A New York developer that paid $80 million for a slice of Gillette's land in South Boston in 2021 says it will soon file detailed plans for a new building there that will have both lab and retail space, or as it calls it, "a vibrant, inclusive mixed use project that integrates into and complements the Fort Point neighborhood."
In a "letter of intent" filed with the BPDA, Tishman Speyer says it is looking to put a 455,000-square-foot building on its 2.4 acres of land at 232 A St..
The proposal will also include "expansive public realm and open space improvements along Fort Point Channel" on what is now a parking lot, part of which sits atop ramps leading to and from the Ted Williams Tunnel.
The Project’s public realm improvements and ground floor retail space will promote equity and inclusivity along the waterfront with the goal of attracting residents and visitors alike to the Fort Point Channel waterfront.
The company adds it's also "committed to implementing forward-thinking resiliency and sustainability measures throughout the Project," which sits near a waterway that already overspills its banks during storms and on windier King Tide days and where a consultant for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission recently recommended construction of a storm-surge barrier with gates that would rise to protect areas further inland that was once a bay.
The company says there is enough non-tunnel space under the site for a new garage to replace the 125 parking spaces now there.
The planned building is the latest life-sciences proposal for Fort Point. Drugmaker Eli Lilly plans to move into a building at what was once planned as part of GE's headquarters. A developer has proposed a seven-story research building on Channel Center Street. Another developer has BPDA approval to convert a Melcher Street office building into lab space.