The North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association (NEWRA) is joining the effort to block the Winthrop Square tower proposal that would cast a significant shadow onto the Boston Public Garden and Boston Common. The Walsh administration is looking to tweak a statute that blocks developments that cast shadows in these two public parks. The proposal by Millennium Partners consists of a tower that is over 750 feet tall for office work space, residential units, retail, dining, along with parking below grade.
Several neighborhood organizations have banded together to fight this tower proposal, directly opposing Mayor Walsh who is looking for the legislature to make a one time exception. View video coverage below of Vicki Smith, the Chairman of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) who was on hand at the NEWRA meeting to gain support for their concern over this tower that would set a bad precedent for future developments. NEWRA will be opposing the tower and the quest for an exemption to the “shadow law.”
View the full video coverage above.
[hr]
While you’re here …we have a small favor to ask. More people than ever are reading NorthEndWaterfront.com but we need your help making ends meet. Advertising doesn’t bring in enough to pay for reporting or editorial work. Keeping this website going takes a lot of time, money and hard work. But we do it because we believe community news is important – and we think you do too. If everyone who reads this site, who likes it, puts in a bit to pay for it, then our future would be much more secure.
[button link=”http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=D6KU5VULKQEBL” style=”tick” color=”teal” size =”small”]Make a 1-Time Contribution[/button][button link=”https://www.patreon.com/northendwaterfront” style=”tick” color=”teal” size=”small”]Become a NorthEndWaterfront.com Patron[/button]
We are also looking for writers interested in taking on assignments to cover community issues or helping with light editing and curation. Writing and WordPress experience are helpful. If you are interested, please contact us.
[hr]
I think I missed it. Where in the video was it mentioned that the members of NEWRA and NABB were going to pay the city the $153M out of their own pockets?
I’m sure the parochial crowd is going to lynch me for this, but good for you Mayor Walsh and the city for developing a compromise to this myopic shadow law that was put into place. If ACA can be repealed so quickly, so can this.
Height is already compromised to the distance of Logan. That’s the restriction that is most important, not a shadow-law.
What about all the jobs this will produce? Think about all the annual tax revenue this will generate for the city. Who cares about a shadow on the Common at 7:00am??? Build this already and stop whining!
The jobs will still be there if it’s lowered. So will the tax revenues. Your point is without merit.
No, yours is. The developers won’t build it they can’t make a profit, and they need the height.
It’s silly to think that a lower building means they can’t make a profit.
And for the record, I’m totally for this building. The garage there now is a blight and this building would add tremendously to the area. But I can also respect the fact that laws were made for a reason. There’s certainly a way for both parties to recognize a way forward.
“a CITY wants to build a TOWER? Gasp!”
Drew, go move to the suburbs.
Repeal the foolish shadow law at once. Now THAT would totally be WITH merit.
This tower is exactly the type of development Boston should be pursuing – lots of public benefit, revenue for the city, nice aesthetic, and minimal impact on the historic and parks/cityscape charm of our city.
I stand against over-development and for preservation. This tower is not over-development. It is entirely reasonable – if not modest – for an international city of Boston’s substance.
Please keep in mind that your neighborhood organizations don’t own this city, nor do the supporters of this tower. It is ALL of our city. For the record I am Boston resident/taxpayer with zero affiliation to the developer. I work with and teach young engineering students who flee Boston in droves after graduation – to them, it feels feels close-minded, parochial, low-tech, slow-moving…
Yes, we need to maintain balance and preserve our history. No, we should not close our doors to the future.
And yes development laws and zoning should be kept up-to-date and robust to prevent reckless over-development.
Millennium Partners isn’t a public benefactor, they are a for profit operation. They specialize in creating luxury condos. The higher the unit, the more money they will rake in. Those units casting the shadow will be the premium for sale units. They are a San Francisco corporation that does elsewhere what they can’t do in their own territory. Currently they are in a dispute with the City of SF over their Millennium Towers project, which looks like it is about to tip over. Of course, the neighborhood that may have once applauded the project now fears being caught under the sky scraper should it collapse. Who pays for and how do you fix a sinking sky scraper? The first part of that will be worked out in court. The second part, who really knows. Shadow is one thing, but if this one tips over will it reach the Boston Common?
Wow. Just looked up their project in San Fran (per t.mobile): http://www.cbsnews.com/news/san-franciscos-leaning-millennium-tower-seen-sinking-from-space/