More on Dorms - 2

Developers of Student Housing Hope Less Ends Up Being More
By Thomas GrilloReporter

In response to strong opposition, the Phoenix Property Co. and Lincoln Property Co. will file revised plans for GrandMarc, a private, $170 million residence hall for students. Banker & Tradesman first reported the story Wednesday on its Web site, www.bankerandtradesman.com. The Texas-based developers proposed a pair of towers, totaling 34 stories and 12 stories, to be built near the YMCA on Huntington Avenue. The complex would have featured 1,140 beds as well as a café, recreation room and lounge on the ground floor.

But neighbors said the multiplex was too big and that the concentration of more than a 1,000 additional students would overwhelm the close-knit neighborhood. Residents said the skyscraper would rise above the Fenway and be out of scale with the neighborhood’s 5- and 6-story walkup apartment buildings. In addition, neighbors worried that GrandMarc, coupled with Northeastern University’s plans to build more than 2,000 dorms nearby, would concentrate too many students in one section of the city.

“We heard the [Boston Redevelopment Authority] and the neighborhood’s concerns, and devised a plan that is significantly less than what we proposed,” said Jason P. Runnels, Phoenix’s executive vice president. “We were happy to build more than 1,000 beds in that location to meet the demand, but the community and BRA said it was way too much.”

In a series of public hearings last spring, the developers faced questions about the number of dorm rooms, security, parking and traffic. In a letter to the developers from the BRA, questions also were raised about how alcohol use and underage drinking would be controlled, whether the dorm would provide police details on weekends, what consequences would result for students who misbehaved and how the building would handle disposal of party-related trash. The developer’s history of selling its properties after a few years also was flagged as a concern.
In response, Runnels said he would reduce the size of the tallest tower to about 24 stories and increase the other building to about 15 stories. He also has hired a security company and promised to resolve questions about how to keep the students and the area safe. While Runnels acknowledged that his company keeps its buildings for seven years before selling them, a development partner, Behringer Harvard Real Estate Investment Trust, typically keeps properties for the long term.

“We can’t promise that the building will never be sold, but we can say that it will be institutionally owned and professional managed like all the other institutional assets in Boston,” Runnels said.

‘Too Many Students’
Jane Hartmann, a member of the Impact Advisory Group, an eight-member panel appointed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino to advise the city on the development, said she has not heard from the developer about the revised plans.

“Aside from the building’s height, many of the concerns centered around governance and security,” she said. “We didn’t like the idea that this is a firm that wants to build something and sell it in five years. The neighborhood has spent two years negotiating with Northeastern University and we already offered to support student housing on two sites. Neighbors are concerned that this new project would put too many students in a small section of the Fenway,”
If approved, GrandMarc would offer a first-of-a-kind private student housing, complete with resident assistants. While colleges and universities typically operate dorms, the project would be novel in Boston, where the for-profit company would lease the one- to four-bedroom units directly to students.

The developers have entered into an agreement to purchase an acre of land from the YMCA, along with the Y building’s Hastings Wing, for an undisclosed price. Under the terms of the deal, the Y would keep about 25,000 square feet of land and maintain the branch. The developers have agreed to incorporate the portion of the Hastings Wing that faces Huntington Avenue into the design. Plans also include a renovated front portion of the building. Phoenix would raze the rear portion of Hastings.

Phoenix has built nearly 8,000 dorm beds on a several campuses nationwide, including the University of Virginia and Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C.

William Richardson, president of the Fenway Civic Association, said the neighborhood made it clear to the developers last year that the project was too big considering the fact that the firm lacked a track record in Boston.

“There has never been a private dorm developed in the Boston area, as far as I know, and so we told them we couldn’t be comfortable with any kind of a project on this scale as a first project,” he said. “From a residents’ perspective, we are worried about a critical mass of students in East Fenway. We told the developers: ‘If you want to start discussion, you need to talk about a project of about half the size.’ ”

Runnels told Banker &Tradesman that his company is planning a presentation for the city and the neighborhood that would address the request for a smaller building, as well as explain how management and security will be handled.

In a prepared statement, BRA spokeswoman Jessica Shumaker said, “We’re happy to hear that the developers are responding to our concerns and the concerns from the community. Ultimately, the public review process results in a better project, and we look forward to reviewing their new submission with the community soon.”