Bob O’Brien from the Downtown North Association shares this proposal for a “Green Park & Charge” facility in the Bulfinch Triangle on Friend St., in the former location of the old Mobil Station. The proposal is timely, especially in consideration of electric vehicle introductions as recently described in the Boston Herald.
Dinosaur Capital Partners, a Boston-based development and investment group has a purchase and sale agreement on the now-vacant Mobil Station on Friend Street and they are planning to develop that location as Boston’s first electric vehicle charging and parking facility.
Their proposal is more fully described below and is still in the early stages of planning and permitting. This proposed use will likely require Zoning Board of Appeal approval and a short-term license from the Boston Redevelopment Authority for continued operation of a surface parking lot at this location. As with other such BRA licenses, which would likely be granted for a period of two-years, this would be considered an interim use until higher and better development options become viable; and the new prospective owner has indicated their openness to further redevelopment of this site, either alone or in conjunction with adjacent property owners, at the appropriate time. Such a further redevelopment could well include an electric vehicle charging and parking facility as an ancillary use.
Below is more information from the proponent of Green Park & Charge:
Green Park & Charge
Boston’s First Electric Vehicle Charging and Parking Facility
150 Friend Street, Boston, MA
FACT SHEET
WHAT IS GREEN PARK & CHARGE?
Green Park & Charge will be Boston’s first electric vehicle charging station and parking facility. With the coming fourth quarter 2010 introduction of electric vehicles (notably, the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf), urban electric charging stations will become a reality and necessity. With support from Mayor Menino and the City of Boston, the developer, Dinosaur Capital Partners LLC, has identified this newly evolving niche as a promising opportunity.
WHERE IS GREEN PARK & CHARGE?
Located at a prominent intersection (Friend, Merrimac, Market, New Chardon & Congress Streets) in the Bulfinch Triangle – near the Financial District, the TD Garden, Fanueil Hall, the North End, the West End, and Government Center and directly across from the Edward Brooke Courthouse – this 4000 square foot site commands a larger presence in the City’s psyche than its small footprint might suggest. Over 35,000 vehicles and pedestrians pass by the site daily—more than 9,000,000 people per year—according to the Boston Transportation Department, making this one of Boston’s busiest corners.
WHAT WILL GREEN PARK & CHARGE LOOK LIKE?
Designed to accommodate 24 vehicles, this sustainable development reuses an urban brownfield – the site of a former gas station—as a state-of-the-art electric vehicle charging station and parking facility. Initially, six electric vehicle chargers will accommodate the charging needs of early electric vehicle adopters. Eventually, all 24 spaces will have electric vehicle chargers when demand necessitates. Designed with cost-effective sustainability in mind, the project includes a visually compelling 200 square foot kiosk that heralds the site’s unique use. The kiosk will house a bank ATM, the station manager’s office and enclosed bicycle storage. Solar-powered LED site lighting will provide night illumination. The site’s small scale suggests a vest pocket park landscaped for electric vehicles. Car sharing (like Zip Car) and the City’s coming bike sharing program can be accommodated as well, supporting the City’s Complete Streets multi-modal transportation initiative. Green Park & Charge will replace the petroleum-based 20th century filling station with an environmentally-conscious 21st century electric charging station.
HOW WILL GREEN PARK & CHARGE WORK?
Arriving motorists are met by a valet and directed to one of 24 parking spaces like a conventional parking lot. Pricing policies are designed to encourage green driving alternatives so drivers with electric vehicles or hybrids receive a 10% discount on competitive parking fees. Drivers of SUVs and gas guzzlers (vehicles with EPA mileage rating less than 15 miles per gallon) pay a 10% parking surcharge. Vehicles requiring charging park adjacent to one of six chargers and are plugged in during their stay. Typical full charging times are 4 to 8 hours. Charging fees are based on electricity consumed during charging – the equivalent of filling up a car that gets 25 miles to the gallon with $1.50 per gallon gasoline, so about half the cost of a gas fill-up based on today’s prices.
WHO IS THE DEVELOPER OF GREEN PARK & CHARGE?
Dinosaur Capital Partners LLC is the developer of Green Park & Charge. Dinosaur is a Boston-based real estate investment and development firm owned and managed by industry veterans Mark Dufton and Scott Oran. For more information, please visit www.dinosaurcap.com or call 617 422 6584.
