The developers working on transforming the 15-acre Boston Edison power-plant site today filed formal plans with the BPDA and state environmental regulators for 2.1 million square feet of development, including 1,588 residential units, a 150-room hotel, 340,000 square feet of office space and 68,000 square feet of retail, 987 parking spaces and more than an acre of public space along the Reserved Channel.
In their filing, developers Hilco Global and Redgate Capital Partners said they would mostly tear down the current behemoth structures - except for the historic early-20th-century "turbine hall" - and replace them with eight blocks of building, with three residential buildings reaching 20 or 21 stories.
The filing states the units will be split between apartments and condos.
The developers estimate the total buildout will take 10 to 15 years once the project is approved by both city and state regulators - they hope to begin work next year. They write they would start with renovation of the turbine hall and construction of residential units along East 1 Street, "to re-link the Site to the neighborhood and create an active edge."
Hilco and Redgate are counting on residents and visitors using public transit - and bicycling and their feet:
The Project Site has convenient public transit access and is located approximately 0.5 miles from the Silver Line at Design Center Place, and 1.5 miles to South Station, which provides access to the Red Line, Silver Line, commuter and passenger rails, Amtrak, and local and regional bus service. The Project Site is also located along local bus routes that provide access to South Station, which facilitates opportunities to minimize vehicle trips and encourages alternative modes of travel.
Because of the site's location on the Reserved Channel, the developers said they are taking several steps to deal with potential flooding, including having the first floors be three feet higher than an anticipated "100-year flood" in 2070, putting emergency generators on the roof - and electrical systems in general higher than the 100-year-flood level, giving units windows that can be opened by hand should the power go out, and making sure plantings along the channel can survive saltwater inundation.
Also planned: An emphasis on art and start-up industry:
To further its goal of creating an Arts and Industry district at the Site, the Proponent will make available both indoor and outdoor space for local artists, artisans and makers. This will include floor spaces for both local individuals and organizations to be located on-site, as well as spaces for the performance, display or sale of their work. This is in addition to making outdoor spaces available for Arts and Industry uses, which will be programmed in a complementary manner.
From the filing:
776 L Street project notification form (24M PDF).
