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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.

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