Redevelopment of the Suffolk Downs racetrack would include 11 million square feet on the 109-acre East Boston section of the property, and another 5.5 million square feet on the 52-acre Revere side, according to the latest plans by Boston-based HYM Investment Group.
A traffic study submitted with the project notification form predicts that transit will serve the bulk of the trips generated by the development. It estimates nearly 55,000 transit rides on a typical weekday, compared with nearly 34,000 vehicles trips.
The analysis is based upon a “program B” option including 10,000 housing units in buildings up to 220 feet tall, 5.25 million square feet of office space and 850,000 square feet of retail and hotel uses. The majority of the trips would be generated by the development’s residential component.
A second option, “program A,” is described as the “pro-commercial” alternative with 7,500 housing units, 8 million square feet of office space and 1 million square feet of retail space and hotels. The 8-million-square-foot office component is designed to meet Amazon’s desired office capacity for its second headquarters, according to HYM’s submission to the Boston Planning and Development Agency.
“These two programs are intended to be illustrative of end points on a spectrum, and the actual mix of uses when the Master Plan Project is completed will likely fall somewhere between the two,” the document states.
HYM also is seeking a fast-track review for a 520,000-square-foot office building that could be completed in 2019 in order to meet Amazon’s requirements for the first phase of its second headquarters. Boston and Revere singled out Suffolk Downs as their top pick to lure the 8-million-square-foot headquarters, after the online retailer invited cities to submit parcels larger than 100 acres as part of their proposals in October.
The bulk of the increase in traffic would take place on Route 1A South, which currently handles approximately 61,000 vehicles daily, and would receive another 20,000 trips generated by the redevelopment.
Traffic improvements would include a signalized intersection at Tomasello Drive, the private road entering the site, enabling left turns onto Route 1A South, widening of Tomassello Drive and Route 1A and a new signalized intersection at Furlong Drive. Comprehensive traffic and transit management plans would be included in future submissions to state and city regulators.
The buildout would take 15 to 20 years, depending upon market conditions. The earliest development is planned near the Beachmont and Suffolk Downs stations on the MBTA Blue Line.
