A portion of Chinatown taken to make way for a highway ramp will be restored as a mixed-use development within steps of South Station.
The Asian Community Development Corp. and New Boston Development Partners have proposed a 456,200-square-foot, mixed-income, mixed-use development on a vacant parcel in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood bordered by Hudson, Kneeland and Albany streets. If approved by the city, the project would contain 325 residential units, 5,500 square feet of commercial/retail space, 6,000 square feet of community uses and up to 199 underground parking spaces.
The proposed design includes buildings that range from 4-story townhouses near Tai Tung Village to 20 stories at Kneeland Street. The development also will feature 10,000 square feet of open space and streetscape improvements.
Known as Parcel 24, the smart-growth project will provide much-needed housing while restoring a portion of the neighborhood that existed on Chinatown’s Hudson Street more than 40 years ago, according to the proposal filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority last week.
In the 1950s and 1960s, homes and businesses on the street’s east side were taken by eminent domain to construct a ramp to the Southeast Expressway and the Massachusetts Turnpike. An estimated 300 housing units were razed to allow completion of the Central Artery project.
Construction of the O’Neill Tunnel and the completion of the connections to the Massachusetts Turnpike eastbound allowed the parcel to be available for redevelopment.
Previously, the site was home to an immigrant community that included more than 300 residents of primarily Chinese, Lebanese and Syrian backgrounds, as well as coffee shops, Laundromats and a supermarket.
In 2002, neighbors called for the return of Parcel 24 to the community and lobbied officials for the restoration of the Hudson Street neighborhood. A coalition of Chinatown residents, former Hudson Street residents, community groups and business leaders crafted a vision for a vibrant and dense development that leverages its location to create a socio-economically diverse community.
In keeping with the community’s vision, the project includes homes for mixed-income families and singles, commercial and community space, garage parking and pedestrian connections to South Station, South Bay, the Leather District, the Financial District and the Fort Point Channel area.
Amy Leung, community organizer at the Chinese Progressive Association, a neighborhood group that represents Chinatown, said while residents are excited about the prospect of restoring a lost section of the neighborhood, some are worried about the proposed buildings’ height.
“I think the project is a good thing because it replaces housing that was lost when they took land to build [Interstate 93],” she said. “The Asian Community Development Corp. has worked with the community in trying to put forward a vision that everyone wants. But the challenge will be around height for that area. Residents have already expressed concerns about how high the buildings will be. No one wants 30-story towers in Chinatown.”
Lisa Davis, project executive for the New Boston Development Partners, and Janelle Chen, project manager from the Asian Community Development Corp., did not return calls seeking comment by press time.
A public hearing is expected to be scheduled within the next month.
