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Image courtesy of Sasaki
The Boston Planning & Development Agency kicked off 2023 with 2.5 million square feet of approvals, including life science projects in the Longwood Medical Area, Allston and South Boston.
The 1.7 million-square-foot redevelopment of Simmons University’s residential campus on Brookline Avenue was approved after a lengthy debate over shadows cast by planned lab buildings upon the Emerald Necklace park system. Known as Longwood Place, the development is a partnership between the school and developer Skanska, which plans to lease the school’s residential campus for the mixed-use redevelopment.
Simmons officials say revenues from the project are needed to secure its long-term financial stability.
Built in three phases, the project will span five buildings, including 1.3 million square feet of office, lab and R&D space. Other elements would include 388 housing units spanning 340,000 square feet, 44,000 square feet of retail space and 15,000 square feet of community space.
Responding to earlier community objections to building heights, the development team agreed to pay $7 million to the Boston Parks and Recreation Department for maintenance of the Emerald Necklace and a study of shadow impacts and future development effects on the park system.
The initial phase of the former Boston Edison power plant redevelopment in South Boston will include conversion of the former turbine halls into civic space and a cycle track, and construction of two new office and lab buildings with retail space. Hilco Redevelopment Partners is leading the L Street Station project.
A four-building redevelopment of the WBZ-TV studios at 1170 Soldiers Field Road will include an 85-unit apartment complex and three lab buildings totaling 700,000 square feet on a 6.3-acre site. National Development is the developer.
A previously-approved 100,000-square-foot development at 7 Channel Center in South Boston was approved as lab space, replacing the previous office use.
In a pair of housing developments, the former St. Augustine Church at 207 E St. in South Boston will be converted into 35 income-restricted units for seniors by South Boston Neighborhood Development Corp. And a 24-unit condominium project was approved at 26 Coffey St. in Dorchester.
The board also designated a development team of HYM Investment Group and anti-violence group My City at Peace for the 7.7-acre parcel P3 site in Roxbury. The team won the endorsement of an advisory group in November for the long-vacant site on Tremont Street. It plans to seek approvals for 700,000 square feet of life science research and training space, 144 income-restricted condominiums and 164 affordable apartments, and retail space.
