The proposal for a hotel and residential tower to rise above Boston’s Christian Science Plaza has grown to nearly 700 feet from just over 500 feet in the original proposal.

The developer designated to recreate the plaza at the Christian Science Center, Carpenter & Co., wants to amend the original approval for the project to allow for a condo and hotel building to stand at 691 feet, rather than the 512 feet approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). The nearby Prudential Tower is about 750 feet.

Additionally, an apartment building that was first proposed to be 251 feet tall would now rise to 285 feet if the BRA approves the amendments to the property’s master plan. Both towers will include retail space. The amendments were included in a recent filing by Carpenter & Co. to begin the public review process for the project.

With the new proposal, the number of condos included would jump to 150 or 160 from about 130 previously, and the number of apartments in the mid-rise building would increase slightly, said Richard Friedman, president of Carpenter & Co. The shuffling of square footage was suggested by community members and BRA planners that wanted to reduce the size of a third building proposed along Huntington Avenue, Friedman told Banker & Tradesman. 

Friedman’s firm has selected architect Henry Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects, who designed Boston’s landmark John Hancock Tower, to create the new project along with Cambridge Seven Assoc.

"Height in the hands of a bad architect it terrible, but height in the hands of a genius is great," Friedman said. "Harry is probably as fine an architect as there is in the world."

Carpenter & Co. is hoping for construction to begin early next year, and the project should take between 1.5 to two years to complete. According to the project filing, 250 to 300 permanent jobs will be created as a result, as well as $10 million in annual real estate taxes and $6 million in annual hotel occupancy and meals taxes.