To read a related article regarding the Russia Wharf project, click here.
To read a related article regarding failures of Chapter 91 planning regulations, click here.
Thursday, September 17, 2009 | Modified: Monday, September 21, 2009
Boston Properties recasting Russia Wharf plan amid outcry
Boston Business Journal - by MIchelle HillmanBoston Properties, under fire for allegedly reneging on a promise to produce ample public space at its Russia Wharf development, is back at the drawing board after a state agency said it wants more public amenities on the project’s ground floor.
The Boston Harbor Association has accused Boston Properties of abandoning its pledge to provide free public-performance space on the first floor of its Russia Wharf development, a story first reported by the Boston Business Journal earlier this week.
According to the BHA, Boston Properties was granted the right to build a taller building in exchange for public space on the waterfront site’s ground floor.
The Department of Environmental Protection met in July with executives from Boston Properties, which is developing the 31-story Russia Wharf site along Boston’s waterfront, to discuss the project. DEP spokesman Ed Coletta said Boston Properties was encouraged to revert back to its original plan, which called for first-floor public space.
Earlier this year, after receiving approvals to build a much taller building in exchange for free, public amenities, Boston Properties filed a request with the DEP to instead locate a restaurant on the first floor. Critics said the developer is trying to cut off public access to the waterfront and save money.
Boston Properties will unveil the latest iteration of its plan next week during a meeting with the BHA and Boston Conservation Law Foundation. DEP will likely make a final decision by mid-October, Coletta said.
“We wanted to see more of the public space, the square footage, on the first floor,” he said. “More than what they showed us in the previous plans.”
Coletta declined to provide specific details about the changes DEP suggested because the project is ongoing.
Boston Properties did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
According to a letter sent to DEP by the Boston Harbor Association, Boston Properties asked to reduce the size of a ground floor “Town Square” by 200 square feet to 6,100 square feet, and has moved a “Multi-Media Presentation Area” of 3,800 square feet from the first floor to second floor. The BHA said the areas will not be visible from the street and therefore relatively hidden from the public.
Boston Properties added a 2,800-square-foot outdoor terrace as part of the Multi-Media Presentation Area, which the BHA said would make year-round lectures and screenings difficult.
DEP grants licenses to developers under Chapter 91 regulations which protect and promote public access to the waterfront.
Russia Wharf, which is under construction, was allowed to exceed height regulations that cap development along the waterfront at 155 feet.
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