As the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority limps toward obsolescence, one of its final development decisions – designating a developer for a prime parcel along Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway – has become entangled in a political tug-of-war.
A late push by a cash-poor suitor appears to have forestalled an August designation vote by the Pike’s board. Now, as the Pike wrestles with the political and economic consequences of two competing proposals, the clock is running out on the agency’s very existence.
The forces pulling at the Pike’s Greenway Parcel 9 dwarf the land being contested. The triangular parcel measures less than 30,000 square feet, and is zoned to allow construction of just 55 feet in height. It lies in Haymarket, between the Greenway and Quincy Market. City of Boston officials envision the parcel as the lynchpin in a new, year-round market district.
In this development environment, when projects of all scopes and sizes have been grounded, Parcel 9 represents a rare chance to actually take a downtown project vertical.
All Its Ducks In A Row
A number of sources close to the project said the Pike had indicated that it would make a development award in August. That development designation was expected to go to local developers Eastat Realty Capital, which had pitched plans for a first-floor market topped by parking and 78 units of apartments. Eastat has won over many North End neighbors by proposing a $45 million project that fits within the parcel’s current zoning envelope, and that brings housing to a parcel that’s a housing priority site. Moreover, Eastat has secured financing from the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust.
August’s board meeting came and went with no announcement, though. That’s because the Pike continues to pore over a proposal from the Boston Museum: a five-story, $120 million history museum and market. In considering the Boston Museum, the Pike is weighing a sure financial payout against a sizable political push.
The museum is combating a history of spectacular financial failures on the Greenway. The Boston Redevelopment Authority recently questioned the museum’s ability to raise money, as well as its “long-term sustainability.” The Pike has watched lofty Greenway plans by three other nonprofits fail to advance because of fund-raising concerns. Under previous leadership, the Boston Museum had tried, and failed, to build atop a Big Dig ramp. That history has made city and state officials extremely wary about granting development designation to this latest incarnation of the Boston Museum. When apprised of the museum’s plans for Parcel 9, the Pike’s executive director, Alan LeBovidge, quipped, “Show me the money.”
Political Backing
LeBovidge is now long gone. And the Boston Museum is still alive. Despite having less than $10 million of the $120 million it needs in the bank, a recent show of strength by the museum has the Pike rethinking its candidacy. The museum’s backers say they’re ready to launch a massive fund-raising effort once they receive development designation from the Pike – and to get them there, they’ve flooded the Pike and the governor’s office with calls and e-mails. One city development insider joked that the Pike has likely received calls from most of former Gov. Michael Dukakis’s cabinet; in fact, they’ve also heard from the former governor himself.
The museum’s CEO, Frank Keefe, is a veteran developer who served in the Dukakis administration. Its board includes John Fish of Suffolk Construction, former Senate President William Bulger, former Northeastern University President Richard Freeland, and Jim Rooney, the head of the state’s convention center authority and former chief of staff for Boston Mayor Tom Menino. “We’re chomping at the bit,” Keefe said. “We’ve got nothing without designation. This is the best museum site in America.”
The museum proposal has the Pike torn between pleasing a large chunk of the state’s political and business establishment, and shining unwanted attention on its long string of Greenway shortcomings. “I fear it’ll go the same way as the Horticultural Society,” said Nancy Caruso, chair of the North End Central Artery Advisory Committee. “They had it for 14 years. They found out it’s hard to raise money.” Other sources say that state officials remain skeptical about the museum’s ability to raise capital.
The Pike has shown sensitivity to such symbolism before. One of the biggest sticking points in designating a developer on a neighboring Greenway parcel, Parcel 7, is believed to be the identity of the leading bidder: WinnCompanies, the erstwhile developer of the stalled $800 million Columbus Center air rights project. The symbolism weighs especially heavily on the state’s transportation secretary, James Aloisi. Aloisi guards his image closely, and he was recently battered after deposing the former general manager of the MBTA, Dan Grabauskas. Aloisi is also staring down a mammoth transportation finance crisis – one that should make it difficult for him to be seen giving away a choice downtown development parcel.
The Turnpike will be dissolved on Noveber 1. It does not know when its next board meeting will be held.
