Fort Point residents reject developers’ office plans
By Thomas Grillo
Boston Herald
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The city’s chief planner and a pair of developers faced an angry crowd in Fort Point last night as a proposal to turn five vacant buildings into offices was rejected by the neighborhood.
In an emotionally charged session, a standing room only crowd criticized the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and the Archon Group for abandoning a decade of planning to create a mixed-use district.
“You lied to us,” said artist Claudia Ravaschiere to the Archon representative. “You talked about doing residential, but you have not kept one promise to this community. To you it’s just real estate, but to us this is our home.”
During the tense meeting, Kairos Shen from the BRA floated a compromise that would allow four-dozen artists to keep their leases in the South Boston district until 2010. In return, Lincoln Property Co. can turn a pair of vacant warehouses at 316-322 Summer St. into office space and Archon could proceed with an office project at 49-63 Melcher St.
But residents, including many artists, said the proposal was a bad deal for the city.
“For the BRA to offer this deal to artists who are losing their space at the 11th hour is cynical and divisive,” said Steven Hollinger, a member of the Seaport Alliance for Neighborhood Design.
John Matteson, Archon’s regional director, defended his firm’s actions saying they acquired 17 commercial buildings where the average occupancy rate was about 25 percent. Following major renovations and leasing, the improved properties were later sold, he said.
Valerie Burns, a longtime Fort Point resident, said both projects are unchanged from previous community meetings. “The neighborhood was absolutely unified in opposing these projects and now you come back to us with the same project only with a commitment of a temporary relocation for a small number of artists,” she said. “This is a case of the BRA supporting the developer over the wishes of the neighborhood.”
Shen said he thought the plan that would save some artists workspace for two years and get a pair of projects moving was worthy of discussion. But he acknowledged the mistrust between the parties.
“I know our plan is flawed,” said Shen. “But I still think it’s a good plan.”
Friday, December 5, 2008
Tempers Flared in Brighton
Tempers flare as Boston College presents revisions to expansion plans in Brighton
By Matt Seidner, Correspondent
Allstton Brighton Tab
Thu Dec 04, 2008, 11:46 AM EST
Allston-Brighton - Update: A Boston College Task Force meeting previously scheduled for Dec. 9 has been cancelled. A new date has not yet been set.
Tempers flared at Wednesday night’s Boston College Task Force meeting as outraged residents denounced the college’s plans to build a new stadium complex and undergraduate dormitories close to their homes.
Most of the residents who attended were either members or supporters of Brighton Neighbors United, a group that fiercely opposes BC on its current housing and athletics plans. The handful of people who spoke out in support of the university quickly found themselves shouted down by the more vocal BNU members.
At the request of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, BC scaled back the details of its planned sports complex on the Brighton Campus. BC reduced proposals for a 1,500-seat baseball and 500-seat softball complex, to 1,000 and 300 seats respectively, in the version of the plan presented at the Wednesday, Dec. 3, meeting. The complex would host varsity practices from September to November from 3-7 p.m., and there would be at least 10 night games each for baseball and softball. Intramural teams would be able to use the fields from 3-9:30 every night but Saturday, when the park would close at 7.
One woman in the audience said the hours were too late for professionals and families who have to wake up early in the morning. Many more said that BC should remove the complex entirely. “The opposition is against the stadium, whether it is 1,000, whether it is 1,500,” said BNU member Maria Rodrigues.
BNU members passed out fliers showing that of the 600 letters written to the BRA during the June 2008 comment period on the plans, 90 percent were against building the stadiums.
Another hotly disputed issue of the night was BC’s plans for housing its undergraduate students. The university proposes a net increase of 940 beds, including 150 on the Brighton campus, and 560 beds in the recently acquired 2000 Commonwealth Ave. apartment building. The current plan would house 96 percent of students on-campus, and the BRA has requested the university study the impact of placing another 350 beds on either the Brighton or Chestnut Hill campus to reach 100 percent.
The vast majority of residents at the meeting demanded that the university house all undergraduate students on its main campus. The BNU analysis stated that 86 percent of letter-writers opposed building residences on former Archdiocese of Boston properties, and 82 percent were against using the 2000 Commonwealth Ave. building as a dorm. “We consider this an invasion into the residential area, and it was uncalled for,” task force member Terry Cohen said about the 2000 Commonwealth Ave. building.
Many attendees asked BC to replace the mods, campus residences built in the 1970s that were intended to be temporary, with a high-rise dorm instead of building smaller units in Brighton, a plan the institution appears to reject.
“The mods are as densely populated as we feel we can sustain,” said Jack Dunn, a university spokesman.
While schools such as Boston University and Northeastern choose to house students in high-rise buildings, BC prefers lower-density options that bring students closer to surrounding communities, according to BRA Chief Planner Kairos Shen. “I think the university wants to take a particular approach,” said Shen. In this case, the plan reflects the school’s reluctance to build large housing complexes. “I think they [BC] are trying to work with the city to find a compromise,” he said.
Shen added that, for the benefit of the neighborhood, he hopes to see headway soon. “The longer we argue on this, the longer that new dorms will not get built, and we’re prolonging the time before there will be relief in the neighborhood,” said Shen.
Still, many Brighton Neighbors United members show little intention of giving ground on this issue. “I feel really distressed that my lifestyle is being impinged upon because BC does not want a crowded campus,” said BNU member Lisa Lieberman.
The college maintained that it has already made many of the revisions the community requested. “We think that the plan that we have proposed is in the best interest of Boston College and the neighborhood of which we have been a part for 95 years, and we hope that we can reach a resolution so that we can proceed with the plan’s implementation,” Dunn said when asked if and when residents could expect to see more revisions.
For its part, the BNU isn’t budging. “This is 15, maybe 10 percent of the plan where we have to fight you; we don’t want to, but we have to,” said member Alex Selvig.
By Matt Seidner, Correspondent
Allstton Brighton Tab
Thu Dec 04, 2008, 11:46 AM EST
Allston-Brighton - Update: A Boston College Task Force meeting previously scheduled for Dec. 9 has been cancelled. A new date has not yet been set.
Tempers flared at Wednesday night’s Boston College Task Force meeting as outraged residents denounced the college’s plans to build a new stadium complex and undergraduate dormitories close to their homes.
Most of the residents who attended were either members or supporters of Brighton Neighbors United, a group that fiercely opposes BC on its current housing and athletics plans. The handful of people who spoke out in support of the university quickly found themselves shouted down by the more vocal BNU members.
At the request of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, BC scaled back the details of its planned sports complex on the Brighton Campus. BC reduced proposals for a 1,500-seat baseball and 500-seat softball complex, to 1,000 and 300 seats respectively, in the version of the plan presented at the Wednesday, Dec. 3, meeting. The complex would host varsity practices from September to November from 3-7 p.m., and there would be at least 10 night games each for baseball and softball. Intramural teams would be able to use the fields from 3-9:30 every night but Saturday, when the park would close at 7.
One woman in the audience said the hours were too late for professionals and families who have to wake up early in the morning. Many more said that BC should remove the complex entirely. “The opposition is against the stadium, whether it is 1,000, whether it is 1,500,” said BNU member Maria Rodrigues.
BNU members passed out fliers showing that of the 600 letters written to the BRA during the June 2008 comment period on the plans, 90 percent were against building the stadiums.
Another hotly disputed issue of the night was BC’s plans for housing its undergraduate students. The university proposes a net increase of 940 beds, including 150 on the Brighton campus, and 560 beds in the recently acquired 2000 Commonwealth Ave. apartment building. The current plan would house 96 percent of students on-campus, and the BRA has requested the university study the impact of placing another 350 beds on either the Brighton or Chestnut Hill campus to reach 100 percent.
The vast majority of residents at the meeting demanded that the university house all undergraduate students on its main campus. The BNU analysis stated that 86 percent of letter-writers opposed building residences on former Archdiocese of Boston properties, and 82 percent were against using the 2000 Commonwealth Ave. building as a dorm. “We consider this an invasion into the residential area, and it was uncalled for,” task force member Terry Cohen said about the 2000 Commonwealth Ave. building.
Many attendees asked BC to replace the mods, campus residences built in the 1970s that were intended to be temporary, with a high-rise dorm instead of building smaller units in Brighton, a plan the institution appears to reject.
“The mods are as densely populated as we feel we can sustain,” said Jack Dunn, a university spokesman.
While schools such as Boston University and Northeastern choose to house students in high-rise buildings, BC prefers lower-density options that bring students closer to surrounding communities, according to BRA Chief Planner Kairos Shen. “I think the university wants to take a particular approach,” said Shen. In this case, the plan reflects the school’s reluctance to build large housing complexes. “I think they [BC] are trying to work with the city to find a compromise,” he said.
Shen added that, for the benefit of the neighborhood, he hopes to see headway soon. “The longer we argue on this, the longer that new dorms will not get built, and we’re prolonging the time before there will be relief in the neighborhood,” said Shen.
Still, many Brighton Neighbors United members show little intention of giving ground on this issue. “I feel really distressed that my lifestyle is being impinged upon because BC does not want a crowded campus,” said BNU member Lisa Lieberman.
The college maintained that it has already made many of the revisions the community requested. “We think that the plan that we have proposed is in the best interest of Boston College and the neighborhood of which we have been a part for 95 years, and we hope that we can reach a resolution so that we can proceed with the plan’s implementation,” Dunn said when asked if and when residents could expect to see more revisions.
For its part, the BNU isn’t budging. “This is 15, maybe 10 percent of the plan where we have to fight you; we don’t want to, but we have to,” said member Alex Selvig.
Proposals for Air Rights Parcels Due Today
Heavy Hitters Poised To Push For Pike Parcels
By Paul McMorrow
Banker & Tradesman Staff Writer
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority’s latest offering of developable air-rights space at the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston has some familiar faces jockeying for position, Banker & Tradesman has learned.
At stake is 145,540 developable square feet, spread over four parcels spanning the Pike (Turnpike Parcels 12-15). Proposals are due Friday at noon.
Adam Weiner, of Weiner Ventures, confirmed Monday he will be bidding on the parcels, but declined further comment. The Chiofaro Co. also confirmed its intention to bid on Parcels 14 and 15. Trinity Financial said it is a “likely bidder,” and has been making the rounds of politicians and neighborhood groups, but declined to elaborate.
Weiner’s group may have an inside track on the Pike parcels, thanks to a land acquisition this past spring. In May, ADG Scotia LLC purchased an 11,187-square-foot parcel from the Archdiocese of Boston for $13.85 million. The parcel, a vacant lot formerly belonging to St. Cecilia parish, abuts Parcels 14 and 15 and is seen as a staging ground that might be used to leverage more significant development.
ADG Scotia is a joint venture between John Fish’s Suffolk Ventures and Weiner’s Weiner Ventures. Weiner’s father, Stephen, is the developer behind the Mandarin Oriental complex on Boylston Street, not far from the Turnpike parcels. ADG Scotia’s public filings with the Secretary of State’s office list Stephen Weiner as an officer.
The Weiner-Fish group has an incentive to be an active developer, rather than a group of investors looking to flip their parcel. A clause in the purchase agreement stipulates that if ADG Scotia sells the St. Cecilia parcel within five years of acquiring it, half of the resulting profit will revert back to the Archdiocese.
Chiofaro, the big-ticket developer behind International Place, acquired the Harbor Garage for $155 million last November. Sources said Chiofaro was preparing his bid in conjunction with Prudential Insurance, but those reports could not be confirmed.
Sarah Barnat, a project manager at Trinity Financial, developers of the $150 million Avenir mixed-use project in the Bulfinch Triangle, described her firm as another likely bidder, but gave no further comment.
Trinity has been briefing neighborhood politicians and residents on its plans for a mixed-use project over the Pike for the past month. A source with knowledge of the developer’s proposal described it as “modest” in height, which could play into Trinity’s hands.
Appropriate size is a hurdle any developer will have to clear, because it is difficult to squeeze profit out of an air rights development that may face serious massing constraints.
The BRA’s 1998 master plan for the area, commissioned in response to Millennium Partners failed 1 million-square-foot proposal for Parcel 12, envisions only one building topping 15 stories, with the rest topping out at 14 floors. Height would be set back, too, with street-front heights only reaching between 50 and 75 feet. The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay has said it will be evaluating bids based on the parameters outlined in this plan.
State Rep. Marty Walz held up Millennium and Arthur Winn’s Columbus Center as cautionary examples any would-be Pike developers should avoid repeating. Both proposals were “grossly out of scale,” Walz said.
“Developers would be well advised to propose projects consistent with the neighborhood,” Walz warned. She also said state aid for the decking necessary to bridge the Turnpike may not be forthcoming, especially given the for-profit nature of any proposed development.
Other developers rumored to be considering bids include the Kensington Investment Co., and Clark Construction. Calls to those developers did not yield comments.
By Paul McMorrow
Banker & Tradesman Staff Writer
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority’s latest offering of developable air-rights space at the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston has some familiar faces jockeying for position, Banker & Tradesman has learned.
At stake is 145,540 developable square feet, spread over four parcels spanning the Pike (Turnpike Parcels 12-15). Proposals are due Friday at noon.
Adam Weiner, of Weiner Ventures, confirmed Monday he will be bidding on the parcels, but declined further comment. The Chiofaro Co. also confirmed its intention to bid on Parcels 14 and 15. Trinity Financial said it is a “likely bidder,” and has been making the rounds of politicians and neighborhood groups, but declined to elaborate.
Weiner’s group may have an inside track on the Pike parcels, thanks to a land acquisition this past spring. In May, ADG Scotia LLC purchased an 11,187-square-foot parcel from the Archdiocese of Boston for $13.85 million. The parcel, a vacant lot formerly belonging to St. Cecilia parish, abuts Parcels 14 and 15 and is seen as a staging ground that might be used to leverage more significant development.
ADG Scotia is a joint venture between John Fish’s Suffolk Ventures and Weiner’s Weiner Ventures. Weiner’s father, Stephen, is the developer behind the Mandarin Oriental complex on Boylston Street, not far from the Turnpike parcels. ADG Scotia’s public filings with the Secretary of State’s office list Stephen Weiner as an officer.
The Weiner-Fish group has an incentive to be an active developer, rather than a group of investors looking to flip their parcel. A clause in the purchase agreement stipulates that if ADG Scotia sells the St. Cecilia parcel within five years of acquiring it, half of the resulting profit will revert back to the Archdiocese.
Chiofaro, the big-ticket developer behind International Place, acquired the Harbor Garage for $155 million last November. Sources said Chiofaro was preparing his bid in conjunction with Prudential Insurance, but those reports could not be confirmed.
Sarah Barnat, a project manager at Trinity Financial, developers of the $150 million Avenir mixed-use project in the Bulfinch Triangle, described her firm as another likely bidder, but gave no further comment.
Trinity has been briefing neighborhood politicians and residents on its plans for a mixed-use project over the Pike for the past month. A source with knowledge of the developer’s proposal described it as “modest” in height, which could play into Trinity’s hands.
Appropriate size is a hurdle any developer will have to clear, because it is difficult to squeeze profit out of an air rights development that may face serious massing constraints.
The BRA’s 1998 master plan for the area, commissioned in response to Millennium Partners failed 1 million-square-foot proposal for Parcel 12, envisions only one building topping 15 stories, with the rest topping out at 14 floors. Height would be set back, too, with street-front heights only reaching between 50 and 75 feet. The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay has said it will be evaluating bids based on the parameters outlined in this plan.
State Rep. Marty Walz held up Millennium and Arthur Winn’s Columbus Center as cautionary examples any would-be Pike developers should avoid repeating. Both proposals were “grossly out of scale,” Walz said.
“Developers would be well advised to propose projects consistent with the neighborhood,” Walz warned. She also said state aid for the decking necessary to bridge the Turnpike may not be forthcoming, especially given the for-profit nature of any proposed development.
Other developers rumored to be considering bids include the Kensington Investment Co., and Clark Construction. Calls to those developers did not yield comments.
Getting to YES at the Pru
2 towers will finish Prudential Center
By Casey Ross
Globe Staff / December 5, 2008
Boston officials yesterday approved the construction of two more towers at the Prudential Center, despite opposition from lawmakers and neighbors who object to the height of the buildings.
The properties, a 17-story office tower at 888 Boylston St. and the 27-story Exeter Residences, would be the final two buildings at the Prudential site, which was first developed in the mid-1960s. But these two projects, in particular, have drawn sharp criticism, with opponents arguing to the final moments before city approval came yesterday.
"I'm disappointed that the Boston Redevelopment Authority has approved excessively scaled buildings, particularly in light of the overwhelming community opposition," said state Representative Marty Walz, a Back Bay Democrat.
The Prudential Center's owner, Boston Properties, initially received approval for an 11-story building at 888 Boylston, a proposed height that complied with a city-approved master plan for the property. But this year the company sought to increase the height by almost 90 feet, saying it needed at least six more floors to make the project economically viable.
The $192 million project will include 422,000 square feet of offices and retail space on the lower floors. It also calls for upgrades to the Boylston Street plaza, which will be expanded by 1,000 square feet and adorned with new plantings, lighting, and seating. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.
Exeter Residences will contain 188 apartments, including three affordable units in the building and another 49 to be spread among three other residential buildings at the Prudential Center. The $129 million project is being managed by Avalon Bay Communities Inc., which co-owns the development with Boston Properties. The developers earlier this year had reduced the size of that building by three floors. Work on the complex is also scheduled to begin in the spring.
Supporters of the two developments argued that they will fill gaps in the neighborhood's streetscape and create 1,600 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent positions.
"We're in a recession, and we have a developer here who wants to move forward and put my members to work," said Michael Durant, business manager for Iron Workers, Local 7, of South Boston. He said the union has 400 jobless members as a result of the construction slowdown.
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
By Casey Ross
Globe Staff / December 5, 2008
Boston officials yesterday approved the construction of two more towers at the Prudential Center, despite opposition from lawmakers and neighbors who object to the height of the buildings.
The properties, a 17-story office tower at 888 Boylston St. and the 27-story Exeter Residences, would be the final two buildings at the Prudential site, which was first developed in the mid-1960s. But these two projects, in particular, have drawn sharp criticism, with opponents arguing to the final moments before city approval came yesterday.
"I'm disappointed that the Boston Redevelopment Authority has approved excessively scaled buildings, particularly in light of the overwhelming community opposition," said state Representative Marty Walz, a Back Bay Democrat.
The Prudential Center's owner, Boston Properties, initially received approval for an 11-story building at 888 Boylston, a proposed height that complied with a city-approved master plan for the property. But this year the company sought to increase the height by almost 90 feet, saying it needed at least six more floors to make the project economically viable.
The $192 million project will include 422,000 square feet of offices and retail space on the lower floors. It also calls for upgrades to the Boylston Street plaza, which will be expanded by 1,000 square feet and adorned with new plantings, lighting, and seating. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.
Exeter Residences will contain 188 apartments, including three affordable units in the building and another 49 to be spread among three other residential buildings at the Prudential Center. The $129 million project is being managed by Avalon Bay Communities Inc., which co-owns the development with Boston Properties. The developers earlier this year had reduced the size of that building by three floors. Work on the complex is also scheduled to begin in the spring.
Supporters of the two developments argued that they will fill gaps in the neighborhood's streetscape and create 1,600 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent positions.
"We're in a recession, and we have a developer here who wants to move forward and put my members to work," said Michael Durant, business manager for Iron Workers, Local 7, of South Boston. He said the union has 400 jobless members as a result of the construction slowdown.
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
Moving Forward at the Pru, Despite NIMBYs
Prudential towers win city approval
Boston Herald
By Thomas Grillo
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Boston Redevelopment Authority yesterday approved two controversial Prudential Center towers.
In a unanimous vote, the BRA OK’d a 17-story office building at 888 Boylston St. and a 27-story apartment tower on Exeter Street.
The votes came after nearly four hours of testimony, as proponents including Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who was represented by a spokesperson, union officials, residents and business representatives said the buildings would create jobs and bring needed affordable housing to the Back Bay.
“The process worked,” said Michael A. Cantalupa, senior vice president of Boston Properties, the developer of the $192 million office building at the Pru. “We have a good development. We will start construction when we find a tenant.”
The Exeter Residences, to be built by Avalon Bay Communities, will include 188 units. Of that number, 52 affordable apartments will be located in Avalon’s four buildings at the Pru including six units at the new tower.
Yesterday’s vote in a packed hearing room at City Hall was the culmination of more than 17 months of contentious meetings. The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and state Rep. Martha M. Walz asked the BRA board to reject the proposals, saying they believed both buildings would be too tall.
“These buildings do not fit the scale of the Prudential Center,” said Ann Gleason of the neighborhood association. “They are out of character.”
But the BRA board rejected the claims. The 888 Boylston St. project, to be built between the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, has been in the works for years.
Boston Herald
By Thomas Grillo
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Boston Redevelopment Authority yesterday approved two controversial Prudential Center towers.
In a unanimous vote, the BRA OK’d a 17-story office building at 888 Boylston St. and a 27-story apartment tower on Exeter Street.
The votes came after nearly four hours of testimony, as proponents including Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who was represented by a spokesperson, union officials, residents and business representatives said the buildings would create jobs and bring needed affordable housing to the Back Bay.
“The process worked,” said Michael A. Cantalupa, senior vice president of Boston Properties, the developer of the $192 million office building at the Pru. “We have a good development. We will start construction when we find a tenant.”
The Exeter Residences, to be built by Avalon Bay Communities, will include 188 units. Of that number, 52 affordable apartments will be located in Avalon’s four buildings at the Pru including six units at the new tower.
Yesterday’s vote in a packed hearing room at City Hall was the culmination of more than 17 months of contentious meetings. The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and state Rep. Martha M. Walz asked the BRA board to reject the proposals, saying they believed both buildings would be too tall.
“These buildings do not fit the scale of the Prudential Center,” said Ann Gleason of the neighborhood association. “They are out of character.”
But the BRA board rejected the claims. The 888 Boylston St. project, to be built between the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, has been in the works for years.
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