Office Space + 970 Parking Spaces at Channel Center

Comment period ends in a week.  I would strongly encourage Fort Pointers to mail in a comment letter with their opinions. 

---

Project Name: One Channel Center

Project Proponent: Commonwealth Ventures

Project Description: The Proponent filed a Notice of Project Change (“NPC”) proposing the construction of a new 525,000± s.f. office building, a new parking garage containing approximately 970 spaces to serve the Channel Center Project and others, two new open space areas (Iron Street Park and the New Park), and related streetscape and landscape improvements, all located in South Boston.

Meeting Date/ Place: 6:30-8:00 PM,  Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 10 Channel Center Street, South Boston, MA 02210

Close of Comment Period: Friday, June 8, 2012

MAIL TO:                           Geoff Lewis

BOSTON REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

ONE CITY HALL SQUARE, 9^TH FLOOR

BOSTON, MA 02201

FAX TO:                              617-742-7783

PHONE:                              617-918-4297

EMAIL TO:                        geoffrey.lewis.bra@cityofboston.gov

BRA Crossroads Mtg, Monday

Monday, 6/4, 6:30 PM
Children's Museum, 5th floor
(use the 308 Congress St. entrance)


The Crossroads Initiative selects a handful of streets that, with the creation of the Greenway, have the potential to form vital connections between districts—districts such as the West End and the North End, as well as South Boston and Chinatown. At the same time, the network these improved streets and the Greenway will form, will create new ways of looking at and understanding the City. Targeted improvements to these Crossroads streets will:

• Make inviting connections between the Greenway parks, neighborhoods, and cultural destinations,
• Celebrate gateways—at the water’s edge, at South Bay, North Station, South Station and Long Wharf, and
• Introduce the Greenway as a new “Common Ground”—another, year-round center for Boston’s social life that highlights the distinctive character of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway and its districts.

full details:
http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/planning/PlanningInitsIndividual.asp?action=ViewInit&InitID=139

One Channel Center Open Letter to the BRA

A group of residents from Channel Center, Fort Point Place, and 249 A st. have put together an open letter to the BRA on the One Channel Center parking garage and office building.  Our previous post on the project has details on it.

FPNA is hosting the letter here:
http://fortpointneighborhood.org/current-projects/channel-center/

I would encourage everyone to read it.  If you agree, you can sign it online or visit the front desk at 25 Channel Center st to sign it in person.

Boston.com Article on Channel Center Project

Boston.com has coverage of the meeting about the One Channel Center Tower meeting.


South Boston residents express concern over parking garage and new park at Channel Center
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/south_boston/2012/05/residents_express_concern_over.html

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent

The Channel Center project is moving into the final phase of construction on its major development along A Street in South Boston.

Developers from Commonwealth Ventures, the proponents, were before the South Boston community Monday night to discuss the “final evolution” of their project and the construction of a new office tower, parking garage, and two parks.
While many in attendance were thrilled to see the project getting underway, many were concerned about the size of the parking structure and the lack of community involvement in the design of the two new parks in the plan.

The One Channel Center phase of the project will erect an 11-story, LEED certifiable building with 521,000-square-feet of office space, some of which will house the State Street Bank offices, as well as 4,000-square-feet of ground-level commercial space to be used for a café.

The building will be divided with a lit glass plane and a pedestrian walk-way that will cut through the building to the proposed park on the corner of A Street and West First Street.

Many residents who attended Monday night’s meeting at 10 Channel Center were curious if pedestrian access through the building would be 24/7 or if the building and walk-way would be opened only during business hours. Residents said that the park won’t always be frequented between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and that crosswalks and other amenities need to be implemented to encourage pedestrian use.

“It seems to me that there needs to be some acknowledgement of pedestrians trying to get to the park,” said Larry Bisoff, a Channel Center resident.


Read full article

Meeting Tonight 6:30pm: Channel Center Tower

The details of the project are in the document below (downloaded from this page), which was published only 4 days ago.

Please do come out tonight as this is an important meeting. This is a huge building and will greatly affect what the neighborhood becomes.

State Street Project at One Channel Center
Monday, May 14th, 6:30-8:30pm
10 Channel Center St, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02210 

One Channel Center NPC

FPAC Art Walk Starts Today

FPAC's 12th Annual Fort Point Art Walk

Friday May 11, from 4-7pm

Saturday and Sunday May 12 and 13: from 12-5pm

Pick up a map and explore the studios of painters, jewelers, ceramicists, photographers, sculptors, textile artists, and more. Meet artists in their studios and discover new works and treasured favorites. Visit Fort Point's art galleries and creative design shops. Explore Boston's changing Fort Point and see the unique waterfront warehouse district that is one of New England's largest arts communities. Enjoy the opportunity to purchase works of art and fine craft directly from local artists.

Full details and a list of events

Important Meeting on Hotels in Fort Point, 5/17

Community Meeting on Hotels in Fort Point
May 17th
Condon School, D Street (map)


At a BCEC meeting, Jim Rooney proposed lifting the 1997 restrictions on hotels bounded by A Street, Cypher, E Street and Summer. The 1997 restrictions were initially put into place to protect and preserve the neighborhood. Part, if not all of the proposed hotels on this side of the haul road fall within the 100 acres plan.

Politicians have been eyeing this move as a way to expand the convention center. It would very likely result in new hotels being built and could include:

• 1,000 room hotel on Summer St. (near 319 A Rear)
• 250 room, "mid-priced" hotel next to Midway Studios / Channel Center

Liquor License for "Empire" in One Marina Park Dr

The Big Night Venues restaurant group has applied to transfer a liquor license to their soon-to-opened club/restaurant "Empire" in the ground floor of 1 Marina Park Drive.   The group also owns Red Lantern and Estate.  Their website is: http://www.bneg.com/


There's a hearing Wed, May 16th at 10 AM in Room 809a in City Hall.