| Owners of James Hook & Co. would preserve their working seafood pound on the Boston waterfront while adding a 285-foot-tall residential tower under designs unveiled Wednesday.
William Zielinski, a principal at developer SKW Partners Inc., said the Hook family considered other uses, including offices and hotels before settling on a residential tower – either apartments or condos – for the half-acre site at the corner of Northern and Atlantic avenues.
"They will remain and look forward to seeing their business reunited and expanded," Zielinski said.
The original building where the fourth-generation seafood wholesaler operated was destroyed by fire in 2008. Since then, the business has been operating out of temporary buildings that would be removed to make way for the new development.
The seafood market, wholesale business and sit-down restaurant with outdoor seating on the harbor side would occupy 9,000 square feet on the ground floor of the new building.
"We’ve got plenty of permeability and light and air around the building," architect David Manfredi said.
The presentation took place during a meeting of the Downtown Waterfront Municipal Harbor Planning Advisory Committee, which is advising the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) on development along the central waterfront.
Residential uses made more sense given the constraints of the parcel, Manfredi said. Land-use regulations require waterfront developments to preserve views and minimize shadow impacts.
"We have roads on three sides and water on the fourth side. It’s small. It’s important for the visual corridors between the waterfront and the Financial District," he said. "That concern has significantly shaped our proposal for the building."
One early concern raised by committee members was how the redevelopment would affect traffic and pedestrian patterns with the city’s plan to eventually reopen the Northern Avenue bridge to motor vehicles.
At 285 feet – the same height as the InterContinental Boston hotel – the residential tower would require waivers from the BRA. Massachusetts Chapter 91 waterfront regulations limit the height of buildings on the site to 55 feet because of its proximity to the harbor. Chapter 91 preserves public access and water-dependent uses of waterfront parcels.
But the BRA is in the midst of a process that would let it approve taller waterfront developments. A municipal harbor plan contains a wish list of improvements to the central waterfront area that developers could sponsor as tradeoffs for larger projects.
The harbor plan applies primarily to three major development parcels: the Hook property, the Boston Marriott Long Wharf and the Harbor Garage on India Street.
Boston-based Chiofaro Co. has proposed a pair of 615- and 538-foot-tall towers containing 1.3 million square feet of offices, residences and a hotel to replace the eight-story Harbor Garage. The Marriott wants to add 20,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space in five additions on its ground floor.
