Boston officials’ blueprint for Downtown Crossing revitalization would encourage developers to retain historic facades while redeveloping sites with residential towers. Photo by Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff
Owners of potential prime development sites in Downtown Crossing warn that Boston’s downtown rezoning won’t live up to its billing in catalyzing major projects.
The controversial PLAN: Downtown rezoning would allow buildings that contain at least 60 percent residential space to be built up to 500-foot heights in areas of Downtown Crossing and Park Plaza. Final approval has been delayed, and additional changes are under review.
Preservationists and a growing coalition of neighborhood resident associations are asking for more study before city approval of the changes designed to encourage additional skyscraper development.
But two developers say the plan doesn’t provide enough flexibility, and are proposing changes they say are necessary to catalyze major projects.
Calls for a ‘Flexible Development Vehicle’
Developer Ronald Druker says adding a “flexible development vehicle” would enable redevelopment on a block of buildings across from the Millennium Boston tower. And Park Equity, owner of the Pi Alley Garage at 275 Washington St., indicates the new zoning rules could render a redevelopment of the garage unfeasible.
The Druker Co. of Boston owns several parcels off Washington and Bromfield streets, including the Orpheum Theater and the Corner Mall office-retail building. Like many parts of the Ladder Blocks between Boston Common and Washington Street, the block includes a jigsaw puzzle of small parcels under various owners.
In some other parts of the city, sites larger than an acre are eligible for approval under a planned development area. The overlay zoning district is designed for large or complex projects, such as the proposed 5.7 million-square-foot redevelopment of the Gillette Co. campus in South Boston. Projects qualify for exemptions from the existing neighborhood zoning, in exchange for providing additional public benefits.
“We think this type of flexible development planning zoning tool is tailor-made for downtown including the Ladder Blocks. In many cases, projects like these will simply not be feasible without the adaptability provided by a flexible development planning zoning too,” Druker wrote in a public comment letter to the Boston Planning Department.
Owners of the Pi Alley parking garage face similar obstacles preventing a mixed-use tower replacing the 792-space garage, according to a comment letter submitted by attorney Matthew Kiefer of Goulston & Storrs. The garage occupies a 0.75-acre parcel, which has been identified by Boston planning officials as a potential housing redevelopment site.
Image courtesy of Boston Planning Department
Without a PDA zoning overlay, maximum floor plate sizes “present specific challenges for accommodating a sufficiently ambitious redevelopment of the Pi Alley Parking Garage site to warrant demolition of the existing garage,” Kiefer wrote on behalf of the Harwood family, the garage owner and operator.
One property owner in the proposed SKY-R District attempted to build a high-rise residential structure in 2016, but the project never moved beyond the initial stages of review. Rafi Properties proposed the 302-foot-tall tower at 533 Washington St., which contains a vacant former nightclub. Rafi Properties is seeking “unique and culturally focused tenants who align with our vision for 533 Washington” and is in discussions with an undisclosed prospect, Vice President of Real Estate Development Kristin Phelan said in a statement.
Planners Back to the Drawing Board
In January, the Boston Planning Department unveiled the latest updates to its PLAN: Downtown zoning initiative, adding areas in Park Plaza and between Washington Street and Boston Common to a “SKY-R” high-rise zone. Buildings containing at least 60 percent residential space would qualify for 500-foot heights, up from 155 feet.
The intention is to encourage residential construction and restore vitality lost following the post-pandemic decline in office occupancy, Chief of Planning Kairos Shen said at the time. Downtown Crossing, with its proximity to multiple subway lines, is a natural choice for mixed-use development, Shen added.
The response was swift and vehement: members of an advisory group that’s been studying downtown rezoning since 2018 objected to the changes, arguing they had little time to study them and comment before a vote of the Boston Planning & Development Agency board then planned for March.
The formal public comment period ended March 7, but the BPDA has postponed the vote and is studying potential further changes, Planning Department spokesperson Brittany Comak said.
“We are continuing to meet with stakeholders, including residents and community and business organizations, and we are considering modifications to the zoning to address feedback. We look forward to releasing an updated zoning amendment and hosting a public meeting to review changes in the weeks ahead,” Comak said in an emailed statement.
Areas around Boston’s Park Square were added to Boston planners’ proposed high-rise downtown development district, but Back Bay’s powerful neighborhood association has questioned whether tall buildings there would cast shadows on the Public Garden. iStock photo
The Neighborhood Association of Back Bay and the Beacon Hill Civic Association requested additional opportunities for public comment.
NABB raised concerns about additional building heights and shadows on Boston Common and the Public Garden.
“Somebody spent six years on a process and reached a consensus, and now putting in something that is substantially different from that consensus is concerning for people,” said Elliott Laffer, a member of the NABB’s executive committee. “Once you blow it up, it’s hard to put it together again.”
Opponents ‘Pulling the Ladders Up Behind Them’
More than 900 pages of public comments have been submitted to the Planning Department. Residents of existing high-rise condos, including the Millennium Tower Boston and One Charles condominiums, objected to the proposed building heights and their effects on the neighborhood.
Steve Adams
The updated proposal also has received strong support from some housing activists in Greater Boston. Alerted through social media, members of advocacy groups supporting greater housing density submitted comment letters urging approval. Some downtown residents also backed the arrival of new developments.
“I’m delighted that your PLAN: Downtown vision, though conservative and not nearly ambitious enough to dent Boston’s housing and affordability crisis, at least did not totally cave to local NIMBYs, most of whom moved here very recently into newly built towers and are now pulling the ladders up behind them to prevent anyone from getting to enjoy what a livable city is,” downtown resident Eric Close wrote.
But a broad coalition of opposition has emerged since January, including historical preservation groups, Citizens Opera House owners Donald Law and Jon Mugar, and downtown residents. Opponents argue that high-rise housing development will erode the neighborhood’s sense of place and risk damaging landmarks such as the Old South Meeting House.
“I don’t think people visually understand what we’re talking about with 500-foot towers going up Washington Street, turning the historic old beautiful architecture into Hong Kong high-rises,” said Kimberly Trask, a member of the PLAN: Downtown advisory group and a downtown resident.
Editor’s note: This report has been updated to clarify ownership of the Pi Alley Garage.
