Re: Filene's
City poised to OK Filene’s block skyscraper
By Greg Turner
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The massive Millennium Tower, a $620 million skyscraper development deemed the best bet by many to reverse the fortunes of Downtown Crossing, stands poised to win city approval today.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority board will vote on the project at this evening’s meeting, seven months after developer Millennium Partners took the reins of the stalled real estate venture that left a crater at the corner of Washington and Franklin streets, an infamous eyesore in the center of the city’s well-traveled shopping district.
All signs point to a green light from the BRA, given the mayor’s support and the developer’s plan to replace a hole in the ground and renovate the historic Burnham Building, former home of defunct retailer Filene’s. Much of the regulatory review and public input was condensed in the past month, but the developer and city officials insist it was no rush job.
“The review, I think, was from the ground up,” Millennium principal Anthony Pangaro told the Herald yesterday. “The process has been very thorough, prompt and yielded a consistent desire on the city’s part to have a very good product.”
Mayor Thomas M. Menino said city planners have made “decisive progress” since Millennium displaced the divisive Vornado Realty Trust, reworking the 2008-approved One Franklin project’s “program” to include more residences — 600 luxury condos and apartments — along with offices and large retail spaces.
“This iconic development will invigorate the heart of our city with new residents, business owners and private investment, solidifying the promise of Downtown Crossing,” Menino said in a statement.
Members of a citizen advisory group, enlisted to advise the BRA on “impact and mitigation,” offered widespread praise.
“There were questions about traffic, wind and shadow, but on balance, it’s very clear this project needs to go forward in a really expedited way for the good of the city,” said John Nucci, vice president of government relations and community affairs at Suffolk University.
Freedom Trail Foundation executive director Suzanne Taylor said the project has the “right mix” to continue downtown’s revitalization as more residents move in and shops and restaurants open.
Jack Spurr, president of A.W. Perry Inc., a real estate firm that owns several buildings nearby, noted Millennium’s “quality job” on past projects, such as the Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Towers. “I know it’s a tall building, but I’m not against tall buildings,” Spurr said.
The site is zoned for up to 625 feet, so the Millennium Tower could become Boston’s third tallest building behind the 790-foot Hancock Tower and 750-foot Pru.
Regardless of where it ends up, after Handel Architects’ fine tunes the floor spacing and design, “it’s still the tallest residential building in the city, and we’re content with that,” Pangaro said.
The development team was still making the rounds yesterday, airing the project at a meeting of the Midtown Park Plaza Neighborhood Association.
“The positive sense in the room was really palpable,” said Margaret Ings, the group’s co-moderator and a community relations executive at Emerson College. “With the way the economy is, you never know what’s going to happen. We’re really hoping this will come to fruition.”
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