Boston developer Ted Raymond is pressing forward with a plan to build a massive mixed-use development, including two skyscrapers, on land now occupied by the hulking Government Center garage near City Hall.
Raymond today proposed to demolish the garage and replace it with as many as five new buildings on both sides of Congress Street. In his proposal, filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Raymond calls the development the largest green building project in the city's history.
?We are working hard to create a development plan that will create a new destination, weave together the neighborhoods, and revamp the vitality of the streetscape in the area,? Raymond said in a statement.
But his plan, estimated to cost $2.2 billion, faces considerable obstacles, not the least of which is the fact he doesn't own part of the land where he is trying to build.
Because of that, Raymond separated his proposal into two sections - one for the garage site he owns, and one for city-owned land along New Sudbury Street that is now occupied by a newly renovated police station.
On his property, located at the corner of Congress and Merrimac streets, Raymond would build a 42-story office tower along with two residential buildings along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.
The proposal includes street-level retail stores, restaurants and a hotel that would hide new parking garages with space for more than 2,000 cars.
On the city-owned land, Raymond wants to build a second 52-story office tower, putting a cluster of high-rise buildings in a corner of the city that now lacks that kind of development.
There is also an NStar substation standing in the way of the second skyscraper.
Officials with the Boston Redevelopment Authority have said Raymond must show considerable benefits to the community if he expects to acquire the city-owned property.
In his proposal, Raymond promises to build a new police station for the city, and provide payments for the development of affordable housing as well as millions of dollars in new tax revenue. The development would also create thousands of construction jobs.
(By Casey Ross, Globe staff)
