Public Health Commission acquired the site in July 1996, and has managed the property since.

In December of 2010, the BPHC selected Trinity Financial to redevelop and manage the various components of the site.

In the fall of 2013, Trinity closed on the financing for the first phase of the redevelopment – the renovations of 35 Northampton Street. These renovations are expected to be completed in December 2014.

Energy Retrofits Now Easier and Faster Than Ever

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† iPad, iPhone and iPod touch are registered trademarks of Apple®, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Photo courtesy of Lutron Electronics Co.