BRA Board Approval Paves way for Government Center Garage Development

Six development projects that paved the way for $732.5 million in construction have been approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Board of Directors at their first meeting of the new year.

Most notable, was approval of the first Phase of the Government Center Garage development project near Haymarket Station and spans over Congress Street.

Nearly three million square-feet of a development plan were approved (2 phases) which is expected to create new life in the area.

The project, which had to deal with numerous neighborhood organizations opposition, will undergo a wholesale transformation over the next several years will apparently create over 1,000 construction jobs for the development of a 547,940 square-feet for the residential tower and 1,012,00 square-feet for the office tower.

The total cost for the project is $209 million for the residential tower and $327 million for the office tower, a total of $534 million dollars.

Two buildings set to move forward include a 486 unit, 480-foot tall residential building designed by CBT Architects and a one-million square foot, 528 foot tall building designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.

The residential building, in accordance with Boston’s Inclusionary Development Policy will include 64 units as affordable.

The approved residential and office building, the first of six new buildings planned for the site’s development, will be constructed around and above a portion of the existing garage.

The residential tower will include approximately 1,300 square feet of ground floor retail on New Sudbury Street. A mixture of glass and metal panels in varying shades of gray will enhance the building’s massing, giving the tower a contemporary façade.

Pelli Clarke Pelli, meanwhile, designed a slender office tower with two flowing curved edges that help to soften the building’s height and create a sense of openness with the surrounding neighborhood.

The developer, HYM Investment Group, hopes to attract tenants in the creative, technology, lifestyle and healthcare sectors with a Class A building that will also contain 10,800 square feet of retail space.

Once the office tower is complete, the portion of the garage that extends over Congress Street will be demolished to introduce daylight to an area that is currently shaded year-round. Together, the new buildings will dramatically reshape the downtown skyline.

All told, the eventual six-building development will include 812 housing units, nearly 200 hotel rooms, over a million square feet of office space and 82,500 square feet of retail. Approximately 1,100 of the existing 2,300 parking spaces will be retained.

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