Bromfield Street in downtown Boston. Buildings in Downtown Crossing contain some of the highest concentrations of expiring state leases, potentially adding to the city’s office market woes. iStock photo
Supporters and opponents of Boston’s proposed downtown rezoning will get additional time to weigh on a plan to hike maximum building heights to 500 feet.
The Boston Planning Department this week extended until March 7 a public comment on the controversial changes to the PLAN: Downtown, which is seeking to revitalize the downtown in the post-pandemic environment. The strategy seeks to encourage multifamily housing, particularly in the Ladder Blocks district between Boston Common and Washington Street.
A group of downtown residents and preservationists clashed with Boston officials after the latest changes were presented at a meeting in January. Residents said they were blind-sided after Boston Chief of Planning Kairos Shen announced that the rezoning plan would be presented to the Boston Planning & Development Agency board of directors for approval in February. Members of an advisory group that has been reviewing the plan since 2018 said they should be given an opportunity to discuss the changes before a board vote.
City Councilor Ed Flynn submitted a letter backing their argument, adding that residents “felt disappointed and a lack of respect” for their involvement in the process.
On Tuesday, the agency announced the public comment period has been extended through March 7.
Groups including the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association, Revolutionary Spaces and the Boston Preservation Alliance all have objected to expansion of high-rise zoning in the Downtown Crossing area during the plan’s review in recent years. Opponents say the construction of new housing towers would detract from the neighborhood’s character and encourage the redevelopment of historic buildings without emphasizing adaptive reuse.
Members of the Abundant Housing MA group, which supports higher-density housing development, created an online tool on Reddit encouraging public comments in favor of the changes.
At the meeting Shen said the neighborhood, located near multiple MBTA stops, is a natural location for high-density housing developments that could fill the void from rising commercial vacancies.
The proposed new “Sky-R” district raises maximum building heights from 125 to 500 feet along the west side of Washington Street and a section along the southern end of Boston Common.
Image courtesy of Boston Planning Department
