A rendering of the city-approved design for the Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston Seaport hotel at 660 Summer St. Image courtesy of Perkins + Will
In proposing a 411-room hotel in South Boston, developers said the design would reflect “diverse architecture styles” and predicted the 15-story structure at 660 Summer St. would have a transformative effect on the gateway to the marine industrial park.
In filings with the Boston Planning & Development Agency, Harbinger Development showed double-story windows and low-reflectivity glass covering the majority of the facade.
As construction of the Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton wrapped up in 2021, members of the popular ArchBoston.com architectural forum compared renderings submitted to city officials in 2017 with the predominantly blue-and-gray facade.
“It baffles me as to why the BPDA would allow the developer to cheapen the design so dramatically,” one member commented.
“This thing makes me angry every time I have to pass by it,” another remarked.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu this month announced that the look and design of development will be an elevated priority for her administration. Wu is planning to hire a first-ever deputy chief of urban design, whose duties will include transforming the BPDA’s processes and structure, and creating predictability for both the community and developers.
“It will be a very detail-oriented position,” Wu said last week.
Wu’s options for this promised transformation include changes recommended in an independent audit commissioned by former Mayor Marty Walsh in 2014. The report suggested that the agency monitor projects for significant changes and require developers to return for additional approvals.
Inadequate oversight of projects that get redesigned to cut costs is a “huge problem” in Boston, according to Alison Frazee, executive director of the Boston Preservation Alliance.
“We’ve seen a number of projects substantially change after the community has committed countless hours at public meetings and discussions,” Frazee said in an email. “The project might get support based on certain understandings that get completely undermined later on. It frustrates the community and people lose faith in the process which causes a ripple effect for future projects. People tend not to trust developers from the beginning.”
Lengthy Review, Limited Follow-Up
The Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston Seaport hotel at 660 Summer St., as constructed. An independent audit recommended that Boston developers be required to receive permission for significant changes to project designs made after approval. Photo by Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman staff
Wu’s eventual pick for the new top design job will have to grapple with a thicket of development requirements as they try to decide what new form design oversight will take.
Developers and their consultants already have to navigate a complex path of reviews with city agencies before construction crews can raise the first beam. The BPDA’s design review fact sheet for developers includes a flow chart with 14 potential steps following submission of a building permit application, including potential reviews by the BPDA, Zoning Board of Appeals and neighborhood design review districts.
Another key waypoint for projects over 100,000 square feet, or those deemed otherwise significant, is the Boston Civic Design Commission. Comprised of well-known local architects, the 13-member panel weighs in on everything from the shape of building envelopes and choice of facade materials to the preservation of mature trees. Members spent 376 hours at meetings in 2020 alone reviewing designs of commercial and multifamily projects, according to an annual report.
BPDA staff have had full calendars keeping track of development projects during the city’s historic recent building boom. The agency approved more than 90 million square feet of commercial and residential projects worth an estimated $43 billion during the tenure of outgoing Director Brian Golden between 2014 and 2022.
Civic design commissioners reviewed the marine park hotel at meetings in September and November of 2016, when it was approved. According to minutes, members suggested relocation of the loading dock and additional landscaping.
Inadequate oversight of development projects that are redesigned to cut costs is a “huge problem” in Boston, according to Alison Frazee, executive director of the Boston Preservation Alliance.
Harbinger Development, along with partner Intercontinental Real Estate Corp., broke ground on the estimated $176 million Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston Seaport in May 2018. Developers did not respond to requests for comment on the changes to the building’s appearance.
Civic Design Commission Chair Andrea Leers referred comment to the commission’s staff, which replied jointly with the BPDA by describing current procedures.
According to BPDA spokeswoman Bonnie McGilpin, the agency requires developers to submit final construction drawings to BPDA staff to ensure that projects reflect what was approved. Staff also review an on-site mockup showing building materials, finishes, colors and details.
But projects are only required to submit a notice of project change – requiring additional community meetings and board hearings – if there are changes to height and massing.
An independent audit of the BPDA in 2014 cited the need for new controls to ensure projects are completed as approved.
Auditors KMPG asked the agency to establish a system to ensure that significant changes to projects be brought back to the board for review and possible re-approval.
“Although the use of judgment in the design review process is important to ensure that projects move forward in an efficient fashion, it is also important that the Board be kept informed of significant changes that may be inconsistent with the nature and substance of the originally approved project or significant changes in initial timeline,” the report stated.
Delay Rubs Alliance the Wrong Way
Steve Adams
Recent start of construction on a long-delayed Back Bay project prompted the Boston Preservation Alliance to alert members to another perceived weak link in the city’s development review: projects that break ground years after their review and approval.
The Druker Co. is beginning site work for a 221,000-square-foot office-retail building at 350 Boylston St. Originally approved in 2008, the development would replace a 1904 Beaux Arts-style building that formerly was occupied by Shreve, Crump & Low’s flagship store.
The project was reapproved in 2019 after The Druker Co. submitted minor updates including potential retail and restaurant space on the second floor.
The alliance argues that project approvals should expire, requiring a brand-new review to reflect changes in the neighborhood and the city’s updated goals in areas such as environmental sustainability.
“We’re seeing this now as the Shreve’s building across from the Public Garden is being demolished for a project that was approved and then postponed for over a decade. People feel blindsided,” Frazee said.
