Quincy Center Redevelopment

Re: Quincy new downdown

I try to refrain from vulgar language, but holy shit is this a joke? Was the developer asleep during the 1950s-70s? Clearing hundreds of businesses over 50 acres in downtown? Wow. This is like the reality of Robocop where they have to clear the slums to build the new Detroit. I can't believe this is even being proposed.

This is how it works: buildings are torn down with the intent to replace, the economic viability of a project fails to pencil out, nothing is rebuilt, the parcels on which bulldozed structures used to sit are paved, and presto, no more Quincy. This is a recipe for instant obliteration. This will not work.

I can't believe anyone "in the know" would stand to allow something like this? Are they all Ostriches down there? Maybe the quote about Boston's idiot neighbor isn't too far off the mark.

Edit --

and can someone explain (without me reading through the thread) how the structures to be torn down are going to be acquired? Please don't say eminent domain.
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

I try to refrain from vulgar language, but holy shit is this a joke? Was the developer asleep during the 1950s-70s? Clearing hundreds of businesses over 50 acres in downtown? Wow. This is like the reality of Robocop where they have to clear the slums to build the new Detroit. I can't believe this is even being proposed.

This is how it works: buildings are torn down with the intent to replace, the economic viability of a project fails to pencil out, nothing is rebuilt, the parcels on which bulldozed structures used to sit are paved, and presto, no more Quincy. This is a recipe for instant obliteration. This will not work.

I can't believe anyone "in the know" would stand to allow something like this? Are they all Ostriches down there? Maybe the quote about Boston's idiot neighbor isn't too far off the mark.
 
Re: Quincy new downdown

^At the end of the video segment in the story they say that 85% of property owners/businesses are on board with the plans and that they will build around those that don't participate. Not sure how that works out.

The website for this project is http://www.newquincycenter.com/index.shtml and the developer's site is http://www.street-works.com/newHome.asp. It certainly looks nice in the final renderings, full of pedestrians and dense urban development. Seems like a pretty big undertaking though and I imagine it would put a burden on existing businesses trying to stay in business. I've never been to Quincy but from looking at pictures it seems like most of the proposed improvements could be made without tearing so much down.
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

Will someone please explain to me how Quincy is getting a billion dollars to fix downtown and yet Boston's City Hall Plaza, Downtown Crossing, and the whole idiotic Greenway are allowed to remain in ruin? Yes this is Boston centric snobbery, however as the capital city of the state, shouldn't that provide some clout to fix longstanding urban planning issues here first?
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

Lurker said:
Will someone please explain to me how Quincy is getting a billion dollars to fix downtown and yet Boston's City Hall Plaza, Downtown Crossing, and the whole idiotic Greenway are allowed to remain in ruin? Yes this is Boston centric snobbery, however as the capital city of the state, shouldn't that provide some clout to fix longstanding urban planning issues here first?
Click to expand...

Quincy is getting financial grants from the state and Federal programs. I really am not sure what private investors would invest in Quincy.

The Mayor and the BRA alone have mucked up every situation in Boston. Chiofaro has given him the opportunity to help the Greenway, I'm not sure what the hell is going on with Congress St Garage.
Hynes, Vornado basically said fuck off with DTX.
Boston City Hall Plaza is getting some grant money to open an ice skating rink and possibly grow some trees with flowers.
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

TheRifleman said:
Quincy is getting financial grants from the state and Federal programs. I really am not sure what private investors would invest in Quincy.
Click to expand...

I'll bet you know! Drive down Hancock Street and the free market answer is all around you!
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

Quincy hopes to lure State Street with massive downtown project
Bids for ?second city?
By Jessica Van Sack
Sunday, January 9, 2011 - Updated 14 hours ago


Move over, People?s Republic of Cambridge.

Quincy is vying to become Greater Boston?s ?second city? and is even trying to lure one of the anchors of the Hub?s Financial District - State Street Corp. - as it embarks on a massive $1.3 billion downtown redevelopment project.

?Quincy in many ways has been a sleeper for years,? said Mayor Tom Koch, who in his second term has made the project the cornerstone of his administration. ?How that affects the Boston and Cambridge areas I?m not sure. Obviously if we?re competition for Boston and Cambridge, so be it.?

David Begelfer, CEO of the real estate trade group NAIOP Massachusetts, said firms like State Street that want to cut costs may look to Quincy.

?Quincy is clearly taking a very aggressive approach toward its economic fortunes,? Begelfer said. ?Not many cities are willing to be out front and taking that risk. But cities that sit back and just hope things improve are going to be left in the dust.?

Koch said of State Street, ?That?s an anchor we?d love to see.?

Due to be completed within the next decade, Quincy?s downtown redevelopment project adds 1 million square feet of new commercial space, 570,000 square feet for retail shops and restaurants, two new hotels and 700 housing units - includingluxury, loft and middle-income condos - near the Quincy Center T station.

Driven by private start-up capital of $1 billion, the project calls for the city to eventually buy back the infrastructure - but only when new buildings are occupied and generating tax revenue, largely eliminating the public risk associated with urban revitalization projects.

Ultimately, the project aims to create a new economic backbone for the city of 91,000, adding to assets that include coastal beaches and the boardwalk-style Marina Bay - and providing a commercial and retail alternative to downtown Boston and Cambridge.

Corporations such as Target have already shown interest in occupying a building aimed for a large anchor merchant. Other types of businesses being eyed include Kohls, office supply stores such as Staples or OfficeMax, a supermarket and a mall-style department store.

?We have to get it out of peoples? minds that this is any type of competition with South Shore Plaza,? Koch said of the mall in neighboring Braintree. ?We view this as a destination point, and a vibrant neighborhood.?

Ken Narva, co-founder and managing partner of Street-Works, said he views the project as complementing, not competing with, nearby economic centers, including Cambridge.

Said Narva, ?No one?s trying to dismiss who the mothership is - Boston?s brick. Cambridge is a pillar, and Quincy is granite.?


Link
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

Doubt it. Although State Street already have some offices in Quincy, it's headquarter requires transportation connection that it will not get down in Quincy,
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

From boston.com:

Developer widens plans for new center
By Robert Knox
Globe Correspondent / May 15, 2011
Quincy Center developer Street-Works has decided to expand its ambitious redevelopment project, increasing the project?s value for the city of Quincy without any new local costs, according to the New York-based redevelopment firm.

Street-Works said it will add 750,000 square feet of space to the scope of the project, raising its total value from $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion.

The announcement comes as the company prepares to make its major state environmental permit filing on the project in accordance with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act. Environmental reviews and city infrastructure work are expected to delay the start of construction for two years.

A public-private partnership, the Quincy Center Redevelopment Project, envisions rebuilding much of the city?s downtown commercial core and beefing up its density, adding a total of 3.5 million square feet of new commercial, residential, entertainment, education, and health care space. The plan to build a new urban center in an old city with a desirable location includes 1,200 residential units; approximately 2 million square feet of office, higher education, health care, and other business space; 625,000 square feet of retail space; two hotels, a movie theater, a new downtown park, and a cluster of strategically placed parking garages.

The additional 750,000 square feet is provided as an optional final step in the agreement between the developer and the city that was approved by the City Council in December. After the deal?s approval, Street-Works began talking to potential tenants and found a healthy appetite for its vision of a planned urban center meeting both workplace needs and human needs.

?The market told us we can handle that,?? managing partner Ken Narva said Tuesday.

The strong response comes from companies able ?to look ahead and say, ?Where do we want to be in 2014, or ?16, or ?17?? ?? he said. ?They say, ?We want to be in places on the T system, within the circle of value [Route 128], easy car access, an urban environment.? . . . You can get a building designed to look old and have a state-of-the-art technology and footprint.??

Though the start of construction is a couple years away, the project?s fundamental assumptions about the value of Quincy?s location and public transportation access, combined with forward-thinking urban planning, have so far been validated by the market response, he said.

For example, Narva said, the plan calls for a wellness component. ?A big Boston hospital needs to penetrate the market beyond the urban center?? by moving its brand to the South Shore, he said. ?This is a vehicle for them to do it.??

City officials also saw the project?s expansion as good news. ?This shows a level of confidence from the market for the project that bodes very well,?? mayoral spokesman Chris Walker said.

Several major city players have also shown an interest in being part of a revived Quincy Center. Stop & Shop?s New England division is moving 50 employees back into its 10-story downtown corporate building this summer, after relocating them in recent years, and plans to bring a few hundred more staff into the building by year?s end.

?We?re excited to be coming back,?? said spokeswoman Suzi Robinson. She said her company is ?glad to be part of an important time for the city.??

Quincy College officials have also had discussions with Street-Works on finding a way to move the college from its current site in a North Quincy office building back to the city center.

?I want a building downtown,?? said Thomas Feenan, a member of the school?s board of governors. ?They want us downtown. It will be our campus.??

While many are eager to see the project get underway, this year?s agenda is dominated by permitting needs, Streets-Works officials say.

The first step is approval of Street-Works? plan to move the location of Town Brook and expose 180 feet of the currently buried stream to the surface on the project?s border. The state?s Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs ruled last month the plan did not require a full environmental impact review, but it still needs permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and also by Quincy?s Conservation Commission, which plans to hold a public hearing next month.

Street-Works plans to request by July permits required by the state?s Environmental Policy Act for the project?s entire vision. Managing partner Lucy Wildrick said her company?s environmental impact statement will define the scope of the project, including the massing of buildings, the buildings? use and square footage, the project?s impact on the local utility infrastructure, the traffic network, and where to park.

The closing of a part of Hancock Street to traffic as part of a new park called Adams Green will also be part of the review. Wildrick said the company hopes to have all its Environmental Policy Act permits within 12 to 14 months.

The project also needs utility infrastructure improvements completed for the redevelopment zone before it can construct new buildings, sidewalks, parks, and amenities.

Quincy last week appointed Frank Tramontozzi, a former state transportation official, as engineering director for the project?s $293 million in infrastructure improvements.

Link to above article: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/quin...ans_for_new_center/?p1=HP_Well_YourTown_links
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

They knocked down a small one story building across the street from the b of a or the smallest skyscraper or whatever its called. I thought something was gonna start going up but not from.the sounds of this article
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

Show me the project money
Quincy eyes $50M from feds for plan
By Jerry Kronenberg
Saturday, June 18, 2011


Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch is calling on Uncle Sam to quickly approve some $50 million in federal aid needed for a planned $1.7 billion revitalization of Quincy Center.

“We’re not looking for handouts,” Koch told U.S. Rep. William Keating (D-Quincy) and other federal officials yesterday during a briefing on the project. “We’re looking for participation, guidance (and) assistance as we go forward.”

Quincy has teamed up with builder Street-Works Development for a massive renovation of downtown. Plans call for developing 1 million square feet of office space, 750,000 square feet of shops, 1,200 housing units and two hotels over the next nine years.

Street-Works will cover $1.3 billion of the cost, while Quincy will chip in another $289 million by selling bonds it plans to repay with property taxes from the new buildings.

However, the plan still needs some $100 million of government aid, split roughly 50-50 between state and federal agencies.

Koch met in Quincy with federal entities that would provide money: the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration and the National Park Service.

“The goal is to come together to see how each of the parties and departments (can) participate,” Koch said. “This is a unique, tremendous opportunity — for Quincy, for the South Shore, for the commonwealth.”

Keating endorsed federal aid dollars for the plan. “This is truly an example of an investment — not just an expenditure of money,” he said. “That’s an important distinction to make in these (tough) fiscal times.”


Link
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

Beal Cos. signs on to redevelopment of downtown Quincy
Much of the retail on Hancock Street in Quincy Center is dated and lacks appeal to shoppers from outside the community, and buildings are aged. Below, an artistic rendering shows an updated and revitalized Quincy Center. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)
By Casey Ross
Globe Staff / January 17, 2012

In newly minted blueprints, a revitalized downtown Quincy looks like this: A pair of high-rise office buildings soar above city streets bustling with workers, tourists, and residents. There’s a farmer’s market, 30 new restaurants, and a sweeping public green.

Related
Construction projects in the Boston area
Graphic Quincy Center revitalization
Stalled construction projects in the Boston area
At a cost of $1.6 billion, the project will not be easy to finance and build. But after years of planning, the Quincy Center redevelopment is taking a large step forward - the Beal Cos. is signing on as codeveloper, bringing to Quincy its long experience in building and managing large urban properties in Boston, Cambridge, and other Massachusetts communities.

Most recently Beal built the swanky Clarendon condominium project in the Back Bay. It was an early developer of biotech space in Cambridge, and it has renovated some of Boston’s most noteworthy properties, including the Park Square building and the art deco Batterymarch in Boston’s Financial District.

Beal executives said the 20-block redevelopment will make Quincy Center a destination for health care companies, higher education institutions, and other quality office tenants, as well as an attractive residential community and shopping district that is just 8 miles from Boston. Construction will unfold over the next several years and involves about 3.5 million square feet of new development.

“We’re going to make this into something that’s very exciting,’’ said Robert Beal, president of the Boston-based developer. “There are wonderful opportunities to work with hospitals and universities, and bring in new retail and residences that will make this a truly 24-hour city.’’

That’s a far cry from Quincy Center’s condition today. Its beat up roads and aging buildings give it a tired look; much of its retail is dated and lacks appeal to shoppers from outside the community. Even its high points - such as the Adams National Historical Park, the historic United First Parish Church, and the presence of a Red Line MBTA station - seem obscured by the drab surroundings and lack of consistent foot traffic.

Beal will partner in the revitalization effort with Street-Works, a White Plains, N.Y., company that specializes in urban redevelopment projects and has spent several years designing a master plan for Quincy Center. The two firms will spend much of the next year trying to get new companies and retailers to move to the area so they can generate financing for the project’s first buildings.

In 2013, the developers hope to begin the first of two 20-story office towers as well as a parking garage and large retail building that Beal/Street-Works is building in a separate deal with National Realty & Development Corp. The first phase of work also includes more than 200 loft-style residences and an expansion of Adams Green, which will serve as the centerpiece of the area’s redevelopment.

The project has fervent support from Mayor Thomas P. Koch, who helped craft a unique financing model in which the city is borrowing $289 million for road improvements and other infrastructure to support the project. It will then pay off that debt from future tax and parking garage revenues from the private development. The state is also kicking in more than $60 million in funding for the effort.

Koch said he had anticipated great resistance to such a vast transformation of the city’s commercial core - especially the 20-story office towers - but little materialized.

“People in the city are ready for this to happen,’’ Koch said. “They want to be proud of [Quincy] Center again. We’ve lost that over the last several decades. It’s a great mix of people we have in the city, and this will address the needs of just about every one of them.’’

The project includes multiple components, with the developers emphasizing the need to first create a more bustling atmosphere along downtown streets through construction of the expanded green along with wider sidewalks and cobblestone side streets.

One such street will be known as Cottage Row - a food strip with more than 30 restaurants and retail shops. There will also be a market square with room for new retail stores, a farmer’s market, and other entertainment.

“You really have to nurture and create a great environment’’ along the street, said Ken Narva, managing partner of Street-Works.

The project is expected to create about 7,500 construction jobs over the next several years and more than 11,000 permanent positions.

Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
Click to expand...


http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2012/01/17/beal_cos_signs_on_to_quincy_center_redevelopment/


I'm not sure about this one. 1.6 billion dollar project in Quincy? I have not been to Quincy in a long time but half the buildings in Downtown Boston are half empty so I'm curious how the Beal Co is going to pull this one off.

1.6 Billion might be to ambitious right now. But who knows.

Interesting how the Mayor is focusing on Road and Transit planning. Good Job IMHO
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

a unique financing model in which the city is borrowing $289 million for road improvements and other infrastructure to support the project. It will then pay off that debt from future tax ... revenues from the private development.
Click to expand...

If our state and local governments were better designed, T expansion could be funded through similar financing.
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

I think it's a pretty good idea from what I've seen.

As much as I hate big box stores, I've seen how properly places chains can help lure people to central city districts. In my wife's home country of Malaysia, it's not unusual have a downtown shopping mall or large store, as opposed to putting them on the outskirts of the city. Kuala Lumpur satellite cities such as Shah Alam or Klang have a similar density to Quincy, but they attract people people downtown with shopping malls or shopping centers that contain a large anchor store surrounded by smaller, independent businesses.
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

Mike said:
Quincy hopes to lure State Street with massive downtown project
Bids for ?second city?
By Jessica Van Sack
Sunday, January 9, 2011 - Updated 14 hours ago


Move over, People?s Republic of Cambridge.

Quincy is vying to become Greater Boston?s ?second city? and is even trying to lure one of the anchors of the Hub?s Financial District - State Street Corp. - as it embarks on a massive $1.3 billion downtown redevelopment project.

?Quincy in many ways has been a sleeper for years,? said Mayor Tom Koch, who in his second term has made the project the cornerstone of his administration. ?How that affects the Boston and Cambridge areas I?m not sure. Obviously if we?re competition for Boston and Cambridge, so be it.?

David Begelfer, CEO of the real estate trade group NAIOP Massachusetts, said firms like State Street that want to cut costs may look to Quincy.

?Quincy is clearly taking a very aggressive approach toward its economic fortunes,? Begelfer said. ?Not many cities are willing to be out front and taking that risk. But cities that sit back and just hope things improve are going to be left in the dust.?

Koch said of State Street, ?That?s an anchor we?d love to see.?

Due to be completed within the next decade, Quincy?s downtown redevelopment project adds 1 million square feet of new commercial space, 570,000 square feet for retail shops and restaurants, two new hotels and 700 housing units - includingluxury, loft and middle-income condos - near the Quincy Center T station.

Driven by private start-up capital of $1 billion, the project calls for the city to eventually buy back the infrastructure - but only when new buildings are occupied and generating tax revenue, largely eliminating the public risk associated with urban revitalization projects.

Ultimately, the project aims to create a new economic backbone for the city of 91,000, adding to assets that include coastal beaches and the boardwalk-style Marina Bay - and providing a commercial and retail alternative to downtown Boston and Cambridge.

Corporations such as Target have already shown interest in occupying a building aimed for a large anchor merchant. Other types of businesses being eyed include Kohls, office supply stores such as Staples or OfficeMax, a supermarket and a mall-style department store.

?We have to get it out of peoples? minds that this is any type of competition with South Shore Plaza,? Koch said of the mall in neighboring Braintree. ?We view this as a destination point, and a vibrant neighborhood.?

Ken Narva, co-founder and managing partner of Street-Works, said he views the project as complementing, not competing with, nearby economic centers, including Cambridge.

Said Narva, ?No one?s trying to dismiss who the mothership is - Boston?s brick. Cambridge is a pillar, and Quincy is granite.?


Link
Click to expand...

They should after Wegmans, which just opened two smaller-scaled (for it's chain) stores in the suburbs, and get them to open a Wegmans Superstore.
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

^^^^
Sounds like Quincy wants to be unique with State Street and Target .
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

bolehboleh said:
I think it's a pretty good idea from what I've seen.

As much as I hate big box stores, I've seen how properly places chains can help lure people to central city districts. In my wife's home country of Malaysia, it's not unusual have a downtown shopping mall or large store, as opposed to putting them on the outskirts of the city. Kuala Lumpur satellite cities such as Shah Alam or Klang have a similar density to Quincy, but they attract people people downtown with shopping malls or shopping centers that contain a large anchor store surrounded by smaller, independent businesses.
Click to expand...

Indianapolis does this with its large downtown Simon mall; check it out in a couple of weeks. Worcester with its downtown mall in the 70's too.

Can't help feeling that this is Patriots Place with real patriot corpses.
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

I really think it has potential. They key IMO is the one train HRL to south station.
 
Re: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

tobyjug said:
Indianapolis does this with its large downtown Simon mall; check it out in a couple of weeks. Worcester with its downtown mall in the 70's too.

Can't help feeling that this is Patriots Place with real patriot corpses.
Click to expand...

The question is how can this development compete with the wildly successful South Shore Plaza? I dont think it can, especially now that SSP features an outparcel (Circuit City) Dave & Buster's - the only one in MA.

Outlets would be GREAT. I hate driving to Wrentham and let's face it, the people of Quincy love a bargain. Nordstrom Rack or Saks Off Fifth might be great anchors.
 
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