The St Regis Residences (former Whiskey Priest site) | 150 Seaport Blvd | Seaport

[DZH22]

Good luck indeed. This is the same developer that proposed a 700' tower next to 1 Boston Place! Developers with guts deserve to have their faith rewarded. Boston could benefit greatly by having visionaries like the Cronin Group find success here.

NOTE: THIS IS JUST A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT AT THIS TIME. THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL PROPOSAL BEFORE THE BPDA. NOTHING HAS BEEN FILED.

Steve Adams is reporting in a paywalled B&T article that the City asked developers if they had ideas to use municipal properties to build housing. Cronin Group responded with this 700 footer.

It would somehow be built on top of this with the base preserved:

 

[JeffDowntown]

Don't we have a ton more open parking lots and low rise parking structures to cover with more cost effective construction than this? No way a high rise like this is going to be anything other than luxury.

I don't find playing to our height fetish to be particularly visionary.

 

[citydweller]

... and no way a lender would ever wrap their head around an office project when no one knows how people will use office spaces post-covid.

It will be interesting what the long-term ramifications will be regarding the traditional work-at-the-office mentality by corporate America. There was a lot of speculation that network bandwidth would be overtaxed with the quarantine mandate but I haven't seen anything noteworthy. If the massive remote office experiment has worked for businesses, then I can see a reduction of leases come renewal time or new leases for a smaller office footprint. I suspect that many planned office projects will be put on-hold or cancelled outright. And, I'm sure no ones missed their daily commuter headaches.

 

[DZH22]

I suspect that many planned office projects will be put on-hold or cancelled outright.

Fingers crossed the State Street building still gets built. After losing out on Copley Tower and 1 Bromfield it's like our only chance left to get a non-blocky tower into the skyline. That would be a brutal loss.

Speaking of which, I noticed many other cities have continued their construction projects. Why are we still on hold everywhere? Can't we at least have something like a 30% effort, social-distance group to keep some of these sites moving forward?

 

[citydweller]

Fingers crossed the State Street building still gets built. After losing out on Copley Tower and 1 Bromfield it's like our only chance left to get a non-blocky tower into the skyline. That would be a brutal loss.

Agreed, State Street and SST are two projects that I would hate to see get flushed. I do feel optimistic that State Street (aka One Congress) will get built though.

 

[DBM]

After losing out on ... 1 Bromfield

So, about that alleged cancellation of 1 Bromfield:

Here's the LOI the developer submitted to the BPDA in early March. It's still up there on the BPDA page for all to see. If they'd canceled the project, don't you think some BPDA project manager, working remotely, would've deleted it?

Here's the Globe write-up on the revised proposal done in the immediate wake of the LOI submission. Don't you think the Globe reporter on this development "beat" would've written a follow-up story if the project had been shelved?

Finally, no one has bumped the 1 Bromfield thread with news the project got shelved.

Of course, there's every reason in the world to cancel this (third iteration!!) now, given the swiftly & severely collapsing global economy--I'm just saying, given how extremely high-profile it is, for so many reasons, I have to think there'd be a formal announcement. Which, unless I'm mistaken, hasn't happened yet.

<end thread derail>

 

[kmp1284]

So, about that alleged cancellation of 1 Bromfield:

Here's the LOI the developer submitted to the BPDA in early March. It's still up there on the BPDA page for all to see. If they'd canceled the project, don't you think some BPDA project manager, working remotely, would've deleted it?

Here's the Globe write-up on the revised proposal done in the immediate wake of the LOI submission. Don't you think the Globe reporter on this development "beat" would've written a follow-up story if the project had been shelved?

Finally, no one has bumped the 1 Bromfield thread with news the project got shelved.

Of course, there's every reason in the world to cancel this (third iteration!!) now, given the swiftly & severely collapsing global economy--I'm just saying, given how extremely high-profile it is, for so many reasons, I have to think there'd be a formal announcement. Which, unless I'm mistaken, hasn't happened yet.

<end thread derail>

He’s likely referring to the previous version in this context but the the most recent proposal is almost certainly dead too.

And it doesn’t look like the BPDA is in the habit of removing filings for canceled projects. Both 1000 Boylston and Copley are still listed and I’m sure there are many more but I only looked under Back Bay.

 

[DZH22]

He’s likely referring to the previous version in this context but the the most recent proposal is almost certainly dead too.

Yes, I was excited about the 59 story version which would have been the dominant building downtown from multiple angles. The new, hopefully DOA one is 21 stories.

This is what we lost. Amazingly, the first render I'm posting is one I have never seen. Sick view from Government Center.

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/576762c729687f6102b09acc/1505616569316-LYKAVBSXDUNN5OIQ4XD1/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kPpwWN1WwG-sBxYUFztsUtR7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1UTyfprT7coucoO9yteGsp3vtbYUNIoIFUfcE7SPF6B9ruWcPLFtnvN-Wy7FWDJKpPw/03_CityHall.jpg?format=2500w

https://www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2016/04/04/040416midwood005.jpg

 

[DBM]

He’s likely referring to the previous version in this context but the the most recent proposal is almost certainly dead too.

And it doesn’t look like the BPDA is in the habit of removing filings for canceled projects. Both 1000 Boylston and Copley are still listed and I’m sure there are many more but I only looked under Back Bay.

Ah, good clarifications, thanks! I'm annoyed and surprised that the BPDA project managers can't be bothered (at least in the case of the two projects you cite above) to delete filings after the proposals go kaput. How hard can it be to practice such an elemental act of good archival hygiene?

 

[kmp1284]

Ah, good clarifications, thanks! I'm annoyed and surprised that the BPDA project managers can't be bothered (at least in the case of the two projects you cite above) to delete filings after the proposals go kaput. How hard can it be to practice such an elemental act of good archival hygiene?

They should be noted as ‘canceled/on hold’ but I don’t see the need to remove them from the public record. Though I wouldn’t bet on it happening any time soon the projects could come back in the future. This was already the second time around for Copley and I’m sure there are other projects like 40 Trinity that will go on ice only to re-emerge in better times.

 

[John0101]

Harbor Garage or whatever it's called is probably DOA now, no lender syndicate is going to roll the dice on a project like that at this point. Anything in seaport that doesn't have a crane up already is going to stop as unit absorption out there grinds to a halt over the next 3 years and market rents roll down across the board. Probably see a stratified "flight to quality" where Benjamin/Via do fine but the cuspy stuff like Nema, Waterside, and Park 17 struggle to (a) lease up (b) hold rate w/o a ton of concessions even on renewals.

Overall my bet is that this ends up causing floor plates to shrink for CBD as companies realize that the front office workers are just as productive at home and only need to come in like once a week for team meetings, a lot of middle office "meat grinder" work gets shifted to work from home, and it accelerates the drive to push back office functions to suburban offices in lower cost of living cities. I also think that people generally will shift away from CBD highrise living back to the suburbs where they get more space and feel safer in a less dense environment. But who knows, my crystal ball is as clear as anyone else's

Thanks for your thoughts. So far Boston's knowledge industry seems to be holding up (i.e. the pharma, tech, and fin services companies), so why do you think absorption for the new developments (NEMA, waterside, etc.) will be so lackluster without major job losses / corporate exodus from seaport?

• As long as the offices around seaport and full and humming along, I can imagine a strong desire to live in the area
• Public transportation into Seaport is brutal, which creates high opportunity cost for commuting into the area for work, especial for jobs with long hours
• Until we get a vaccine, my gut feeling is that companies will do a rotation program for employees.. 2-3 weeks WFH and 2-3 weeks in the office, however, they will still need separate office space to ensure sanity conditions.

 

[stefal]

with regard to absorption, there's a lot of new units and you may see an exodus of people from urban living if they don't feel safe in a highrise / high density living environment. either way construction lending is dead for anything not committed to for at least the next 12 months, no one can underwrite a development right now without an understanding of what the new normal looks like.

Albeit trivial in the scale of this pandemic, I have seen A LOT of comments that we really design our urban housing, especially in northern cities, to be inward facing. On more than one occasion, I've heard/seen people saying they'll never rent/buy without their unit having a balcony ever again, and even if they do have a balcony, it's poorly designed. Having been locked up in an apartment with no connection to the outside myself, my next search will likely weigh balconies/porches/outdoor connections in general a bit higher.

 

[KentXie]

Albeit trivial in the scale of this pandemic, I have seen A LOT of comments that we really design our urban housing, especially in northern cities, to be inward facing. On more than one occasion, I've heard/seen people saying they'll never rent/buy without their unit having a balcony ever again, and even if they do have a balcony, it's poorly designed. Having been locked up in an apartment with no connection to the outside myself, my next search will likely weigh balconies/porches/outdoor connections in general a bit higher.

I remember the going consensus on this forum was that balconies were ugly and beneath Boston's architecture (a la a lot people shitting on balconies in Miami and Toronto's condo towers). Crazy how they actually serve a useful purpose. Put me down as someone who is for more balconies.

 

[Czervik.Construction]

Having lived in high rises with and without balconies.... balconies are as frequently used as "amenities spaces"
We put a sofa coffee table and chaise thingy out there and used it sporadically. They are useless in cold weather (unless you smoke) and it gets windy AF, too.

My 2 cents: I prefer a view and a roof deck.

 

[stefal]

I remember the going consensus on this forum was that balconies were ugly and beneath Boston's architecture (a la a lot people shitting on balconies in Miami and Toronto's condo towers). Crazy how they actually serve a useful purpose. Put me down as someone who is for more balconies.

Balconies look worse when there's no thought given to their design and they look like they were glued on to a building.

Having lived in high rises with and without balconies.... balconies are as frequently used as "amenities spaces"
We put a sofa coffee table and chaise thingy out there and used it sporadically. They are useless in cold weather (unless you smoke) and it gets windy AF, too.

My 2 cents: I prefer a view and a roof deck.

Yeah, wind and temperature are of concern.. why I mentioned that especially northern cities are designed facing inward.
Perhaps on high rises more interior and intimate and shared green spaces could be included, maybe a better version of the failed Shanghai Tower 'sky gardens' could work..

 

[HenryAlan]

I prefer a roof deck over a balcony, but for something more private, french doors with a juliette porch are also better than a balcony.

 

[KentXie]

I mean cities in the north still have a summer

 

[chmeeee]

french doors with a juliette porch are also better than a balcony.

In what way??

 

[393b40]

Balconies look worse when there's no thought given to their design and they look like they were glued on to a building.

You know who that matters to? People that don't live in the building, and even then a small minority at that. Nobody cares about those people's opinions.

 

[HenryAlan]

In what way??

Just a statement of personal preference. Porches tend to be small and confining, not enough room for much comfortable furniture. But french doors can turn your entire living area in to a porch.