Oxford Properties, one of Boston’s largest traditional-office landlords, had been planning a 24-story office building on the site of a parking garage at 125 Lincoln St., on the edge of the Leather District. In December, Oxford went back to the Boston Planning & Development Agency with a new idea: Build a shorter building, with 14 stories, aimed at technology and life-sciences companies. That would cut the square footage by a third, and probably reduce the building’s daytime population by even more.
The plan was inspired partly by neighborhood feedback, said Oxford executive vice president Chad Remis. Residents of the Leather District and Chinatown had objected to the idea of a 340-foot tower on the site, which is surrounded by much shorter buildings. But the revision was also inspired by a change in the market for commercial space, he said.
We build buildings that we believe will meet the demands of society for 30 years from now, not demand two years ago,” Remis said. “And we believe that research and innovation space will always be in demand.”
Buildings that house labs and tech space have different design requirements than traditional office buildings. For instance, the new plan for 125 Lincoln includes higher ceilings and vast open floors; the lower floors would jut out over an onramp to the Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. Tunnel. Heating, cooling, and power systems would be more sophisticated, to handle the demands of tech and research companies.
“This building, per square foot, will cost us significantly more to build,” Remis said, though he noted the rents it would command would be higher than for office space..
