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Long-stalled plans for a skinny hotel tower in Boston’s West End have new momentum with the acquisition of the property by a developer who is redesigning the building as the city’s tallest mass timber structure.
Boston Real Estate Collaborative acquired the tiny parking lot at 88 North Washington St. in June for $2.85 million and hired Monte French Design Studio to redesign the project. The changes shrink the building from 14 to 12 stories, while reducing the guest room count from 68 to 31.
“We saw an opportunity to convert the construction type and create room types that our company thinks are going to be more in demand going forward: healthier, and more open, larger spaces,” said Brent Berc, managing partner of Boston Real Estate Collaborative.
Wilmington-based LIMAC LLC, an affiliate of McKay Construction, received approval for the hotel in 2018. An abutter filed a lawsuit challenging the zoning board of appeals’ approval in Suffolk Superior Court before settling in 2019. The property – which spans just 2,190 square feet – hit the market this past spring.
Commercial developers are expanding their use of cross-laminated timber in Massachusetts following building code updates approving its use in midrise structures. Boston Real Estate Collaborative has a mass timber building in development at 11 East Lenox St. in Roxbury, where it received approval for 34 apartments in a seven-story, 43,564-square-foot building.
And in June, the Boston Planning & Development Agency approved an 8-story, 123,400-square-foot office and R&D building including a cross-laminated timber structural system on a portion of the Amrheins restaurant property in South Boston.
The 30,533-square-foot North Washington Street building redesign will have additional benefits for West End neighbors as well, according to developers. The lighter foundation will make the excavation period shorter and less disruptive, and use of prefabricated building components allow mass timber buildings to be completed 25 percent faster than a conventional structure, developers said in a notification letter to the BPDA.
“We believe that this project will help set a precedent that will put Boston on the map permanently as a city that is not only embracing, but leading in sustainable development,” developers stated.
The redesign reflects pandemic-induced changes in the hospitality industry, with business travel expected to lag the leisure market and travelers seeking larger rooms equipped with kitchenettes and home office set-ups.
