[ARCHIVED] Harbor Garage Redevelopment | 70 East India Row | Waterfront | Downtown

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Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

He's gonna try something big....depending on the success or failure of Winthrop Sq. he might even propose Boston's very unlikely second supertall. It's gonna be a hard sell to get something taller than International Place, but maybe he can come to an agreement where he pays a monthly allowance to the Greenway Conservancy to help maintain the parks?
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

Ron Newman said:
Does "executive airport" mean it's not a real airport, it's just for private planes?
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Basically--from wiki:

"...the Orlando Executive Airport serves as a general aviation and corporate aviation airport for the greater Orlando area. Its proximity to the East-West Expressway as well as downtown Orlando makes it a popular airport for private business and pleasure travelers alike. In 2003, the airport had 240,000 operations (takeoffs and landings) on its two runways. However, the airport is still considered the "minor" airport of Orlando, Florida, as the Orlando International Airport remains the primary airport for both domestic and international flights, drawing significantly more passengers every year."
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

As you all know, the Harbor Towers are 400'. Something in the 450' - 525' range in that location should still look rather impressive.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

It's be nice if something along the height of SST was built here. It would add a little more density to downtown and would not be that much taller then it's surroundings. Imagine the view of the skyline from the harbor!
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

I don't really care for too much height here on this location but this tower better look good.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

Cojapo said:
It's be nice if something along the height of SST was built here. It would add a little more density to downtown and would not be that much taller then it's surroundings. Imagine the view of the skyline from the harbor!
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I agree, if they built something in the range of height of SST, I would be extremely happy. Like Cojapo said, this would improve the skyline from the harbor immensely. From the harbor, this site is kind of in the middle, so it would divide the waterfront buildings and make for one amazing sight.

Although the 3 years of wait is very disapointing. With a wait that long, I don't have too much hope that this is going to happen because like many of you said, the boom will probably be diminishing by then, and 3 years is a long time for building in Boston. This gives NIMBY's and all other kind of idiots time to protest and bitch, and finally get this reduced to an 8 story parking garage lol
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

IMO, this is not going to be any tall tower.

A.) The size of the building has already been cut by 200,000 sq ft. What last year was to be two towers, now appears to be a single tower. (Two towers would have cut the view for 25 percent of the space.)

B.) Chiofaro doesn't have the money to do this, and fight the long fight for a tall tower. Chiofaro is not a Tommy favorite, so the path to tower-dom will not be greased. Prudential is the financial backer, and they will be looking for something to happen quicker rather than later.

C.) Its to be a tri-use building: I'm guessng that the commercial will be on the lower floors, the hotel above that, and the condos on top. The nature of the site is that you have wonderful unobstructed views on all four quadrants without have having to go high.

D.) The Harbor Tower comdos have a lease for 400 garage spaces through 2018-2019. Harbor Towers probably has an even longer ground lease for their mechanicals in the garage.. They start boitching about a tall tower and the project will stall in litigation.

E.) The current owner-operator of the garage chose Chiofaro/Prudential because they were the most flexible. I read this as indicating rather generous terms about revenue sharing from continued operation of the current and future garage (especially near-term). This would also suggest that Prudential wants somethinh built sooner rather than later.

F.) I think the height of Russia Wharf and the Intercontinental are a pretty good indicator of how high you can now build, without engendering lots of opposition, on the east side of the Greenway.

I still feel that if Chiofaro gets a project fully approved and permitted, but the market isn't right to build, Prudential will sell the site and the rights to somebody else, a la Fan Pier.
 
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Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

Three International Place? :)
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

I agree with DarkFenX...the height of the tower is not nearly as important as how good the building looks. I would be perfectly happy with something along the same height as Harbor Towers or even shorter, as long as the building looks great and has great interaction with the harbor and the greenway.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

I just hope it doesn't end up being another squat little box building like so many others seem to. Something between the size of two international place(540') and SST(640') would be fine with me but, maybe I'm just daydreaming. I hope vivien doesn't ruin things! She's already saying that whatever is built won't exceed the height of those hideous harbor towers. I know if there is a building put there and if I was going to purchase a highend condo on one of the upper floors I would want to see over the towers not stare at those ugly ass things outside my windows. I suppose either way someone will have to deal with looking at them.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

Ya, I wish it would be that tall, but like you pointed out, that is just a dream. Also, like six said, I hope this is not another crappy box, or nothing like Harbor Towers. I think this should be another glass tower, because all the new construction on the waterfront has been mainly glass buildings, and I think a nice slim, glass tower would look great on the waterfront. Then it would go well with Russia Wharf too.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

The title of the thread needs to change from "parking lot" to "parking garage".
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

A building(s) with lower height in this location does not concern me from an aesthetic standpoint (assuming its designed well) due to its location near the edge of the financial district along the harbor. In my opinion, the most dramatic cityscapes involve a complex step up appearance with lower buildings in the foreground and taller buildings in the background. Think of the view of Beacon Hill from the Cambridge side of the Charles River, the views of San Francisco with its buildings rising up steep hillsides, or the high rises of Manhattan rising behind the low rises neighborhoods of Astoria and Long Island City in Queens.

Compare this to the less complex and interesting view of the high rises that rim lower Manhattan that nearly abut the NY harbor or the view of International Place from the other side of Fort Point Channel.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

commuter guy said:
A building(s) with lower height in this location does not concern me from an aesthetic standpoint (assuming its designed well) due to its location near the edge of the financial district along the harbor. In my opinion, the most dramatic cityscapes involve a complex step up appearance with lower buildings in the foreground and taller buildings in the background. Think of the view of Beacon Hill from the Cambridge side of the Charles River, the views of San Francisco with its buildings rising up steep hillsides, or the high rises of Manhattan rising behind the low rises neighborhoods of Astoria and Long Island City in Queens.

Compare this to the less complex and interesting view of the high rises that rim lower Manhattan that nearly abut the NY harbor or the view of International Place from the other side of Fort Point Channel.
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Agree. Transposing and borrowing the context from another adage, 'Can't see the towers from the towerscape'.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

1) It's clear that Chiofaro has deep pockets and is willing to sink a lot of money into this project to do it right.
2) It's also clear that the Aquarium, which is right next door and would likely have at least some effect on the decision of many of the potential tenants/guests of this building to move here, needs a good kick in the pants.

What are the chances Chiofaro might invest in renovations/expansion to the Aquarium in order to make his own development that much sexier?
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

itchy said:
1) It's clear that Chiofaro has deep pockets and is willing to sink a lot of money into this project to do it right.
2) It's also clear that the Aquarium, which is right next door and would likely have at least some effect on the decision of many of the potential tenants/guests of this building to move here, needs a good kick in the pants.

What are the chances Chiofaro might invest in renovations/expansion to the Aquarium in order to make his own development that much sexier?
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What makes you think Chiofaro has deep pockets? He filed for bankruptcy not that long ago. Prudential, his partner, has deep pockets, but little corporate presence in MA.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

Ron Newman said:
The title of the thread needs to change from "parking lot" to "parking garage".
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Yeah.

Is "lot" starting to mean "garage."? If so how will we distinguish them in the future?
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

Chiofaro closes on Harbor Garage purchase

Boston Business Journal - by Michelle Hillman Journal staff

The Chiofaro Co. closed on its acquisition of the Harbor Garage where it plans to build a large, mixed use project. The acquisition price is reportedly about $150 million.


Boston-based Chiofaro Co., owners of International Place in Boston, plan to propose a mix of uses for the site including hotel, residential, office, and retail. The site, which overlooks the Boston Harbor and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in downtown Boston, could cost as much as $1 billion to develop.


The 1,380-car garage was purchased by Chiofaro and its financial partner Prudential Real Estate Investors which also owns the 1.8-million-square-foot, two-tower International Place.


The property will continue to operate as a garage until the Chiofaro Co. completes the city permitting process which could take up to three years, according to a previous Boston Business Journal report. The seller, InterPark, signed a long-term agreement with the Chiofaro Co. to continue to operate the garage. Located between the New England Aquarium and Harbor Towers condominiums, the garage has been owned and operated by InterPark since 2000. The seven-story garage has a separate entrance for Harbor Tower residents, who park on two-levels of below-ground parking.
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http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2007/12/10/daily67.html?jst=b_ln_hl
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

This will be awesome if it ever works. But it seems to good to be true.

No pictures, by any chance?
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking lot.

Don Chiofaro is a guy with BIG Ideas as well as sometimes BIG Pockets and Big Pull {remember the temporary private down ramp from the Temporary Lane of the Expressway during the Big Dug {see post about Canal Street ? but once more I digress {see previous post today} wrapping around International Place

I wouldn't doubt that he's had the Aquarium Garage plan in mind for years

I'll go out on limb and make a New Years prediction - -Chiofaro's scheme when fully unveiled with have a large housing component included -- specifically to get the Harbor Tower' folks involved

He'll also have an as yet hidden plan to demolish the Harbor Towers and Build Bigger on that site as well

Westy {post # 100 ? -- finally?}
 
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