After extended delays, the Haymarket hotel proposal at Parcel 9 is now expected to break ground in the Spring of 2018. An update from land owner, MassDOT, was recently provided in response to inquiries by Victor Brogna, chair of the North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association (NEWRA) Zoning, Licensing and Construction Committee. The 6-story, 225-key hotel is located along Blackstone Street and the Rose Kennedy Greenway. It was approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Board of Directors in June of 2016 after a multi-year bid and review process.
Property owner MassDOT, granted an extension of the development agreement to April 2018. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the financial terms of the project on May, 2017. Designated developer Normandy Haymarket Investment Group, requested and was granted by MassDOT a Transfer of Interest in the project to Haymarket Hotel, LLC c/o Olshan Properties of New York.
The $90 million proposal includes a 145,000 square foot hotel (5-6 stories) and one-level retail pavilion on the Greenway Parcel 9, a vacant triangular parcel adjacent to Haymarket that came out of the Big Dig on property owned by the State’s Mass. Department of Transportation (MassDoT). No on-site parking is planned. The hotel will use valet service to area garages. The hotel will have approximately 225 rooms under a to-be-determined mid-priced flag. A community room, restaurant and public restrooms are planned to be included as well.
As part of a Planned Development Area reviewed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the market hall pavilion is expected to bring the “third leg” of the emerging “Market District” centered around the longstanding Haymarket Pushcarts and new Boston Public Market. The project’s architect is Perkins + Will.
Historic Blackstone Street will be renovated as part of the project. At Haymarket, the pushcart vendors will have 50 defined area stalls, along with awnings, dedicated water and utilities.
In response to community feedback and height concerns from the Mass. Historical Commission, the developer lowered the highest section of the building from 103 feet to 65 feet in the latest plan. The first floor market hall was also reduced in height extending out toward the North End Greenway parks along Haymarket.
