* Planning principles shown here have achieved broad
support throughout the Fort Point neighborhood.
These principles have been presented clearly and
consistently to the Boston Redevelopment Authority over the past
decade by SAND, Fort Point residents, property owners and members
of the Fort Point Community.
As shown above, for nearly a decade the Fort Point
community has advocated for a recreational field in the heart of
the Fort Point neighborhood, enabling greenspace to also be used
to highlight access to the Fort Point Channel.
In 2004, four out of five teams of participants
in the BRA's Fort Point Open Space Charrette came to the same conclusion.
This outcome was also anticipated in BRA’s Public Realm Plan
(1999), Municipal Harbor Plan (2001), and supported by the Boston
Society of Architects Seaport Focus Team.
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By comparison, the BRA 100-Acres
plan (at right) proposes a wall of new office buildings between
A Street and the Fort Point Channel. (click
here to read more) |
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Also shown (at top) are the mix of uses required
for the creation of a successful, vibrant and densely populated
urban neighborhood. Buildings should not be segregated into separate
and single uses (i.e. office building, office building, condominium,
office building) as anticipated in the BRA 100-Acres plan.
Regarding the massing, height and density, the Fort
Point community has long advocated for a plan which recognizes the
importance of Fort Point's rich history and the character and scale
of its historic buildings, with a few exceptions possible. The existing
historic building heights are 75-100'. As an example of a successful
project, the Channel Center preserved 14 out of 19 historic buildings,
with no additions to height proposed on any of its historic properties.
Comprised of over 15 buildings and over 1.5 million square feet,
the Channel Center project included only 4 new buildings of heights
greater than 75 feet.
In contrast, the BRA's 100-Acre massing plan --
which was entirely drafted in private and presented to the community
only in its final form with no modification possible -- suggests
a total density of 6 million square feet and as-of-right minimum
heights of 100, 150 and 200' feet, with more height possible through
a parcel-by-parcel approval process (PDA Master Plan, to be drafted
in months ahead). Greenspace provisions on tidelands properties
are roughly the same as would be required under State Chapter 91
waterfront regulations -- the BRA 100-Acres plan does not enhance
the public space on tidelands properties while it proposes valuable
increases in height, density and changes to land use.
Click here to view an image of the
BRA’s 100 Acre Plan
Click
here to view a timeline of Fort Point greenspace planning.
Click here to read
more about the 100-Acres process
Click
here to download a copy of the actual 100-Acres Plan
Click
here to visit the BRA planning website
Click here to return to the
SAND news page. |