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 plans to begin work on the project ground early this summer. Construction is expected to last 3 years.

  

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 late this year.

New 31-Story Hotel-Condo Tower to Rise in Back Bay

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 early 2017 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.

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.

Massive $2 Billion Boston Harbor Casino Moving Forward

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 $2 billion project will include a five-star resort with more than 500 hotel rooms, high-end retail and dining, a ballroom and meeting space.

The development will be spread over 33 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 will 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.

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The casino developer also has plans for 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

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 $800 million to more than $900 million a year in gambling revenue.

Plan to Rebuild Jefferson Park Housing Project in Cambridge

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.

Massive $1Billion Boston Garden Towers Mega-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.

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The project is expected to create more than 2,000 construction jobs.