The Boston Redevelopment Authority approved six development projects in its first board meeting of the year on Jan. 14. The projects contribute a combined investment of $732.5 million to Boston’s economy, according to a Friday press release.
Nicholas Martin, the BRA spokesperson, wrote in an email that construction plans range from residential to office buildings, and these projects are aimed to stimulate Boston’s economic development over the long term.
“It’s a positive sign that development interests continue to remain strong in Boston, and we hope the approval of six new projects in our first meeting of 2016 bodes well for the remainder of the year,” Martin wrote in the email. “These developments will have a positive impact on people who live, work and play in the City of Boston.”
Martin wrote that the most significant projects are the Government Center Garage and Emmanuel College’s New Julie Hall dormitory, due to their scale and cost of construction. The Government Center Garage project will replace the old garage over Congress Street with six residential and office towers, while New Julie Hall will be a 19-story building equipped with 691 beds, replacing the current 220-bed Julie Hall, according to the release.
The Government Center Garage redevelopment project, overseen by the HYM Investment Group, has been in planning since 2009 and will start its first phase of construction next year, said Thomas O’Brien, the managing director for the HYM Investment Group.
“By the time we got to that meeting, we had spent a lot of time with the community and [managed] the design of the project to satisfy the people’s initial concerns and expectations,” O’Brien said. “The process had produced a better project. People were pleased and the BRA voted. It was a unanimous vote.”
O’Brien said the development will set 15 percent of its 487 apartment units as affordable, in order to comply with Mayor Martin Walsh’s regulation of designating at least 13 percent of on-site units for affordable housing.
“Each time you’re able to add more units to the market, you’re helping to create a bigger market, which over time will make Boston more affordable,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien said the project will transform the garage and eliminate the “dividing line” among the surrounding neighborhoods.
“As a city, our hope is that we’ll continue to [become] one of the few cities in America that can host a strong residential character in the downtown,” O’Brien said.
Other approved projects include two housing developments in West Roxbury, a five-story addition to the Holiday Inn Express in Dorchester and an addition of 56,000 square feet of new office space to the Stillings Street Garage, the release stated.
Brian Golden, the BRA’s director, explained in a press release that after a lengthy debate during last Thursday’s board meeting, a 44-story residential building project had to be postponed amid “significant objections” by West End residents.
“We appreciate that so many community members came out on a cold evening to express their opinion about this project, which clearly has passionate voices on both sides,” Golden said in the release. “It is our hope that substantive communication occurs in the near term between the developer and residents to address ongoing concerns.”
Several residents voiced support of the approved projects, and they agreed that affordability should still be considered in projects’ construction and in the redevelopment of Boston.
Dan Flynn, 30, of Brighton, said the Government Center Garage development would be beneficial, as it provides more housing options.
“[It will provide] more housing downtown and lower prices a little bit,” he said. “Fifteen percent is better than none.”
Kimberly Russell, 28, of Fenway, said Emmanuel College’s New Julie Hall dormitory would benefit the student community as long as the dorm rates remain affordable.
“It sounds great,” she said. “I’ve lived in my dorm in my school for a couple of years, and I really liked the community that it fostered. College is pretty expensive as it is these days, so I would just be concerned that it’s not going to lower any cost for [the students].”
Nicole Fell, 21, of Fenway, said the West Roxbury projects would be beneficial in the face of Boston’s increasing population.
“It’s good,” she said. “We have a lot of housing, but we have even more people. But it needs to be affordable. Rent everywhere throughout the city is crazy expensive, especially for what people make.”
