Parcel P-12 | 286-290 Tremont St | Chinatown

[Cortes]

I'm interested in Silver Line Tunnel options. (How) Would combining it with Don Bosco be more forward thinking?

Note sure how a combination aids a Silver Line Tunnel (which is never happening in the previous Phase III form).

But this development is lightly combined with the Don Bosco building in that the Doubletree Hotel (which is what the Don Bosco building is today) is expanding into several floors of the new development, so they are connected.

Ok, phase III, that is what I was referring to. Without tying up this whole thread... I thought that this parcel would combine nicely with the old Don Bosco site to aide the developer in maximizing development in order to facilitate New England Medical Center station being turned into a multi-modal stop as part of phase III. (what a horrible sentence) For instance, the developer is providing a huge affordable housing component to this project. I am really hesitant to say that that is not some of the best news around, but those funds could of also been used to help create a train station. I know that timing is way off, and phase III now seems just like a pipe dream, but this is THE SPOT where it would go underground, and I thought that just bundling the parcels and making this a huge building (or 3) would go a long way in the ways of creative financing. The station thing would make a lot more sense if a developer paid even for just the excavation of the site.

 

[JeffDowntown]

Ok, phase III, that is what I was referring to. Without tying up this whole thread... I thought that this parcel would combine nicely with the old Don Bosco site to aide the developer in maximizing development in order to facilitate New England Medical Center station being turned into a multi-modal stop as part of phase III. (what a horrible sentence) For instance, the developer is providing a huge affordable housing component to this project. I am really hesitant to say that that is not some of the best news around, but those funds could of also been used to help create a train station. I know that timing is way off, and phase III now seems just like a pipe dream, but this is THE SPOT where it would go underground, and I thought that just bundling the parcels and making this a huge building (or 3) would go a long way in the ways of creative financing. The station thing would make a lot more sense if a developer paid even for just the excavation of the site.

Actually I believe the final Phase III plan had moved the portal, because of objections from Tufts Medical Center (turning SL buses navigating a portal entrance, adding to the mayhem on Washington Street right at the medical center emergency entrance.). I believe the final proposal had the portal taking out a low rise portion of Mass Pike Towers, along Tremont Street. This location was no longer in play as part of a Silver Line station.

 

[F-Line to Dudley]

Actually I believe the final Phase III plan had moved the portal, because of objections from Tufts Medical Center (turning SL buses navigating a portal entrance, adding to the mayhem on Washington Street right at the medical center emergency entrance.). I believe the final proposal had the portal taking out a low rise portion of Mass Pike Towers, along Tremont Street. This location was no longer in play as part of a Silver Line station.

Portal was to be located on the traffic island of the Tremont/Marginal intersection by the Pike in the last plan revision before SL III formally gave up the ghost. The somewhat sprawly and low-volume intersection would've been compacted but there were to be no building impacts at the point where the tunnel broke surface.

 

[MjolnirMan]

I hadn't read this anywhere previously, but disappointingly - at the BPDA meeting last night to discuss Chinatown Parcel R-1, it was stated that due to the Winthrop Center redesign that shortened the second tower and reduced unit number, Millennium's payments for P-12 were decreasing as a result and this has completely compromised funding this project. It is now on hold while a new funding package is researched, which could take ~2 years.

In the meantime, R-1 is being pursued by the neighborhood community with similar goals - permanent library branch (R-1 was actually the original preferred site) and affordable housing (specifically affordable by Chinatown AMI, not Boston AMI). Neighbors also vocalized interest in publicly-accessible greenspace, building height short enough not to block sunlight to units on Harvard Street or 66 Hudson, and affordable parking.

 

[curcuas]

Affordable parking. what a joke.

 

[Rover]

Affordable parking. what a joke.

Easiest way to buy off local NIMBY'S. You could propose the empire state building in the north end and if you guaranteed free parking for life for neighborhood residents they would be breaking down the doors of city hall the next day to tell any politician they could find how much they loved the project!

 

[DZH22]

Easiest way to buy off local NIMBY'S. You could propose the empire state building in the north end and if you guaranteed free parking for life for neighborhood residents they would be breaking down the doors of city hall the next day to tell any politician they could find how much they loved the project!

Hell yeah, let's get that ESB right here, with the free parking!

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[stick n move]

BPDA to seek new proposals for Chinatown lot after first plan's demise

Four years ago, the agency gave the greenlight to a development team that included Millennium Partners and Asian Community Development Corp. to pursue a 350-foot tower at 290 Tremont St.

Before the bid was dropped, the Asian Community Development Corp., Corcoran Jennison Co. Inc., Millennium Partners and Tufts Shared Services Inc. had proposed a 416,500-square-foot mixed-use tower with affordable housing, a hotel, an expanded Tufts Shared Services parking garage and what was…

https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2022/11/30/bdpa-seeks-chinatown-lot-proposals.html

 

[king_vibe]

In my dreams they demolish the Tufts Garage too, but I guess that’s too much to ask.

 

[MjolnirMan]

If anything, they're likely to expand it like in the last bid. Despite that garage and the one across the Pike at Herald St., Tufts feels under extreme parking pressure for staff and patients. For instance, they are the primary user of the current surface parking lot on nearby Parcel R-1 (bordering Tyler, Harvard, and Hudson Streets), despite it only having capacity for a few dozen cars.

 

[JeffDowntown]

BPDA to seek new proposals for Chinatown lot after first plan's demise

Four years ago, the agency gave the greenlight to a development team that included Millennium Partners and Asian Community Development Corp. to pursue a 350-foot tower at 290 Tremont St.

Before the bid was dropped, the Asian Community Development Corp., Corcoran Jennison Co. Inc., Millennium Partners and Tufts Shared Services Inc. had proposed a 416,500-square-foot mixed-use tower with affordable housing, a hotel, an expanded Tufts Shared Services parking garage and what was…

https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2022/11/30/bdpa-seeks-chinatown-lot-proposals.html

I was really sad to see this fall apart. It was a very well crafted mixture of uses covering the interests of the abutters and the community. It will be really hard to replicate.

 

[goldenretrievers]

Request for Proposals Parcel P-12C

 

[Justbuildit]

Great details in there. I understand that this now qualifies under the new regulations for no parking minimum given the high affordability threshold, which is explicitly preferred in the RFP (emphasis mine):

3.2.4 Transportation The City is seeking to reduce car dependency by right-sizing the parking supply, providing convenient access to Bluebikes and bike parking, offering a suite of transportation demand management strategies, improving pedestrian amenities, and encouraging public transportation use.

● Parking. While there is no minimum parking requirement for the Property, and the BPDA will consider a scenario without any additional parking for accessory uses, the development may include additional off-street parking if it complies with the BTD Maximum Parking Ratios of 0.35 spaces per rental unit and 0.5 spaces per homeownership unit. A no-parking scenario is strongly preferred and parking to support offsite uses or the general public is strongly discouraged. Any structured parking should be designed to minimize impacts to the streetscape environment, and, ideally, designed for conversion to other uses in a less car-centric future.

 

[stick n move]

If we end up with basically the same tower (which is basically the same tower as the block 8 tower in assembly and the one mystic ave tower in charlestown) minus parking, then thats a huge win imo.

edit- its also basically the same tower as 315 on A in the seaport.

 

[curcuas]

I'm confused how a short term loss of subsidy tanked the old project here, but also not unhappy that they want a no parking project now.

 

[Equilibria]

I'm confused how a short term loss of subsidy tanked the old project here, but also not unhappy that they want a no parking project now.

IIRC it was tanked by Millennium Partners yanking the promised subsidy they were paying to develop the project. Once the Pandemic started, they told the City they'd stop building Winthrop Square if they couldn't wriggle out of this.

It might have been short term, but it was pretty important.

 

[Aprehensive_Words]

I'm confused how a short term loss of subsidy tanked the old project here, but also not unhappy that they want a no parking project now.

This will be especially important in helping affordable developers shrink their bottom line as much as possible, given how construction costs are going.

 

[Suffolk 83]

IIRC it was tanked by Millennium Partners yanking the promised subsidy they were paying to develop the project. Once the Pandemic started, they told the City they'd stop building Winthrop Square if they couldn't wriggle out of this.

It might have been short term, but it was pretty important.

I thought they partially cut the subsidy and there would still be a chunk of money going to affordable housing somewhere. They just completely cut it out?

 

[JeffDowntown]

I'm confused how a short term loss of subsidy tanked the old project here, but also not unhappy that they want a no parking project now.

The parking was not for the building, it was for Tufts Medical Center. Tufts is a major stakeholder at this location. You don't give Tufts the expanded parking for the medical canter, they will find a way to torpedo the development.

The parking component was for a direct abutter. The hotel room component was for a direct abutter. The housing was for the neighborhood. The original proposal was a very carefully crafted balancing act by the BPDA of the competing interests.

 

[king_vibe]

The parking was not for the building, it was for Tufts Medical Center. Tufts is a major stakeholder at this location. You don't give Tufts the expanded parking for the medical canter, they will find a way to torpedo the development.

The parking component was for a direct abutter. The hotel room component was for a direct abutter. The housing was for the neighborhood. The original proposal was a very carefully crafted balancing act by the BPDA of the competing interests.

Looks like the BPDA is telling them to pound sand.