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Image courtesy of MassDOT
State officials are offering developers a chance to bid on a high-profile property at the entrance to downtown Boston, seeking “forward-thinking” proposals that include a substantial affordable housing component and minority participation goals.
The 1.4-acre parcel 25 site just south of Kneeland Street includes two vacant lots owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the city of Boston, and an air rights portion located above the southbound lanes of Interstate 93.
“As one of the last undeveloped parcels of its size in downtown Boston, the property stands as a blank canvas of urban development potential,” MassDOT stated in a request for proposals issued Wednesday.
MassDOT is seeking proposals for a wide range of uses including housing, a hotel, offices and life science space, according to the RFP. The successful bidder could obtain approvals for building heights up to 300 feet under a planned development area review, MassDOT said.
Developers are asked to submit proposals for a 99-year ground lease by April 15.
The property was once eyed for a combined new Josiah Quincy School and Boston Arts Academy, but the Massachusetts School Building Authority rejected that plan in 2014, citing the complications involved in construction above a highway.
Private developers have shown fewer reservations about air rights projects in recent years. Samuels & Assoc. began construction last summer of its $700 million Massachusetts Turnpike air rights development. Hines is building an office-residential tower above South Station, while Oxford Properties Group proposes to build above an Interstate 93 on-ramp as part of its life science development at 125 Lincoln St.
According to the Kneeland Street RFP, a minimum of 20 percent of the housing component is required to be income-restricted, with a mix of affordable and workforce housing. Diversity and inclusion plans in all aspects of the development program will count for one-quarter of evaluation criteria.
Developers are encouraged to include street-level retail along Kneeland Street, serving as a transition between the Chinatown and Leather District neighborhoods. The RFP also notes a proposed concept plan to reconstruct the Albany Street sidewalk into a shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists, and an extension that would eliminate the easternmost travel lane of Albany Street.
