Fresh ideas sought for Filene?s block
But city-spurred ventures may halt retailer?s return
By Casey Ross and Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | January 5, 2010
Mayor Thomas M. Menino is pushing the developers of the stalled Filene?s redevelopment in Downtown Crossing to consider dramatic changes to break the logjam there, saying financial companies and a parking garage could replace what they have planned for the site.
On his inauguration to a fifth term yesterday, Menino talked of a bold effort to resume work on the Filene?s block, which is essentially now a large hole in the ground surrounded by the skeletons of several older buildings in Boston?s downtown shopping district. The mayor and his top development officials said they are working with the Filene?s developers to consider other measures for the $700 million project.
Among the tenants and uses the city wants the developer to consider are financial or technology companies and smaller housing units featuring energy-saving technologies.
?We have to step it up and consider uses that might not have been in the plan initially presented to us,?? said John Palmieri, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority. ?Those include greener uses, smaller footprints, and more innovative spaces for start-ups.??
But those alternatives could preclude the return of the famous discount store, Filene?s Basement, to its original location in a rehabbed Filene?s building.
An executive with Filene?s Basement said the retailer still wants to return to Downtown Crossing.
?We would love to be back there if they ever built anything,?? said Mark Shulman, president of Filene?s Basement.
The Filene?s developers, Gale International and Vornado Realty Trust, did not return calls for comment yesterday.
The firms initially planned to build a 39-story tower with offices, retail stores, a hotel, and condominiums, but were forced to stop construction in the summer of 2008 because of financial problems.
Since winning reelection in November, Menino has increased pressure on Gale and Vornado to find a way to resume construction. During his inaugural speech yesterday, Menino listed re-starting the Filene?s project and development of the South Boston waterfront among his priorities.
?We?ll give architects and developers the challenge to experiment with new designs, new floor plans, and new materials,?? the mayor said, adding that he will consider development of co-housing, a type of residential community that incorporates shared kitchens and other features that might be attractive to graduate students and academic researchers.
But even the most flexible development policies might not be enough to help the building industry now.
With office rents low and unemployment high, developers will continue to have trouble raising money for expensive new residences and office buildings, real estate specialists said.
The Filene?s project, for example, has remained on hold despite constant efforts to trim costs and refine the development plan.
At one point, Gale floated plans to lop seven floors of condominiums off the complex, to make it more attractive to financiers, but none stepped forward.
Several Downtown Crossing business leaders said they still have confidence in the developers, but want new information on how they intend to move forward.
?I?d like to see the developer publicly talk about what the scenarios could be,?? said Rosemarie Sansone, president of the Downtown Crossing Partnership, a business association. ?What was imagined several years ago might not be what we end up seeing there.??
Palmieri said BRA officials have met with the developers on a regular basis to discuss moving the project forward.
He said the agency is open to providing tax relief and other forms of financial assistance to help.
?We?re willing to consider incentives that would be helpful to making this project work,?? he said.
?We need to find new and better ways to create development opportunities.??
Casey Ross can be reached at
cross@globe.com; Jenn Abelson can be reached at
abelson@globe.com.
