Two years after withdrawing controversial plans for two high rises, Boston developer Donald Chiofaro returned with a bold new design for 1.3 million square feet of mixed-use development and a public square on Boston’s central waterfront.
Taking the place of the seven-story parking garage would be two towers containing 700,000 square feet of office space, 120 residential units, a 250- to 300-room hotel and three levels of retail. But it was “Harbor Square,” a 27,000-square-foot public plaza between the two structures, that Chiofaro and his architects spent much of their presentations touting as a signature new landmark.
“Imagine the vitality where there is precious little. Imagine world-class architecture on the harbor instead of a concrete monument to the car,” Chiofaro said at a community meeting Wednesday.
A transparent, retractable roof canopy would shield the plaza in the winter, with the space available year-round for concerts, ice skating and parties. The plaza, varying in width from 70 to 167 feet, would form a new connection between the Greenway and the harbor.
With a maximum height of 600 feet, the buildings would require waivers for exceeding the 145-foot height limit for the waterfront site. The Boston Redevelopment Authority is preparing a municipal harbor plan that would require developers who receive waivers to provide public access or pay for nearby projects that would maximize public enjoyment of the central waterfront.
The 1,400 garage spaces would be replaced below ground. The complex is being designed by ADD Inc. and Kohn Pederson Fox Associates.
Chiofaro proposed a 59- and 40-story tower on the site in 2009, but withdrew the plan in 2012 amid opposition from former Mayor Thomas Menino and neighborhood residents.
The current plan is estimated at $1 billion and would take three years to build.
Chiofaro’s presentation took place at a meeting of the Municipal Harbor Planning Advisory Committee, which has asked owners of properties in the central waterfront district to talk about redevelopment plans.
A BRA report released this spring recommended that any redevelopment of the harbor garage property should contain open space along Milk Street and the waterfront, along with pedestrian access.
The Marriott Long Wharf in May presented designs for a 20,000-square-foot ground-floor expansion for additional restaurants and retail space.
Email: sadams@thewarrengroup.com
