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

It's Millennium/ Boston inc funded + Suffolk Construction.
my thinking regarding [slow to start]: re; load management/ principal sponsor (Millennium) is busy
building twin-peaked tower/s at Winthrop Square....
They're wealthy, but even (Millennium) needs to sell the condo's first.
Long term: Millennium ostensibly, is legally bound to build it.
pre-approved/ definitely (a lock)/ coming soon/

Suffolk 83 said:
Is this ever going to get built? I have doubts.
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Why is this project taking so long to get all the approvals? Not much is changing between iterations, and we've had the same general proposal for over a year now. Not to mention this thread started 12 years ago with a failed first round of proposals.
 
Millennium is required to build this as mitigation for Winthrop Square.
 
stefal said:
Why is this project taking so long to get all the approvals? Not much is changing between iterations, and we've had the same general proposal for over a year now. Not to mention this thread started 12 years ago with a failed first round of proposals.
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While this may not seem so on the surface, this is politically a very complex proposal.

The project has five major stakeholders, that BPDA has to keep aligned throughout the process:

Millenium -- who is funding a portion (but not all) of the development.
Asian Community Development Corporation -- who is tasked with pulling off the rest of the financing for the project, which is complex, because all the housing is affordable at a very low target AMI -- very non-traditional financing is needed.
Corcoran Jennison -- owners of the Doubletree Hotel, who are getting some expanded hotel space in the building.
Tufts University -- who's shared services group is getting expanded parking garage space in the building.
Chinatown Community -- who are getting the affordable housing and a permanent library space in the building.

This is way more complex to pull off than a traditional mixed-use development.
 
the LOI was just submitted in July. this is about as fast as a project could get through considering the time that is legally required between each step occurring.
 
dshoost88 said:
Oh my, you must be new here. Welcome to Boston!

/s
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Two separate processes: the first one selected the development team for the parcel, while the current one is the proposal review as any project would go through.

Both processes were managed and documented by the BPDA, which makes it look as though the "BPDA process" is taking many years.

It's the reverse of South Station Tower, where the BPDA approval dates back to 2016 and it took 3 more years to secure permission from MassDOT, MBTA, Massport, etc.
 
BKNA said:
the LOI was just submitted in July. this is about as fast as a project could get through considering the time that is legally required between each step occurring.
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The LOI was pretty carefully tailored to the parties that ended up proposing the project (only one group proposed under the LOI).

After the failed attempts over the past 12 years, the BPDA pretty carefully curated the complex mixed-use concept with all the abutters and interested parties, in advance of the LOI.
 
I am wondering about this parcel in a larger sense. Although obviously the notion of putting the silver line underground right here would currently go nowhere because of billions of things ($), I really looked at this spot (old Don Bosco included) for a building of around 700 feet. A real huge thing, that at the very least would excavate the whole site in order for the transition to occur.

I suppose that could still happen, but I can't imagine this building making that process any easier.

Otherwise, great filler. That area could use about 6 more of these.
 
Cortes said:
I really looked at this spot (old Don Bosco included) for a building of around 700 feet.
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FAA height is about 390'....
Shadow Law, maybe 450'
Then you'd need the Chinatown neighborhood to go along.
This building is a huge win for the neighborhood, and Boston.
 
odurandina said:
FAA height is about 390'....
Shadow Law, maybe 450'
Then you'd need the Chinatown neighborhood to go along.
This building is a huge win for the neighborhood, and Boston.
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Arggg, ok. I always looked at both this spot and the garage at Park Square for good places for really tall buildings. Having understood that the latter was never a possibility, you are telling me THIS spot is ruined too!? ok...

Still though, was there no thought in combining this with the Don Bosco site in regards to the future development of a Silver line tunnel?
 
Cortes said:
Still though, was there no thought in combining this with the Don Bosco site in regards to the future development of a Silver line tunnel?
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I'm interested in Silver Line Tunnel options. (How) Would combining it with Don Bosco be more forward thinking?
 
Arlington said:
I'm interested in Silver Line Tunnel options. (How) Would combining it with Don Bosco be more forward thinking?
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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.
 
stick n move said:
Awesome, 168 affordable units downtown, not much but its 168 more than are there today.
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This is a great example of:

"Public Land for Public Good" the planning mantra in Chinatown.

Basically working hard to convince BPDA (and MassDOT) that publicly owned parcels (from the urban renewal bulldozing days) should be developed with a significant component of public good outcomes, not just luxury residential.
 
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