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

[Java King]

The Best part of the current proposal is the Pedestrian Passage with those circle art-pieces strung between the buildings. That could be really nice if it doesn't get value engineered. However, I'm not optimistic.

Why can't we have interesting design elements yet still be "cost effective?"

 

[itchy]

Honestly think the height reduction is good for its location. Current plan looks like better architecture than the original.

 

[curcuas]

Who owns the parking lot on the Washington St side? That could make a great spot for a tower?

 

[JeffDowntown]

Who owns the parking lot on the Washington St side? That could make a great spot for a tower?

I believe it is Corcoran Jennison, the owners of the DoubleTree Hotel. (It is active parking for the hotel, since there is no space for a large street curb cut.) They were part of the original development proposal before the haircut.

 

[Equilibria]

BCDC: https://bpda.app.box.com/s/gc9j2fqqeapgkwv2mt6izr2x3xwaa7vq

 

[andrew.816]

Approved.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1768446231431295486

 

[stick n move]

-Damn

Updated Plans Presented for Affordable Chinatown Development​

“New plans have been presented for a smaller project on Parcel P-12C in Boston's Chinatown. The updated plans call for a reduction in the building's size from 12 to 10 stories and a reduction in total units from 132 to 108, removing 36 home ownership units from the project.”

Updated Plans Presented for Affordable Chinatown Development

Updated Plans Presented for Affordable Chinatown Development

www.bldup.com

 

[CBCArch61]

i believe this site is where the affordable units for Winthrop Tower is supposed to go. Does anybody remember how many of these 132 units Millennium is responsible for?

 

[curcuas]

-Damn

Updated Plans Presented for Affordable Chinatown Development​

“New plans have been presented for a smaller project on Parcel P-12C in Boston's Chinatown. The updated plans call for a reduction in the building's size from 12 to 10 stories and a reduction in total units from 132 to 108, removing 36 home ownership units from the project.”

Updated Plans Presented for Affordable Chinatown Development

Updated Plans Presented for Affordable Chinatown Development

www.bldup.com

Let. People. Build. Market. Rate.

Chinatown nonprofit NIMBYs would never have it though.

 

[stick n move]

-The changes from 12 to 10 stories have been approved


“NOTICE OF PROJECT CHANGE
On May 15, 2025, the Redeveloper submitted the Notice of Project Change to the BPDA, requesting an approval of changes to the previously approved Proposed Project. The NPC requested that the existing program be changed from a 12-story,132-unit building with 96 affordable rentals and 36 affordable condos to a 10-story, approximately 130-foot-tall development with 108 affordable rental units. Since thefiling of the NPC, and after consultation with the Massachusetts Executive Office ofHousing and Livable Communities, the Redeveloper proposes a total of 111 rentalunits. All of the units within the Proposed Project would remain affordable at between 30% and 80% AMI.

The Proposed Project includes approximately six (6) studio units, twenty-eight (28)
one-bedroom units, sixty-two (62) two-bedroom units, and fifteen (15) three-bedroom
units…..”

2025-10-16_BPDA Board_290 Tremont Street.pdf | Powered by Box

bpda.app.box.com

2025-10-07_Presentation_290 Tremont Street_2.pptx | Powered by Box

bpda.app.box.com

From this

To this

To now this

 

[chrisbrat]

That is truly a shame. Chinatown (and all of Boston, but in particular Chinatown) needs much more housing.

 

[Jeremi]

Very bad in every way.

 

[chrisbrat]

The original 28(?)-floor design was quite nice, too.

 

[mssrro]

This building wouldn't actually be half bad...provided you could somehow put it in place of 212 Stuart and move 212 Stuart to here instead.

Alas, apparently it made more sense to place the high-rise tower on the same street as quaint 19th-century rowhouses while putting this infill mid-rise in a much more urban and built-up area.

Shame, I rather quite liked the original proposal as well.

 

[FormFollowsBudget]

i believe this site is where the affordable units for Winthrop Tower is supposed to go. Does anybody remember how many of these 132 units Millennium is responsible for?

$25 Million.

For anyone tracking, they also originally owed $10 million to East Boston Orient Heights, $25 million to South Boston Old Colony, $28 million to Franklin Park, $28 million to the Boston Common and $11 million to the Emerald Necklace.

 

[CBCArch61]

$25 Million.

For anyone tracking, they also originally owed $10 million to East Boston Orient Heights, $25 million to South Boston Old Colony, $28 million to Franklin Park, $28 million to the Boston Common and $11 million to the Emerald Necklace.

Thanks for sharing. Do you happen to know if all those obligations have been fulfilled?

 

[JeffDowntown]

$25 Million.

For anyone tracking, they also originally owed $10 million to East Boston Orient Heights, $25 million to South Boston Old Colony, $28 million to Franklin Park, $28 million to the Boston Common and $11 million to the Emerald Necklace.

As a reminder, the building is reduced in size because the affordable housing payment from Winthrop Center was cut in half (due to changes from condos to apartments and reduced units). The original payment amount was to be $52 Million for affordable housing, now just $25 Million. Less money, cannot build as large a building.

 

[FormFollowsBudget]

Thanks for sharing. Do you happen to know if all those obligations have been fulfilled?

I think it's technically up to the City to budget the money to them accordingly. I haven't been involved in a deal like this, but I think in essence, the money MP paid to the City of Boston was earmarked to these projects. It is not MP paying these projects directly. I'm not quite sure how to tell if those funds were committed accordingly. FOIA may help, but public finance/accounting can get quite complex, so it'd be difficult to get the right info in the request if you're not familiar with their accounting. All the more reason for a more transparent public budget tool (for cities in general).

 

[stick n move]

"As part of HLC’s Affordable Housing Development grant program, the administration is awarding a combination of federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and HLC subsidy funds for:"

Parcel P-12C


"Parcel P-12C (Boston) — 111 homes. New construction high-rise in Boston’s Chinatown sponsored by Asian Community Development Corporation in partnership with The Community Builders. All units will be affordable to households earning less than 60 percent AMI, including 32 homes for households earning less than 30 percent AMI, in some cases transitioning from homelessness, and the project will incorporate green and sustainable design.'

Governor Healey Announces Over $140 Million to Create More Than 1,300 New Homes Statewide

Governor Healey Announces Over $140 Million to Create More Than 1,300 New Homes Statewide

www.bldup.com