By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston Development,Environmental,Waterfront PropertyThe Boston Planning and Development Agency recently released the Downtown Waterfront District Municipal Waterfront Plan (the “Waterfront Plan”). While virtually the entire Boston Harbor Waterfront is subject to Chapter 91 jurisdiction, municipalities are allowed to modify Chapter 91 regulations, as recently amended and promulgated by MassDEP, by enacting municipal harbor plans. In return for the regulatory flexibility, municipal harbor… Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston DevelopmentMayor Martin J. Walsh announced this week that the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) is not only changing its name, but changing its business practices and approach with communities affected by the unprecedented real estate development boom Boston is currently experiencing. The BRA’s new moniker is the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) and will still be… Continue Reading
By Johanna W. Schneider on Posted in Affordable Housing,Boston Development,Policy,ZoningIn December 2015, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh signed an Executive Order Relative to Inclusionary Development updating the city’s Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP), which has been in place since 2000. The IDP applies to residential developments with ten or more units that will either be developed on property owned by the City of Boston or… Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Affordable Housing,Boston DevelopmentEfforts to promote affordable housing in Boston are starting to sound like potato chip marketing, boasting “40% less fat” for a bag of chips that’s actually 40% smaller. The Boston Redevelopment Authority is now authorizing apartment units as small as 450 square feet within one mile of public transit stops. The problem, according to Boston’s chief planner, is… Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston DevelopmentHarvard University recently released its new master plan (pdf) detailing expansion plans for its Allston campus. Besides adding several new buildings to the Business School, Harvard plans to resume construction of the science center complex where a lonely foundation sits, a casualty of the economic crisis that hit a few years back. The master plan also contemplates the resurrection of the… Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston Development,Environmental,Landlord-Tenant,ZoningIn 2007, Boston was the first city in the nation to adopt Green Building provisions, known as Article 37 (pdf). Those provisions require reduced emissions from privately-owned buildings, and require all buildings over 50,000 square feet to comply with LEED certification standards. Now, Boston’s Allston neighborhood is home to the nation’s first Green District. The 500 sustainable rental units are spread across seven distinct… Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston DevelopmentIt looks like the 5-year-old hole in the ground where Filene’s used to sit in Downtown Crossing is finally going to be filled. Last night, in a much anticipated vote, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) approved the proposed Millennium Tower and Burnham Building. The 1.2M square-foot project includes housing, office space, retail space, restaurant space, and a health club. … Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston DevelopmentTremont Crossing, a project that recently filed for approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), is a $300 million mixed use development slated for construction on 8 acres of land on Tremont Street in Roxbury. The project filing follows the groundbreaking of the Dudley Municipal Center and is proposed for a long-neglected but strategically located parcel that is an an important piece of the… Continue Reading
By Johanna W. Schneider on Posted in Boston Development,MiscellaneousIt appears that, at long last, the gaping hole in Boston’s Downtown Crossing left by the demolition of the Filene’s building in 2008 may finally be filled with a new development. According to City of Boston officials, real estate developer Millenium Partners will take control of the Filene’s property and build a tower with retail,… Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston DevelopmentAs reported here, the City of Boston has committed to kick-start redevelopment of the largely dormant East Boston waterfront with the construction of sewer and water lines and roadways. Listen here for Radio Boston’s recent interview of two long-time players in Boston waterfront redevelopment, Vivien Li of The Boston Harbor Association and Rich McGuinness, Deputy Director of Waterfront Planning for the Boston… Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston DevelopmentIn another sign that the the Boston-area commercial real estate market is on the rebound, construction of biotech facilities is taking off. Of the approximately 2.6 million square feet of major construction currently taking place in Boston and Cambridge, over 2 million square feet is to house new pharmaceutical R&D facilities for the area’s major biotech companies. … Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston Development,LegislationSimon Property Group’s proposal to build a residential tower to complete the expansion of Copley Place was unanimously approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority last week. At 47 stories and 800,000 square feet, Simon’s project will include 318 residential units (condominiums or rentals to be determined), and additional retail space (including an expanded Nieman Marcus), making it Boston’s… Continue Reading
By Michael Parker on Posted in Boston Development,MiscellaneousIt’s good to see the long-stalled NorthPoint development getting some traction again. New investors, backed by basketball great Magic Johnson, plan to initiate the first phase of the $2 billion project next summer. Phase I is planned to include 350 apartments, and at full build-out NorthPoint will consist of 22 buildings containing more housing and 2 million square feet of office… Continue Reading
