BOSTON | Bullfinch Crossing | 611 & 532 FT | 46 & 43 FLOORS

[chris08876]

Greenway Group Swings Behind Boston Harbor Garage Plans

The big-time redevelopment of the Boston Harbor Garage into two ginormous (for Boston, at least) towers just got a hefty boost. The conservancy that runs the Rose Kennedy Greenway says it's cool with the concept, thought it has some caveats.

Over to Casey Ross at The Globe: "In a letter to city regulators, the Greenway Conservancy offered a major boost to developer Donald Chiofaro's $1 billion plan to replace the Atlantic Avenue garage with two skyscrapers. Although it noted that questions remain about the buildings' heights and uses, the conservancy said the proposal should advance through the permitting process."

Recall that Chiofaro wants to build two skyscrapers, one 600 feet and the other 537, which would together hold 700,000 square feet of office space; a luxury hotel with between 250 and 300 rooms; 120 condos; three levels of retail and restaurants; and 1,400 parking spaces. All total, we're talking 1,300,000 square feet on the waterfront. The plans have naturally drawn criticism, including from residents in the neighboring Harbor Towers condo complex. Generally, though, the Walsh administration seems amenable and this is not Chiofaro's first rodeo at the site.

Still, consultants for the Boston Redevelopment Authority were out with a report Wednesday detailing the afternoon shadows the towers might cast on the Greenway as well as on surrounding sites such as the New England Aquarium. That only adds fuel to the arguments of opponents, although the Greenway group's backing of the general idea of development at the garage is a biggie. Stay tuned.

==============================
September 11, 2014
http://boston.curbed.com/archives/20...rage-plans.php

[Downburst]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Greenway Group Swings Behind Boston Harbor Garage Plans


==============================
September 11, 2014
http://boston.curbed.com/archives/20...rage-plans.php

The article you have posted refers to a different project. This project is located along Congress Street by Government Center. The one described in the article is by the Aquarium on Atlantic Ave. I'm not sure if there is an "Aquarium Garage/Harbor Square" or similar project in the forum but that's what this should go under.

In addition, the heights in this thread should be adjusted to 528' and 480' for the two tallest towers.

[scalziand]

The Harbor Square thread is here- http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=212465

Downburst, did you forget you started it?

[Downburst]

Originally Posted by scalziand

The Harbor Square thread is here- http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=212465

Downburst, did you forget you started it?

How embarrassing! I must have forgotten in my Monday-morning back-at-work haze. Thanks for the catch.

[Onn]

Originally Posted by Downburst

Combination of a more difficult approval process (through the Boston Redevelopment Authority) and rampant NIMBYism. There is also outsize influence from Mayor Menino that can negatively affect developments (and has throughout his tenure).

Logan Airport being about 2 miles across the harbor is also a limiting factor. The FAA put the kibosh on a planned supertall in downtown Boston out of concern of nearby flight paths a few years ago.

I'm a little baffled by the FAA's insistence on not building tall towers in cities near airports. The ONLY time a commercial jet liner hit a skyscraper in recent memory was during 9/11. In other countries local government tend to sink skyscrapers, not some off government agency.

[Downburst]

Design revealed for tallest tower of the development. Gorgeous, wonderful, designed by Cesar Pelli. Needless to say, we in Boston are very, very excited.

Roof height is still 528" for this tower, though the crown looks like it will go higher. The second highest tower is still 480'. If a mod could change the title I would appreciate it.

Images from the article below:

High hopes raised for Government Center Garage site
By Casey Ross | GLOBE STAFF OCTOBER 02, 2014

If architect Cesar Pelli has his way, Government Center’s brutish concrete buildings will be getting a fashionable new neighbor.

A glass skyscraper designed by Pelli would bring 528 feet of curvy glass to the corner of Congress and New Sudbury streets, where developers are preparing to build a cluster of high-rises to replace portions of the Government Center Garage.

Pelli’s office tower, the centerpiece of the project, would be an unusually dramatic building for Boston, a city that has shied away from the kind of eye-popping architecture that defines the skylines of cities such as Shanghai and Abu Dhabi.

“It’s very important for this building to be unusual for Boston,” said architect Alex Krieger, a principal of the firm NBBJ. “People often complain how tall buildings here tend to be more dour. This could be a chance to enjoy something else.”

Developer HYM Investment Group said it wants to begin construction next year. The project, estimated to cost well over $1 billion, would start with a 42-story residential tower planned to contain 450 units of rental and ownership housing. That would be followed by removal of the part of the garage that hangs over Congress Street and the construction of the 47-story office building.

If built as proposed, Krieger said, it would be among only a few buildings in Boston that have fundamentally changed the neighborhoods around them. He said that list includes the Custom House Tower, the John Hancock Tower, and the Federal Reserve Building near South Station.

“This building has the potential to do the same thing in the Bulfinch Triangle,” he said. “To accomplish that, it has to be different. It has to be aspirational. It can’t be another contextual building.”

I, for one, am excited to see this sentiment return to Boston development after so long. I can't wait to see this built and I can't wait to see what the other 5 buildings in this development hold for the city.

[shakman]

Very elegant design. Defintely a design with statement on the Boston skyline.

[Citylover94]

Originally Posted by Downburst

New renderings of the 480' res tower:




Steve Adams

Pleased to see the office tower design sticking around!

EDIT:
Looks like we have new PNFs as well! Heads up, they're big
Res Tower
Office Tower

MORE EDITS:
-Office tower is 528' to last occupied floor. If the res tower is 547' as described then this is WELL over 600'. Unfortunately, exact figures aren't given here as they are for the res tower. Still designed by Pelli.
-Retail on office/res tower first floors. For office: "The building consists of 1,012,000 SF of office space including a spacious lobby that is open to the public. Additionally, retail space has been provided to activate the public realm. The retail space is expected to include a café with exterior seating, a bicycle repair shop and potentially a small retail kiosk located within the lobby"
-Res tower is 480' to last occupied floor and 547' to roof.

No time to pull renderings right now but the office tower in particular looks spectacular, if a bit wide from some angles

Exciting new for this project.

[Citylover94]

The res tower and office tower were just approved at the BRA meeting tonight and so should be on schedule for construction. The res tower should start in the next year and the office tower will be starting once a tenant has been found.

[chris08876]

BRA approves 44-story West End tower

Three weeks after delaying a vote amid major concerns from neighbors, the Boston Redevelopment Authority Thursday night gave its blessing to a controversial high-rise apartment building in the West End.

The BRA board voted 5-0 to approve a 44-story tower being proposed by Equity Residential on Lomasney Way near TD Garden. The building would bring 470 apartments and underground parking to the site of an aging garage.

==========================
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/...?event=event25

[Downburst]

Originally Posted by chris08876

BRA approves 44-story West End tower




==========================
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/...?event=event25

This is a separate (but nearby) project.

Boston is tearing down a number of parking garages in the coming years, thank goodness.

[Citylover94]

New rendering and the new official name of this project where just announced/released.

Bulfinch Crossing: Meet the New Name For the Big Government Center Garage Redo

The massive redevelopment of the Government Center Garage in downtown Boston has a name: Bulfinch Crossing. What’s more, the 1,000,000-square-foot office tower that is part of the five-building project will be called One Congress. The development team of National Real Estate Advisers and the HYM Investment Group made it official Tuesday morning.

[Urbannizer]

HFF announces $250 million construction financing for first phase of Bulfinch Crossing development

https://bulfinchcrossing.com/index

BOSTON, MA –Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. (HFF) announced the $250 million construction loan for the development of Phase I at Bulfinch Crossing, a 46-story luxury residential tower with 368 rental units and 55 condominium units at 100 Sudbury Street in downtown Boston.

The HFF team worked on behalf of the borrower, a joint venture between National Real Estate Advisors, LLC and its Boston-based development partner, The HYM Investment Group, LLC, to secure the 15-year loan through Pacific Life Insurance Company.

The first phase residential tower is part of a 4.8-acre, 2.9-million-square-foot redevelopment of the Government Center Garage that will transform the above-grade parking garage into an iconic mixed-use district in the heart of downtown Boston. At 480 feet tall, the residential tower at 100 Sudbury Street will be one of the tallest in Boston and will offer unmatched 360-degree views along with a top-of-the-line amenity package.

The amenities will include an outdoor pool, three roof decks; a fitness center; yoga studio; clubroom; children’s playroom; golf simulator room; a full chef’s kitchen and outdoor dog run and dog spa. The property’s location at 100 Sudbury Street is at the confluence of Boston’s Financial District, Faneuil Hall Market District, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, North End, Bulfinch Triangle, West End and Beacon Hill neighborhoods. Bulfinch Crossing offers unmatched transportation access to the entire city via on-site Green and Orange line subway stations, MBTA bus lines, Interstate 93, on-site Hubway, Zipcar, Maven and E-share stations.

[JMKeynes]

Nice!

You've got to love Boston!! I believe that Bezos does.

[Urbannizer]

Phase II said to begin next year:

Carr Properties Makes Towering Boston Debut At One Congress

The Washington, D.C.-based developer that just finished Fannie Mae’s headquarters is expanding north with a planned trophy office tower in Boston.

Carr Properties is partnering with National Real Estate Advisors in acquiring One Congress, the planned 1M SF, 43-story office tower at HYM Investment Group’s Bulfinch Crossing mixed-use development in downtown Boston. HYM will develop the tower, and the Carr-NREA JV will own it, the Washington Business Journal reports.

One Congress will be the only property in Carr’s portfolio outside Greater Washington. The company has developed millions of square feet of trophy office properties in recent years in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

"[The Boston] market's on fire,” Carr Properties founder and CEO Oliver Carr III said at a Bisnow event in D.C. Wednesday. "We’re trying to go where our competition isn’t.”

The financial terms of the deal are unclear, as Carr is thought to have bought into the tower from NREA, which was already tied to One Congress, the Real Reporter reports. Details of Carr’s, NREA’s or HYM’s ownership stakes remain uncertain. HYM and NREA were already partners in developing the 2.9M SF Bulfinch Crossing, which is expected to include hotel, residential, retail and office components upon completion.

Construction at One Congress is expected to begin in summer 2019.

[DZH22]

Please update the heights in this thread, as these buildings are taller than listed. It's tough to tell the exact heights because it's built on a hill, but the residential is approximately 532' and the office tower will be at least 600' to the tip. The heights listed in this thread are to the highest occupied floors only, and not the full buildings heights.

Originally Posted by datadyne007

For those of us that like 2D plans & sections:

Residential (WP-B1):


--

Here's some recent shots of the residential. The next floors they pour will be the glassy section about 2/3 of the way up.

IMG_1716 by David Z, on Flickr

IMG_1724 by David Z, on Flickr

IMG_1737 by David Z, on Flickr

IMG_1741 by David Z, on Flickr

[Urbannizer]

Ground Broken for One Congress: Boston’s 600-Foot Tall Office Tower to House Headquarters of State Street Corp.

BOSTON— Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Carr Properties, National Real Estate Advisors, LLC and The HYM Investment Group broke ground on One Congress, the 600-foot tall office tower that will house the future headquarters of State Street Corporation.

The building, part of the Bulfinch Crossing redevelopment, is owned through a 50-50 joint venture between Carr Properties and National Real Estate Advisors on behalf of a client. The HYM Investment Group, LLC. is the developer of the project.

Designed by world-renowned architects Pelli Clarke Pelli, One Congress will rise to 600 feet, becoming a new fixture of the Boston skyline, and providing employees that occupy the one million square feet of new class A office space with breathtaking panoramic views of the city, the Boston Harbor, Financial District and the Charles River. One Congress will offer access to world-class amenities such as a one-acre, outdoor roof garden on the eleventh floor, over 30,000 square feet of fitness, wellness, food and beverage offerings, as well as bike facilities and copious parking.

This groundbreaking event marks the ceremonial beginning of construction on the office tower portion of the Bulfinch Crossing project, which is slated to be completed by the end of 2022.

[tdawg]

One Congress is one striking tower. Congrats Boston.

[JMKeynes]

[Zapatan]

That is gorgeous!