Mayor sees Mission Hill lab project as bad fit
Original 6-story plan ?extremely tall?
By Thomas Grillo
Friday, April 24, 2009 - Updated 7h ago
Despite a developer?s decision to reduce the size of a proposed six-story building near Brigham Circle, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is unimpressed.
?It was extremely tall the first time, so it?s easy to reduce it when you go up that high,? said Menino. ?It still doesn?t fit on Mission Hill.?
Reaction has been mixed to the Beal Co.?s plans to demolish a two-story biolab at 800 Huntington Ave. and replace it with a 175,000-square-foot facility featuring office and lab space, a restaurant with sidewalk seating, a community room and an art gallery. The original plan called for a 196,000-square-foot building.
Supporters say the new building would replace a neighborhood blemish, bringing jobs and vibrancy to Mission Hill. But others insist that the height and density are out of character with the historic neighborhood.
Glenn Shaw, an abutter on Stockwell Street, said the project sets a bad precedent for Mission Hill. ?This proposal changes the dynamic of the neighborhood of multi-family homes to large institutional buildings more appropriate in the Longwood Medical Center,? he said. ?They?re portraying this as a redevelopment of an older building, but it?s actually the development of an entire city block.?
State Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez said Beal officials have been told that even at 150,000 square feet the building would be too large.
?We don?t want something new at the expense of having a behemoth across the street from two-family homes,? he said.
Peter B. Nichols, Beal?s senior vice president, said he is still listening to the neighborhood and vowed to be responsive.
Michel Soltani, owner of the Mission Bar & Grill, said the project is essential to beautify a blighted section of Huntington Avenue.
?I?m sure a compromise can be reached between the developers who want a taller, denser building and some residents who prefer something smaller,? he said.
