PruPAC divided over projects on Boylston, exeter by Dan Salerno
Back Bay Sun
At a full meeting last week, members of the Prudential Public Advisory Committee (PruPAC) were split nearly down the middle in non-binding votes on whether to oppose new development projects on Exeter and Boylston streets.
The votes indicate committee members are far from in agreement on whether the new towers-one residential, one office and retail complex will ultimately benefit or detract from the community, and the results send an unclear message to the Boston Redevelopment Authority, who will ultimately decide the fate of the projects.
PruPAC voted twice, once on the proposed residential tower known as the Exeter Residences, and once on the modern glass and steel office and retail complex proposed for 888 Boylston Street. The vote on 888 Boylston tipped narrowly towards approval, with 13 members approving and 10 opposed. The vote on the Exeter Residences was a dead-even push, with 11 yays, 11 nays, and 2 abstentions.
In response to the vote, Mayor Tom Menino has asked developers Boston Properties to rethink the design of the Exeter Residences to address residents’ concerns.
“The developer has to go back and see how they can win majority approval for the residences,” Menino told the Boston Herald. “The developer has made concessions on height and affordable housing, but they have to figure out a way to get majority community support for the apartments.”
The projects were also roundly criticized at an open public meeting earlier this fall.
Eliot Laffer, who represents the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) at PruPAC meetings, said the group opposed both projects in their current form for several reasons. Specifically, Laffer said NABB objects to the height of the 888 Boylston building proposed, which, at 235 feet, exceeds the 155 feet allowed by zoning.
Laffer said it was also worth considering that the residents of the neighborhood have been dealing with almost non-stop construction for years.
“The people that live around there have been dealing with continuing construction for a very long time, and a little pause might not be a bad thing to evaluate what might be the total impact of the Mandarin in terms of traffic and other considerations,” said Laffer.
For the Exeter Residences, NABB and most of the dissenters disapproved of the effective loss of "sky," the open space that gives residents of nearby buildings their impressive city views. The new building could result in the loss of some of those views, which are a major part of what owners believed they were buying when they originally purchased their condos.
However, Meg Mainzer-Cohen of the Back Bay Association (BBA) has strongly supported both projects, citing the economic benefit-$1.2 million in projected tax revenue and 600 jobs – and the need for both office space and affordable housing.
"There is very little affordable housing in the neighborhood, and the Exeter Residences would have 27 percent affordable units, which is significant," said Mainzer-Cohen. "I also think that the building design is vastly improved and would be a benefit to the streetscape of Exeter Street."
Meanwhile, 888 Boylston would provide for much-needed office space.
"We continue to have a pretty strong demand for office space, especially at the Prudential Center," she said. "There are tenants that want to relocate, and there isn't enough space." She added she thought the design of the new building fits in well with the surrounding architecture, and that lowering the height of either building would reduce the economic benefit.
However, opposition to the project included not just residents, but also influential elected officials. State representatives Marty Walz and Byron Rushing and City Councilor Mike Ross voted against both projects, citing the concerns of their constituents. Councilor Bill Linehan voted in favor of 888 Boylston Street and against the Exeter Residences.
The final decision now rests with the BRA, which will vote on the matter at its public meeting on December 4. PruPAC advises the BRA but has no actual authority to approve or halt the project. Given the divided nature of last week's vote, it is also unclear what message the body will ultimately send to the BRA. Besides the divided note, calls from the mayor to address concerns with the Exeter Residences - one or both of the buildings - could be in jeopardy in their current proposal.
The project could start construction as early as June if the necessary approvals are obtained. The 888 Boylston building has been rumored to be courting Bloomingdale’s for residence in its proposed lower retail section, and would also be fronted by an expansive new pedestrian plaza with elaborate plantings and fountains.
The Prudential Public Advisory Committee, composed of local residents, business owners, and officials, has been working with the developers on the project for over a year.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
NIMBY success
Thomas Menino: Redo plan on Back Bay tower
By Thomas Grillo
Thursday, November 13, 2008 - Updated 1d 6h ago
Mayor Thomas M. Menino gave a thumbs-up for an office tower at the Prudential Center, but he wants the developer to revise plans for a nearby housing high-rise.
Menino’s comments came in response to a close vote Monday night by the Prudential Project Advisory Committee (PruPAC) on a proposal by Boston Properties for a 17-story office building at 888 Boylston St. and Avalon Bay’s plans for a 27-story apartment tower on Exeter Street.
PruPac - a 24-member panel made up of representatives from community groups and commercial interests - favored the office space by three votes, but tied on plans for an apartment complex.
“The developer has to go back and see how they can win majority approval for the residences,” Menino said. “The developer has made concessions on height and affordable housing, but they have to figure out a way to get majority community support for the apartments.”
By Thomas Grillo
Thursday, November 13, 2008 - Updated 1d 6h ago
Mayor Thomas M. Menino gave a thumbs-up for an office tower at the Prudential Center, but he wants the developer to revise plans for a nearby housing high-rise.
Menino’s comments came in response to a close vote Monday night by the Prudential Project Advisory Committee (PruPAC) on a proposal by Boston Properties for a 17-story office building at 888 Boylston St. and Avalon Bay’s plans for a 27-story apartment tower on Exeter Street.
PruPac - a 24-member panel made up of representatives from community groups and commercial interests - favored the office space by three votes, but tied on plans for an apartment complex.
“The developer has to go back and see how they can win majority approval for the residences,” Menino said. “The developer has made concessions on height and affordable housing, but they have to figure out a way to get majority community support for the apartments.”
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
"Opponents Dug in Their Heals"
Proposed Pru projects divide advisory panel
By Thomas Grillo | Tuesday, November 11, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com |
For the first time in its 20-year history, a panel overseeing Prudential Center expansion can’t reach consensus on future development.
In a high stakes vote last night, the Prudential Project Advisory Committee (PruPAC), barely mustered majority support for a proposal by Boston Properties for a 17-story office tower proposed for 888 Boylston St. Proponents won by three votes.
In a separate ballot, members were evenly split on Avalon Bay’s plans for a 27-story residential high-rise on Exeter Street. The 24-member panel comprised of representatives from community groups and commercial interests, advises City Hall on commercial real estate projects at the Pru.
“For two decades, PruPac votes on projects around the Prudential Center have reached almost unanimous support,” said Betsy Johnson, PruPac’s chairwoman. “But the opponents dug in their heels very early on the height issue and refused to consider any zoning changes.”
Michael A. Cantalupa, senior vice president of Boston Properties, and Michael Roberts, vice president of development at Avalon, declined to comment following the meeting.
Originally, Boston Properties proposed a 19-story tower while Avalon Bay filed plans for a 30-story apartment building. But Mayor Thomas M. Menino asked the developers to compromise following protests from the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay that the buildings were out of character in the historic district.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority will consider the project at a public hearing on Dec. 4.
By Thomas Grillo | Tuesday, November 11, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com |
For the first time in its 20-year history, a panel overseeing Prudential Center expansion can’t reach consensus on future development.
In a high stakes vote last night, the Prudential Project Advisory Committee (PruPAC), barely mustered majority support for a proposal by Boston Properties for a 17-story office tower proposed for 888 Boylston St. Proponents won by three votes.
In a separate ballot, members were evenly split on Avalon Bay’s plans for a 27-story residential high-rise on Exeter Street. The 24-member panel comprised of representatives from community groups and commercial interests, advises City Hall on commercial real estate projects at the Pru.
“For two decades, PruPac votes on projects around the Prudential Center have reached almost unanimous support,” said Betsy Johnson, PruPac’s chairwoman. “But the opponents dug in their heels very early on the height issue and refused to consider any zoning changes.”
Michael A. Cantalupa, senior vice president of Boston Properties, and Michael Roberts, vice president of development at Avalon, declined to comment following the meeting.
Originally, Boston Properties proposed a 19-story tower while Avalon Bay filed plans for a 30-story apartment building. But Mayor Thomas M. Menino asked the developers to compromise following protests from the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay that the buildings were out of character in the historic district.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority will consider the project at a public hearing on Dec. 4.
Representative Marty Walz Strikes Again!
The Boston Globe
Advisor panel divided on Back Bay towers
November 11, 2008
BOSTON
The Prudential Project Advisory Committee came to no consensus after voting yesterday on proposals to build a 242-foot building at 888 Boylston St. and a 27-story tower on Exeter Street. Many opponents object to the towers' special designation, granted by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, to exceed the neighborhood's 155-foot zoning code. Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the BRA will ultimately decide the project's fate. A public hearing on the proposals will be held Dec. 4 at City Hall. "This is unprecedented . . . we've always been able to come up with a consensus," said state Representative Marty Walz, a Democrat from the Back Bay and an advisory panel member who voted against the proposals. Representatives from both development teams declined to comment on the vote.
Editor Note: There were more votes in FAVOR of 888 Boylston Street (in spite of the spin by State Representative Marty Walz), and a tie vote for Exeter Residences.
Advisor panel divided on Back Bay towers
November 11, 2008
BOSTON
The Prudential Project Advisory Committee came to no consensus after voting yesterday on proposals to build a 242-foot building at 888 Boylston St. and a 27-story tower on Exeter Street. Many opponents object to the towers' special designation, granted by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, to exceed the neighborhood's 155-foot zoning code. Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the BRA will ultimately decide the project's fate. A public hearing on the proposals will be held Dec. 4 at City Hall. "This is unprecedented . . . we've always been able to come up with a consensus," said state Representative Marty Walz, a Democrat from the Back Bay and an advisory panel member who voted against the proposals. Representatives from both development teams declined to comment on the vote.
Editor Note: There were more votes in FAVOR of 888 Boylston Street (in spite of the spin by State Representative Marty Walz), and a tie vote for Exeter Residences.
$2 Million for baseball
Fenway: Let’s not play ball
College wants to trade park fix-up for field time
By Thomas Grillo
Monday, November 10, 2008 - Updated 9h ago
Emmanuel College will provide $2 million to refurbish Roberto Clemente Field in the Fenway, but residents say the arrangement is a raw deal for the neighborhood.
The Menino administration is set to approve a plan that allows the college to restore the 6-acre park at Kilmarnock Street and Park Drive if the Catholic liberal arts school is guaranteed access for its students.
The city argues that the matching grant from Emmanuel and the Yawkey Foundation is good for Boston Latin and Fenway high schools, which need athletic fields. But some neighbors are opposed.
“We object to the privatization of a public ball field,” said William Richardson, president of the Fenway Civic Association. “If this is about playing fields for high schools, let’s figure out how to pay for the improvements. But the idea that Emmanuel donates cash and gets huge chunks of time is wrong.”
Residents say they would be prohibited from the park on weeknights - prime time for working people.
City Councilor Michael Ross said he was skeptical about the plan, but now supports it. “The park will still be available to the neighborhood and provide athletic opportunities for several high schools,” he said.
Sarah Welsh, an Emmanuel spokeswoman, said the project has widespread support in the community. “There’s been a 14-month public process and only two people are opposed,‘ she said.
College wants to trade park fix-up for field time
By Thomas Grillo
Monday, November 10, 2008 - Updated 9h ago
Emmanuel College will provide $2 million to refurbish Roberto Clemente Field in the Fenway, but residents say the arrangement is a raw deal for the neighborhood.
The Menino administration is set to approve a plan that allows the college to restore the 6-acre park at Kilmarnock Street and Park Drive if the Catholic liberal arts school is guaranteed access for its students.
The city argues that the matching grant from Emmanuel and the Yawkey Foundation is good for Boston Latin and Fenway high schools, which need athletic fields. But some neighbors are opposed.
“We object to the privatization of a public ball field,” said William Richardson, president of the Fenway Civic Association. “If this is about playing fields for high schools, let’s figure out how to pay for the improvements. But the idea that Emmanuel donates cash and gets huge chunks of time is wrong.”
Residents say they would be prohibited from the park on weeknights - prime time for working people.
City Councilor Michael Ross said he was skeptical about the plan, but now supports it. “The park will still be available to the neighborhood and provide athletic opportunities for several high schools,” he said.
Sarah Welsh, an Emmanuel spokeswoman, said the project has widespread support in the community. “There’s been a 14-month public process and only two people are opposed,‘ she said.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Calling out the NIMBY's
Common goals for the common good in Boston
By Meg Mainzer-Cohen
October 25, 2008
AT A TIME when the economy has ground to a halt, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is right to encourage the Boston Redevelopment Authority to expedite projects that are in the pipeline. The city may also want to reflect on the contentious public process that businesses must go through in order to build in Boston.
When it comes to development, the business community is often the underdog to anti-development zealots. The benefits of creating jobs, tax revenue, and new development get hidden in the shadow of invalid claims about environmental impacts and zoning.
Consider the Back Bay. Much of the Back Bay and South End is historically protected or is now parkland. Minimal new development will ever happen. Between them is an area called the "high spine," identified in the 1960s as a place for density connecting Back Bay with downtown. This makes perfect sense in the Back Bay where people want to live, work, stay at a hotel, shop, eat in a restaurant, or attend a convention at the Hynes. These activities are a catalyst for economic growth that supports the city and state. During boom times and bust, the economy of the Back Bay remains strong, which should be leveraged as a highly viable way to add to the tax coffers and create jobs.
With concern about the environment, the Back Bay is an ideal area to build density near public transportation. Menino created "green building" amendments to the Boston zoning code that encourages smart growth and environmentally friendly development. Back Bay benefits from having the commuter rail, MBTA Green and Orange lines, and soon the Silver Line. With a mix of housing, and office and retail space, people who live here don't need cars.
Zoning in Back Bay was written 20 years ago, before the concepts of smart growth, and should be rewritten to allow building for the future, incorporating smart growth in areas that are not historically protected.
Yet there has been opposition. The Neighborhood Association of Back Bay has opposed every building proposal as well as efforts to improve transportation for citizens. It opposed the MBTA adding articulated buses, and sued to stop handicapped-accessible stations. It said "no" to Columbus Center, 888 Boylston Street, the Exeter Residences, the Mandarin Oriental, 350 Boylston Street, and the Back Bay Restaurant Group's plan for TGIF's. The group wanted traffic signals on Storrow Drive, restricting traffic by 40 percent.
At a recent public meeting held as part of the Article 80 review process to inform the community about updated plans for 888 Boylston Street and the Exeter Street residences, presenters were cut off by the NIMBY crowd who wanted to comment on why the projects shouldn't happen.
Activists used buzzwords like "zoning," "shadow," and "wind." The public didn't learn that the "wind" improved in more areas than it worsened, "shadows" were not considered impactful because they were minimal during December, and "zoning" was created to allow changes in a planned development area, where the development is located. Instead, the meeting debased into a NIMBY-fest as one activist questioned the legal authority of the Boston Redevelopment Authority and advocated its dismantling.
The city must advocate for common goals for the common good, considering how to build Boston for the future. We must add housing and office space in areas that can support it, translating into the creation of jobs, housing, and increased taxes. We must advocate for transportation projects that ensure people can get where they need to go.
When it comes to creating jobs and homes, and increasing tax revenue, NIMBYers just say no. We must raise our voices in support of common goals for the common good.
Meg Mainzer-Cohen is president of the Back Bay Association.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
By Meg Mainzer-Cohen
October 25, 2008
AT A TIME when the economy has ground to a halt, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is right to encourage the Boston Redevelopment Authority to expedite projects that are in the pipeline. The city may also want to reflect on the contentious public process that businesses must go through in order to build in Boston.
When it comes to development, the business community is often the underdog to anti-development zealots. The benefits of creating jobs, tax revenue, and new development get hidden in the shadow of invalid claims about environmental impacts and zoning.
Consider the Back Bay. Much of the Back Bay and South End is historically protected or is now parkland. Minimal new development will ever happen. Between them is an area called the "high spine," identified in the 1960s as a place for density connecting Back Bay with downtown. This makes perfect sense in the Back Bay where people want to live, work, stay at a hotel, shop, eat in a restaurant, or attend a convention at the Hynes. These activities are a catalyst for economic growth that supports the city and state. During boom times and bust, the economy of the Back Bay remains strong, which should be leveraged as a highly viable way to add to the tax coffers and create jobs.
With concern about the environment, the Back Bay is an ideal area to build density near public transportation. Menino created "green building" amendments to the Boston zoning code that encourages smart growth and environmentally friendly development. Back Bay benefits from having the commuter rail, MBTA Green and Orange lines, and soon the Silver Line. With a mix of housing, and office and retail space, people who live here don't need cars.
Zoning in Back Bay was written 20 years ago, before the concepts of smart growth, and should be rewritten to allow building for the future, incorporating smart growth in areas that are not historically protected.
Yet there has been opposition. The Neighborhood Association of Back Bay has opposed every building proposal as well as efforts to improve transportation for citizens. It opposed the MBTA adding articulated buses, and sued to stop handicapped-accessible stations. It said "no" to Columbus Center, 888 Boylston Street, the Exeter Residences, the Mandarin Oriental, 350 Boylston Street, and the Back Bay Restaurant Group's plan for TGIF's. The group wanted traffic signals on Storrow Drive, restricting traffic by 40 percent.
At a recent public meeting held as part of the Article 80 review process to inform the community about updated plans for 888 Boylston Street and the Exeter Street residences, presenters were cut off by the NIMBY crowd who wanted to comment on why the projects shouldn't happen.
Activists used buzzwords like "zoning," "shadow," and "wind." The public didn't learn that the "wind" improved in more areas than it worsened, "shadows" were not considered impactful because they were minimal during December, and "zoning" was created to allow changes in a planned development area, where the development is located. Instead, the meeting debased into a NIMBY-fest as one activist questioned the legal authority of the Boston Redevelopment Authority and advocated its dismantling.
The city must advocate for common goals for the common good, considering how to build Boston for the future. We must add housing and office space in areas that can support it, translating into the creation of jobs, housing, and increased taxes. We must advocate for transportation projects that ensure people can get where they need to go.
When it comes to creating jobs and homes, and increasing tax revenue, NIMBYers just say no. We must raise our voices in support of common goals for the common good.
Meg Mainzer-Cohen is president of the Back Bay Association.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
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