The Boston Globe
March 26, 2008City is focused on Fort Point area
Public fund may be used to encourage homes for artists
By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff
Distressed that an ailing housing market is undermining development of a vibrant mixed-use community of residences and businesses in the Fort Point Channel neighborhood, Boston officials yesterday vowed to try to do something about it - possibly even putting money into residential projects.
The city might use money from its affordable housing fund - contributed to by past developers - to encourage construction of housing that would accommodate resident artists, according to Boston Redevelopment Authority director John Palmieri.
Palmieri met with a group of concerned residents and artists from the area last week about the lack of housing. "They made some very strong points, to put it mildly," he said.
"We're in agreement," said Palmieri. Mayor Thomas M. Menino, he said, "clearly believes residential development is critical to the redevelopment of that district. It's in the plan."
City officials and residents of the area are faced with a strong commercial market that could leave the Summer Street corridor dominated by office and retail uses, shutting out families, and in particular artists who used to live in the neighborhood.
Among the projects in the area fueling this concern are two brick-and-beam warehouse buildings at 316-322 Summer St. that the Archon Goldman development team sold to Lincoln Property Co. last year after the residential condo market softened.
Goldman has previously discussed turning the buildings into luxury condos with flashy retail or restaurants on the ground floors. Now, Lincoln Property plans to rehabilitate the empty structures into offices, because the demand for commercial space had grown as the residential market has declined, and commercial rents, even for older buildings, are higher than they have been in years.
Neither developer could be reached for comment yesterday.
Meanwhile, Archon Goldman is proceeding with plans to redevelop three buildings on Melcher Street into office and commercial space, in a project that recently won strong support at the Boston Civic Design Commission.
But BRA spokeswoman Susan Elsbree said community representatives have also loudly voiced concerns, in public comments submitted during city reviews, about over-commercialization of the district and their fears that new housing will not materialize for years.
Elsbree said the city's and community's overall vision for the area is that it be developed as one-third residential, one-third commercial, and one-third open space.
BRA officials also took the unusual step of extending the public comment periods on these two sets of commercial projects by two weeks each, to allow residents and others more time to voice their input. Deadlines on the two were set to expire today and tomorrow.
During the two-week extension of the public comment period, Elsbree said, "We will take the opportunity to look at the planning and policy issues in the Fort Point Channel area that are happening because of market conditions."
Also, BRA officials said they would meet with developers to discuss how to create the mix of properties that owners and the city identified as a goal for the neighborhood after the Boston Wharf Co. sold off its portfolio of warehouse and industrial buildings there.
Palmieri said the city understands that market forces affect developers' plans. But, he said, "We accept the burden here of really redoubling our efforts to find out what we can to do impress on property owners, possibly with some assistance, the need to create a bona fide mixed-use community."
Elsbree indicated the city housing funds, if tapped, would be used for particular types of housing in Fort Point.
"We'll look at those to show that we want to make this work," she said, "with a goal of creating more artist live-work space, and creating more housing in the Fort Point Channel."
Tom Palmer of the Boston Globe can be reached at tpalmer@globe.com.
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