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The 1960s-era parkade which stretches over Congress Street in Boston won't be there much longer, as plans for the first phase of a major redo have been approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The multi-phased proposal will replace the existing Government Center Garage, a monolithic entity harkening back to the days of Brutalism, with a complex of residences, hotel rooms, office space, and retail.
The redevelopment will open up a large portion of Congress Street to the sky, freeing it from the shadows of the garage above. Six buildings are planned altogether, but the first two received the thumbs up last Thursday. A CBT Architects-designed 45-storey tower will contain 486 luxury apartment units. At 146 metres or 480 feet, it will become the tallest rental building in the city. It will be joined by a 43-storey office tower by world-renowned architect Pelli Clarke Pelli, stretching to 161 metres or 528 feet. HYM Investment Group and National Real Estate Advisors will be seeking LEED Gold certification for both buildings.
A one-acre green roof and bike parking will be offered. The eastern portion of the site will welcome a new public plaza with three smaller buildings on its perimeter. Those structures will house a boutique office, hotel and condominium combination, as well as multilevel retail. In total, the complex will host 812 residential units, 196 hotel rooms, over one million square feet of office space, and 85,000 square feet of retail.
About 1,100 of the existing 2,300 parking spaces in the garage will be reconfigured and incorporated into the new development, while the remaining 1,200 are set to be demolished. The west parcel will begin construction first, scheduled for a spring 2016 start date.
We'll keep bringing you updates on this massive revitalization of downtown property, but to hold you over until then, you can visit the Database file linked below for more images and information. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
