4/20/2000
State Environmental Affairs Secretary Robert Durand, whose Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) has carefully monitored the planning of the South Boston Waterfront, indicated today that his office will staunchly defend the public interest with regard to proposed Fan Pier developments and the BRA's forthcoming Municipal Harbor Plan.
Yesterday, despite innumerable urgings issued by the EOEA and waterfront advocacy groups to significantly scale back the proposed density and to increase recreational greenspace, Fan Pier project planners moved forward with the official filing of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for their 3.3 million square foot project. The EOEA must now dedicate its resources to the consideration of this plan.
And, despite the repeated comments from State officials focusing attention on parameters as outlined in the BRA's own Public Realm Plan, the City agency is moving forward with its plans to submit a Final draft of a Municipal Harbor Plan (MHP) in mid-May. The MHP, recently distributed in Draft form, supports development objectives which would allow for a waterfront densely populated with market-driven projects as opposed to the uses required by zoning for fulfillment of the Public Realm Plan. If approved, the MHP will overide State Chapter 91 regulations.
Enviro boss no fan of Fan Pier plan- by Eric Convey and Scott Van Voorhis
- Boston Herald
- Thursday, April 20, 2000
- State Environmental Affairs Secretary Robert Durand threatened yesterday to
- kill the Fan Pier project favored by Mayor Thomas M. Menino unless
- developers increase the amount of park land abutting the water.
- ``I really believe they're going to have to pull that project back
- enough,'' Durand said, referring to a plan by Chicago's Pritzker family to
- build 3.3 million square feet of office, retail and residential space at
- the valuable site.
- Durand could block construction by rejecting the city's final Municipal
- Harbor Plan, which is expected to be submitted next month. The city has put
- forward a draft version, which Durand yesterday indicated was unacceptable.
- ``I have asked the city of Boston to send us a plan that we can approve,''
- he said.
- The Harbor Plan outlines ways in which the city would let developers avoid
- violating rules against building within 100 feet of the water if they
- provide other environmental concessions.
- The Pritzker plan depends on such allowances; as many as half its planned
- buildings are closer than 100 feet to the water.
- Asked whether the current Fan Pier design offers enough park land to
- satisfy him, Durand said, ``At the present time, no.''
- One area of particular contention is a planned park - originally designed
- as a fountain and skating rink - between Old Northern Avenue and Pritzker's
- cove, said sources familiar with talks between the developers and the
- regulators.
- Menino and Durand want a proposed building just east of the park narrowed,
- to broaden the view of the water from the roadway and a planned MBTA
- station, the sources said. The Pritzkers have been leery of scaling back
- the project more than they already have.
- Durand and the city have also been trying to work out strict rules for
- permitting deviations from the 100-foot setback requirement, sources said.
- Establishing standards would make it easier for developers to compare
- various scenarios.
- Durand said he hopes something can be worked out. ``Everybody is working
- very hard to convince the developers to do the right thing,'' he said.
- Durand made his remarks in a meeting with Herald editors and reporters.
- Other parties involved in the project said they were confident an agreement
- can be reached.
- ``Our requirement is that we be able to build the eight buildings on the
- site . . . but within that context we will continue to look for areas where
- we can create and enhance the quality of the park space,'' said Daniel
- O'Connell of Spaulding & Slye Colliers, the local real estate developer
- overseeing the project for the Pritzkers.
- Menino's spokeswoman, Carol Brennan, said, ``We're continuing to work on
- the draft to refine it, to submit it in the best possible shape so that we
- can do what the mayor has wanted to do all along, which is to build an
- urban neighborhood on Fan Pier.''
- The city has no deadline for submitting its final Harbor Plan, but the
- Boston Redevelopment Authority has indicated it will be filed by May 15.
- Aides to the secretary said later yesterday that he does not want to reject
- the Harbor Plan, but will insist that it contain more park land. They did
- not say how much would be needed to satisfy him.
- In addition to criticizing some aspects of the Pritzker proposal, Durand
- praised the Conservation Law Foundation for threatening to block it in
- court.
- The environmental group has complained that the Pritzker plan is too big
- for the site and provides too little park land. Its leaders have also
- maintained the Pritzker plan runs afoul of state laws that guarantee public
- access to the waterfront. They've threatened legal action unless changes
- are made.
- ``The CLF lawsuit provides us with an opportunity to leverage the open
- space,'' Durand said.
- CLF lawyers working on the project did not return calls seeking comment
- yesterday.
- While opposing the Pritzker plan, the environmental group has entered into
- an unusual alliance with developer Frank McCourt, who owns inland property
- near Fan Pier.
- McCourt has called for construction of a larger waterfront park overlooking
- the harbor, and a broad concourse leading from his land to the Pritzker
- cove, through the disputed park.
- Under his scheme, the Pritzkers would forego plans to build on the
- waterfront, but would erect taller buildings in a joint venture on his
- land. Both developers would share the profits.
- The Pritzkers and the city have panned McCourt's proposal. But Durand said
- yesterday that there are components of it - especially the bigger parks -
- that he likes.
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