The development of Parcel 9 in the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway suffered another delay Wednesday when a top state transportation official sought more time to evaluate proposals before endorsing any particular one.
The patch of land in Boston?s North End has been caught in limbo as state agencies reorganized and various parties, including backers of a Boston Museum, bid to build on it.
Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan, in explaining why the matter was not on the official agenda of the state Department of Transportation board, said he wants his staff to take a fresh look at the financial proposals and financing plans for each idea. He said he then will make a recommendation to the board.
?I have become concerned about the financial viability of the proposals. The permitting requirements of the project, particularly in the face of the vocal opposition we have heard, cause me to question the willingness of an investment team to get behind the project at this time,? Mullan said in comments to the board Wednesday.
?Uncertainty in this economic environment is simply not a good thing.?
Even taken in its best light, more time will be added to the process, time that will delay the creation of short- and long-term jobs and the infusion of new activity to the area, Mullan said.
?I am also mindful that, due in part to the creation of MassDOT and the transfer of this project from the former Turnpike Authority to this organization, a significant amount of time has already passed since the proposals were first formulated and submitted for evaluation,? Mullan said.
