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Mayor Menino Announces Other New Projects Moving Forward

Sep 13, 2012

Approved projects will create 2,405 new construction jobs and is more than $879 million in private investment in the City of Boston

  New Residences Approved for Boylston Street in Fenway 
Private investment / Total project cost: $150M
Total square footage: 348,235
Housing: 322 units
Construction Jobs: 600
Retail: 15,000 SF, ground floor retail
  New housing on Boylston Street in the Fenway continues the evolution of the neighborhood into one of Boston’s hottest places to live, work, and play. The $150 million development proposed by the Abbey Group at 1282 Boylston Street will add 322 residential units featuring a mix of studios, one, two, and three bedrooms, including 36 affordable units. The 190-foot development totals 348,235 SF and includes 15,000 SF of ground floor retail space and a community center. The development will also have a 3-story underground parking garage for 295 vehicles. [caption id="attachment_8220" align="alignright" width="300"] 1282 Boylston Street[/caption] The project will create 600 construction jobs and has an estimated construction time of 18 months with a planned spring 2013 groundbreaking. In November 2011 the Abbey Group won approval for an office and residential building at the 1282 Boylston Street site. In August 2012 the Abbey Group submitted a Notice of Project Change to amend the use to all residential.   New Hotel and Residences Approved for South End’s New York Streets Neighborhood
Private investment / Total project cost: $165M
Total square footage:  330,000
Housing: 220 rental units
Construction Jobs: 500
Retail: 2,011 SF
  A new hotel and residences on Albany Street will rise at a gateway site to the South End and continue the development momentum in the New York Streets area. The project at 275 Albany Street was unanimously approved by the BRA Board and will include two towers connected by a 3-story parking garage. A 19-story residential tower will front onto Traveler Street and house up to 220 rentals made up of studios and one and two bedrooms. The developer is making a 20% contribution to affordable housing as required under the newly adopted Harrison Albany Corridor zoning. A second tower will house an 11-story hotel that will be accessed from East Berkeley and have up to 325 micro style rooms. The location is an 8 minute walk to the Red Line, 20 minutes to the Public Garden, and a 26-minute walk to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the Innovation District. [caption id="attachment_8240" align="alignleft" width="300"] 275 Albany Street[/caption] The new Harrison Albany Corridor zoning creates a high growth district close to downtown in the area bounded by the Massachusetts Turnpike to the north, Albany Street/Southeast Expressway/Massachusetts Avenue Connector to the east; Massachusetts Avenue to the south; and Washington Street/Harrison Avenue to the west. In the next two to three decades the area is projected to grow by as much as 7.3 million SF. The zoning was adopted in January 2012 after an extensive two year community process. The project team includes developer Normandy Real Estate Partners and architect Add Inc. The project will create 500 construction jobs and 175 permanent jobs. Construction is estimated to take 24 months. Normandy Real Estate Partners submitted a proposal for a project featuring two hotel towers in 2010. A Notice of Project Change was submitted in August 2012, which was approved.   Rehabilitation of 35 Northampton Street Tower Approved
Private investment / Total project cost: $52M
Total square footage: 172,200 
Housing: 245 units, including 11 handicap accessible
Construction Jobs: 105
 
The BRA Board unanimously approved a $52 million plan for 35 Northampton Street and 860 Harrison Avenue in the South End/Lower Roxbury, one block from the Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical Campuses. The buildings are part of the Northampton Square Campus, formerly known as the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing Campus.  It is owned by the Boston Public Health Commission. The 29-story, 165,000 SF residential tower at 35 Northampton Street will be rehabilitated.  A 2,700 SF shared lobby and walkway connecting 35 Northampton Street to 860 Harrison Avenue will be constructed.  Office space in the 12-story, 860 Harrison Avenue will be converted into 11 handicapped accessible residential units.  The Board also approved the renovation of 4,500 SF of 860 Harrison Avenue for a residential lobby, mailroom, corridor, management offices, and elevator to improve accessibility to the parking garage.  The two buildings will provide 245 affordable residential units. [caption id="attachment_8178" align="alignright" width="300"] Corner of Harrison Avenue and Northampton Street[/caption] The tower's rehabilitation includes the installing new mechanical systems and electrical services, elevator system upgrades, new energy efficient windows, exterior façade repairs, a new roof, and renovated trash chutes with new laundry rooms on every other floor.  Unit improvements include new and upgraded kitchens, new storage closets, new low-flow plumbing fixtures, new flooring, blinds, and paint.  The parking garage will be upgraded with more handicapped parking spaces, accessible entrances and exits, and improved security features. As the Boston City Hospital School of Nursing, the site was a dormitory for students and was acquired by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) in 1996. This redevelopment will address the capital needs of the existing housing at 35 Northampton Street and preserve its affordable nature.  The redeveloped building will be far more energy efficient with a healthier and more secure living environment.  The project will generate significant financial resources to support the City of Boston’s public health initiatives. In 2010, the BPHC issued a Request for Qualifications to redevelop areas of the site in need of significant capital improvements.  Trinity Northampton Phase One Limited Partnership, an affiliate of Trinity Financial, Inc., was selected as the developer by the BPHC Board on December 16, 2010. The development team includes Boston Public Health Commission, Trinity Financial, Inc, Wilmer Hale, The Architectural Team, Fort Point Associates, Inc., Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc., McPhail Associates, Inc., Vertex Companies, Inc., Copley Wolff Design Group, Nitsch Engineering, and CWC Builders, Inc.   New Balance World Headquarters Approved for Allston/Brighton
Private investment / Total project cost: $500M
Total square footage: 1.45 million
Address: 38-180 Guest Street, 77 Guest Street, Allston-Brighton
Jobs: 400 full-time construction jobs, 600 peak constructions jobs, and 3,000 permanent jobs.
New Balance World Headquarters: 3-story, 200,000 - 250,000 SF, 8,000 - 12,000 SF of restaurant and retail, 360-space parking garage
Office space: 2 buildings less than 165 feet tall totaling 350,000 - 500,000 SF, 15,000 - 23,000 SF for restaurant and retail, and 750-space parking garage. 
Sports facility: 300,000-345,000 SF, 6,000 - 12,000 SF of restaurant and retail, and 250-space parking garage
Open space: 5.3 acres
Taxes: $14.5 million annually
  New Brighton Landing, New Balance’s 14 acre mixed-use project, was unanimously approved by the BRA Board bringing office space, a sports complex, a commuter rail station, retail, restaurants, and open space to Brighton’s Guest Street.
"This $500 million development will be a wonderful addition to the Brighton neighborhood and will add brand new recreation space for public use,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino.  "I salute New Balance as a major local employer, and I applaud its efforts to include the public in the new complex."
[caption id="attachment_8230" align="alignright" width="300"] Plaza view looking southwest[/caption] For well over 100 years, the Guest Street corridor has served as the economic backbone for the neighborhood.  From the cattle yards of the turn of the century to the factories of the industrial age, the area has been a place for agriculture, livestock and manufacturing, creating hundreds of jobs.  New Balance seeks to continue that legacy with a health and fitness twist. New Brighton Landing will bring job opportunities, Class A office space, first-class sporting and fitness facilities, diverse retail, significant open space, and improvements to existing infrastructure. New Balance’s goal is to create a corridor of renewed activity along Guest Street through public infrastructure improvements, new jobs, and public, open space to promote health and wellness. The project includes a new World Headquarters for New Balance, a sports complex, along with up to two office buildings totaling 350,000 - 500,000 SF, and 15,000 - 23,000 SF for restaurant and retail above a 750-space parking garage. New Balance’s 3-story (200,000 -250,000 SF) World Headquarters will contain 8,000 - 12,000 SF of restaurant and retail.  A 360-space parking garage will act as a podium for the 3-story headquarters. The sports facility (300,000-345,000 SF) with a track and field complex, hockey arena, additional health/wellness amenities for sporting activity will include venues for basketball, tennis, general recreation, and a fitness/health and wellness facility.  Also included will be 6,000 - 12,000 SF of restaurant and retail.  The sports facility will sit above a 250-space parking garage. New Balance will pay to design, permit, and construct a new commuter rail station and create 5.3 acres of public, open space.  The City will receive approximately $14.5 million a year in taxes, nearly $8 million to the Neighborhood Housing Trust, and $1.6 million to the Neighborhood Jobs Trust.  The project will create 400 full-time construction jobs, 600 peak constructions jobs, and 3,000 permanent jobs. New Brighton Landing will knit an isolated area into the fabric of the surrounding residential neighborhood by activating the Guest Street corridor with high quality architecture, open space, street level retail and restaurants, and streetscape improvements that connect pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. The development team is composed of New Balance, Elkus Manfredi Architects, Goodwin Procter, Howard/Stein-Hudson, Inc., Carol R. Johnson, Inc., Beals Associates, and Epsilon Associates.   Boston College High School to Add New Educational and Athletic Facility
Private investment / Total project cost: $12M
Total square footage: 28,000
Construction Jobs: 150-200
[caption id="attachment_8221" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cadigan Hall[/caption] The BRA Board unanimously approved a 28,000 SF expansion at Boston College High School in Dorchester, which will enhance educational and athletic access for students. The $12 million expansion at the private school located at 150 Morrissey Boulevard will be connected to the existing Boston College High School campus by a breezeway  adjacent to McNeice Pavilion and at the east end of Cushing Hall. Cadigan Hall will be a 2.5-story addition and will include a gymnasium, a 125-seat lecture hall, student activities area, band classroom, music practice rooms, a choral room, three art classrooms, and a fine arts department office. The project will create 75-100 construction jobs. The development team includes Boston College High School as the developer and Ai3 Architects.   Request for Proposals for Boston Harbor Ferry Service The City of Boston has been awarded $1.28 million in federal grant money for the purchase of two ferries that will travel between East Boston, South Boston, and Charlestown.  The new service will meet the growing demand for transportation across the Harbor and boost economic opportunity by creating new transit connections between residents and jobs, a key part of Mayor Menino’s Boston Harbor planning objectives and economic agenda. The BRA Board has approved the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) to purchase the two passenger water transportation vessels.  Each vessel will have a capacity of 40 to 100 passengers and be ADA accessible. [caption id="attachment_8242" align="alignleft" width="300"] Ferry Boat[/caption] Increased ferry service addresses the growing transit demand.  Peak hour transit to these waterfront neighborhoods is 50% by car, 27% by public transit, and 23% on foot.  The projected development in each neighborhood relies on added transit capacity.  East Boston with 2.5 million SF of housing, the South Boston Waterfront with 19 million SF of mix use/research, and development, and Charlestown Navy Yard with 1 million SF of mix use/biomedical are relying on added transit capacity. The proposed ferries will be owned by the BRA and managed through a competitively bid contract with a private ferry operator.  The grant will be administered through MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning.

Related Tags

1282 Boylston Street 275 Albany Street 35 Northampton Street Abbey Group Allston/Brighton Boston College High School Brighton Brighton/Guest St Cadigan Hall Charlestown East Boston Fenway ferry Hotel New Brighton Landing RFP South Boston Waterfront South End Water transportation 

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