Pru-Sized Tower Proposed For Gov?t Center Garage
By Thomas Grillo
Banker & Tradesman Staff Writer
Owners of the Government Center Garage want to replace the concrete eyesore with a skyscraper that would rival the Prudential tower in height.
The 3.3 million-square-foot, mixed-use development proposal includes a pair of glass office towers on a parcel closer to Government Center. The tallest tower would be 52 stories, the same height as the Prudential Building at 800 Boylston. The other would reach 42 floors.
Boston?s Raymond Property Co., developer of the project, revealed its plans to North and West End neighbors at a meeting in the garage offices on Thursday night, after a series of community meetings held over the summer.
?When we bought the garage we always envisioned it as a prime location to expand the Financial District,? said Stephen G. Kasnet, chief executive officer of the Raymond Property Co. ?This is a very large site and it?s comparable in terms of mass and height to what exists in the Financial District.?
On the parcel closer to the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, four buildings are proposed for housing and retail, ranging from 8-14 stories. The buildings would be wrapped around a garage masked by the project.
In addition, District A-1 Police Headquarters and another city-owned building on nearby New Sudbury Street would be razed to make way for the $2 billion transit-oriented development adjacent to Haymarket MBTA station.
John F. Palmieri, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, said while the developer has talked to his staff about the project, the city has not made any decisions about the height of the tower.
?It?s an aggressive development and there?s no question that it contains height and density,? he said. ?We have not weighed in on what we believe is the appropriate height for the tower. We are familiar with the approach that they have presented and we understand that they are making the case for height. We will keep an open mind and want to hear what the neighborhood has to say.?
Prior to the meeting, some residents had expressed reservations about a proposal that would include buildings taller than existing neighborhood towers.
?If they propose something taller than the JFK Building, that would upset the community,? said Jane Forrestall, a West End resident and member of the Downtown North Association, a group of businesses, condominium associations and community organizations.
The John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building at City Hall Plaza stands 24 stories tall.
Last year, Bulfinch Congress Holdings, a subsidiary of the Boston developer, paid $243 million for the garage. In addition to the parking spaces, it includes 275,000 square feet of office space and several retailers.
Posted on Thursday, October 23, 2008 (Archive on Thursday, November 27, 2008)
