A proposal for a 65-condo building was approved for South Boston this month by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA). The project at 87-93 Broadway would include a landscaped green roof and ground floor retail within its 98,000 square feet of space.A commitment of $50,000 from the developer, Broadway & A St. LLC, will go toward community benefits, while an additional $25,000 commitment will help fund a new Hubway Station near the site.The mix of planned condos calls for 55 2-bedroom units and ten 1-bedroom units. Penthouse units will have private roof decks. The building will also feature a communal roof deck, plus 65 bike storage spaces, 88 below-grade garage spaces, wi-fi, and LEED Silver certifiability.Located at the intersection of A Street and West Broadway, it will be steps to Broadway Station, the Seaport, South End, and with easy access to all of downtown Boston.Here's the Project Notification Form that was submitted to the BPDA in July.Doyou have questions about buying or selling Boston real estate?Please call me at
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Featured Boston Real Estate:
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Earlier today, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced plans for a new green space along Boston's waterfront in strategic partnership with the Trustees of the Reservations. The space, according to a Boston Globe article, would link Fort Point, Chinatown, and South Boston, as well as some islands, marshes and footbridges.The Trustees of the Reservations have 126 years of land management under their belts.Walsh spoke about the plan at today's Boston Chamber of Commerce meeting, saying:
Boston's Winthrop Square Tower development plan has been in the news a lot the past year. The tower's plan calls for condoson the top 36 floors, with offices, retail, and public space on the lower ones. There's been a lot of debate over its proposed height of 775 feet.It now looks like the developer will reduce the height to avoid sending Logan International Airport flights onto different paths, according to a Boston Herald article. Millennium Partners received notice from the Federal Aviation Administration of a presumed hazard with the 775 foot tall plan.Millennium Partner principal Joe Larkin responded accomodatingly:
Developers in Boston are being pushed to improve their plans for public spaces, according to a Boston Globe article. The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) is looking more closely at designs being submitted by developers:
WS Development, the developer for an upcoming Boston Seaport office building, claims uniqueness as their point of differentiation. They say that "great places are one-offs, unique in their design, merchandizing, and operations."According to a Bisnow article, WS Development really stepped up to the plate after acomplaint at aState of the Seaport event about uninspiring architecture in the Seaport. WS Development followed up by presenting what is certainly a unique, one-off design for their 18-story project.With a diagonal slice of tree terraces cutting through the building, they certainly brought something new and interesting to the table.The plan is for construction to begin in 2018 and finish in 2020.Read Bisnow's 
The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) defines urban design as "the art and science of shaping a city's public realm, collectively comprised of public spaces, the activities that occur within them, and the buildings that frame them."An Urban Design Departmentplays a key role within the BPDA. That department's staff is charged with making sure Boston's historic character remains intact in conjunction with contemporary development.The group uses design principles and visual aids to inform development planning studies about the appropriateness of various heights, densities, and characteristics.The design review process looks at projects large and small, and also takes into consideration how the public in particular, pedestrians can interact with related open spaces, streets, and anything else at ground level.The BPDA also has a full time model builder who keeps the wooden city model (shown here) up to date. It doesn't show all of the city, but much of the downtown area, including Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the North End, and Charlestown.Learn more about the BPDA and what its Urban Design Department does, and how, 
In itseffort to strategize bettercommunicationand collaboration with Boston neighborhoods,the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) worked with a Bostondesign firm called Continuumthat focuses on institutions with complex problems.There's an interesting article about this ongoing transition inFast Company, highlighting Mayor Marty Walsh's role in initiating a strategic overhaul of what was until recently known as the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). Changing the BRA's identity and branding was a first step in moving forward to a better exchange with City of Boston residents.Jon Campbell, the senior vice president of experience and service design at Continuum, describes realizing the need to understand and work witheachneighborhood's character:
Ink Underground is the name of the new park planned for under Boston's Southeast Expressway. Itsdeveloper, National Development, is the same firmwho brought the residential/mixed-use Ink Block to the South End. This seemingly unlikely place for a park sitsbeneath Ink Block and Fort Point Channel.The eight acres are being leased to National Development for the next 35 years, according to the Boston Globe. With a visionto make it aplace forconcerts, fitness classes, bike paths, street art and more, National Developmentsees such activities as vital to its attractiveness:
An approximately one-acre park may get added to the Landmark Center's expansion project, according to Curbed Boston. The mixed-use project at Park Drive just off Brookline Avenue includes housing, retail, office space, and a parking garage. The addition of a park would mean loss ofthe current parking lot currently in front of the center.The developers, Samuels & Associates, are responsible for such local projects as the 
