"The master plan envisioned the bulk of residential would come from new construction and not existing buildings."
BRA Spokeswoman (see below article)"Five buildings totaling 289,000 SF are being converted to residential condominiums upon obtaining necessary approvals from the BRA."
Archon Group websiteTo read a related article about Archon/Goldman's historic buildings on Melcher Street, click here.
To read a SAND commentary about Archon Group's upzoning plans, click here.
Banker and Tradesman
March 24, 2008Channel Residents Angered By Plan for Historic Buildings
By Thomas Grillo, Reporter
For the second time in as many weeks, residents of Boston's Fort Point Channel are angry about a plan to turn former artist residences and art galleries into office space.
Archon/Goldman is proposing the rehabilitation and expansion of 173,000 square feet of space at 49, 51 and 63 Melcher St. If approved, the project will transform those vacant buildings into a 188,500-square-foot campus with a penthouse and ground-floor retail.
But residents are outraged at the Boston Redevelopment Authority [BRA] and the developer, a joint venture of Goldman Properties and Archon Group, who they said have retreated from a promise to build mixed-use developments with condominiums in the district.
"We spent five years of planning and went through a public process for a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood with housing and parks, but all we're getting is office space," said Steven Hollinger, a member of the Seaport Alliance for Neighborhood Design. "The BRA is allowing these developers additional height and density, but not ensuring green space or residential units in these historic buildings. When will we get those?"
John Barszewski, Goldman's project manager, declined to comment and referred calls to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tony Goldman, who could not be reached.
In its filing with the BRA, the developer said the renovation of the Melcher Street buildings will help to "enliven" the Fort Point Channel neighborhood by providing upgraded office, retail and restaurant space with the renovation and adaptive reuse of three 100-year-old warehouse buildings. The properties are listed on the Massachusetts and National registers of Historic Places.
Archon acquired 14 buildings with a total of 1.2 million square feet of office space and a garage in 2005 for $92 million. Since then, the firm has sold nine of the properties. The brick-and-wood-timber structures are located near South Station and the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on a parcel bordered by Necco Court, A and Necco streets.
Built in the early 1900s by The Boston Wharf Co., the three red-brick buildings contain heavy timber column and beam construction with concrete cast-iron columns on the first floor.ëPlenty of Parcels'
The project promises numerous public benefits including the preservation and enhancement of Boston's historic building stock through the reuse of buildings that are considered examples of historic warehouse and industrial building architecture in the Fort Point Channel Historic District.
It also will include a rooftop addition to the tallest building. Additionally, the developers say in the filing that the project will enliven the neighborhood by increasing the population density through the creation of more usable commercial office space and accessible street-level retail.
Still, Cheryl Forte, a board member of the Fort Point Arts Community, said despite promises in the city's 100-acre plan that vows a mix of residential, retail and office space, artists are being driven from the neighborhood.
"In the 1970s, Fort Point had 600 artists," she said. "Today, we are down to 300 because all the Boston Wharf buildings have changed hands and evicted artists. It's hard not to be cynical, but where is the residential component of these proposals? Are artists supposed to come back in a decade when they get around to building them?"
The city's 100 Acres Master Planning vision for the Fort Point district promised "a vibrant 24-hour, mixed-use neighborhood anchored by 11 acres of new open space and 6 million square feet of development, with at least one-third as housing."
The plan stemmed from five-year collaboration among residents, property owners and city agencies. About 1,200 units have been built if the adjacent South Boston neighborhood is included in the tally, according to the BRA.
Kairos Shen, the BRA's chief planner, acknowledged that the city's vision included a substantial number of housing units. But he insisted the city never promised that the construction of the residential units would happen first. He said the market has shifted and favors office space, but the city is still committed to the residential component. In addition, although some buildings are being converted to office space, it may not be the last time they are redeveloped.
"The master plan envisioned the bulk of residential would come from new construction and not existing buildings," a BRA spokeswoman said. "There are plenty of parcels still available for residential."
Earlier this month, residents protested Lincoln Property Co.'s proposal to convert 316-322 Summer St. into 140,000 square feet of office space with ground-floor retail.
Last year, Archon/Goldman, the previous owner, abandoned plans for a $47 million residential project that would have included 87 condominiums and eight artist live/work units at the site as the housing market stalled, inventory grew and credit got tighter.
BRA Director John Palmieri was expected to have a previously scheduled meeting with Fort Point Channel residents at press time. A BRA spokeswoman said the session was "private."
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