Mandarin developers eye Pike parcels for project
By Scott Van Voorhis
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The marquee development team behind the new Mandarin Oriental hotel and condo high-rise is eyeing its next big Back Bay project.
With the opulent Mandarin set to open this fall on Boylston Street on the Prudential campus, real estate tycoon Stephen Weiner and top hotelier Robin Brown, one-time general manager of the Four Seasons, are quietly assembling property for a new project, according to industry executives familar with the maneuvering.
The group has secured a key lot, formerly owned by St. Cecilia?s church. The lot, next door to the Hynes Convention Center, is seen as a springboard from which to make a play for a quartet of Turnpike air-rights parcels at the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue, executives said.
Now Weiner, Brown and company may be poised for their next big acquisition, with the Turnpike preparing to take the first steps toward putting the potentially lucrative air-rights parcels out to bid.
While no plans have been shopped around yet, the collection of sites has the potential to become the platform for a major new project.
Millennium Partners, in a short-lived proposal a few years ago, wanted to build a 59-story tower on parcel 12, a large area next to the Turnpike off Massachusetts Avenue.
?Who knows the area better than Robin Brown and Steve Weiner?? asked Patrick Moscaritolo, president of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. ?They have a proven track record and they work very well with community groups.?
In a first step, the Turnpike plans to submit to the Boston Revelopment Authority a copy of a planned RFP, or request for proposals, for air-rights parcels 12, 13, 14 and 15. The RFP may then be released publicly after a review by city officials, said Mac Daniel, a Turnpike spokesman.
?We have had interest from several parties,? Daniel said.
Exactly what Weiner, Brown and their partners are exploring for the site is unclear. The developers, who weren?t available for comment, earned a sterling reputation for their Mandarin development, whose condos fetched millions and shattered local sales records.
The Mandarin project also andincludes posh shops and restaurants.
Link
Let the fun begin ... !
By Scott Van Voorhis
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The marquee development team behind the new Mandarin Oriental hotel and condo high-rise is eyeing its next big Back Bay project.
With the opulent Mandarin set to open this fall on Boylston Street on the Prudential campus, real estate tycoon Stephen Weiner and top hotelier Robin Brown, one-time general manager of the Four Seasons, are quietly assembling property for a new project, according to industry executives familar with the maneuvering.
The group has secured a key lot, formerly owned by St. Cecilia?s church. The lot, next door to the Hynes Convention Center, is seen as a springboard from which to make a play for a quartet of Turnpike air-rights parcels at the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue, executives said.
Now Weiner, Brown and company may be poised for their next big acquisition, with the Turnpike preparing to take the first steps toward putting the potentially lucrative air-rights parcels out to bid.
While no plans have been shopped around yet, the collection of sites has the potential to become the platform for a major new project.
Millennium Partners, in a short-lived proposal a few years ago, wanted to build a 59-story tower on parcel 12, a large area next to the Turnpike off Massachusetts Avenue.
?Who knows the area better than Robin Brown and Steve Weiner?? asked Patrick Moscaritolo, president of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. ?They have a proven track record and they work very well with community groups.?
In a first step, the Turnpike plans to submit to the Boston Revelopment Authority a copy of a planned RFP, or request for proposals, for air-rights parcels 12, 13, 14 and 15. The RFP may then be released publicly after a review by city officials, said Mac Daniel, a Turnpike spokesman.
?We have had interest from several parties,? Daniel said.
Exactly what Weiner, Brown and their partners are exploring for the site is unclear. The developers, who weren?t available for comment, earned a sterling reputation for their Mandarin development, whose condos fetched millions and shattered local sales records.
The Mandarin project also andincludes posh shops and restaurants.
Link
Let the fun begin ... !
