By Adam Swift
The Community Alliance of Mission Hill was given a preview of proposed future changes at the One Brigham Circle mixed-used development at its October meeting.
The 200,000-square-foot mixed-used facility on Tremont Street currently consists of about 120,000 square feet of office space, and 80,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, along with surface level and garage parking. All of the office space is currently leased by Massachusetts General Brigham (MGB) hospitals.
The current owner of One Brigham Circle, AEW Real Estate Investment Management, is in the early stages of a process to file for a change to the development’s PDA (Planned Development Overlay). The change would allow for about 66,700 feet of clinical office space, which is currently not allowed under the current PDA.
At last month’s CAMH meeting, the property owner and the development team held an initial pre-file review of the project.
“It’s a mixed-use office and retail asset located in Mission Hill; it’s owned by AEW and we have owned it for just about 15 years,” said Kat Jerome, the asset manager for One Brigham Circle. “We understand that it is near and dear to many of your hearts here in the room and on the call, so we are excited to talk about the future plans that we have for the property.”
Jerome noted that part of the impetus for the proposed change to the PDA is that the current lease with MGB for the 120,000 square feet of office space is up in 2028.
“We understand that MGB and similar institutions are really shedding their office square footage and realizing that they can work from home, or this hybrid schedule can allow them to condense that office footprint,” said Jerome.
Jerome said that AEW wants to be prepared in the event that MGB does approach them in the next year or two and indicate that they either want to leave the building or downsize on office space.
“We’re trying to figure out some ways to be proactive, to really put our best foot forward and make sure that we’re not caught flatfooted as these institutions really change their requirements,” said Jerome. “The current office space per our zoning allows for typical office use, whereas we are looking to amend our zoning to include clinical use.”
The clinical use could include things such as primary care physicians and ophthalmologists and other specialists. Jerome said the change would help keep the building vibrant, bring foot traffic to the retail tenants and allow them to hold onto their tenancy, and keep the occupancy of the building up to avoid a vacant building in the future.
Jerome also reviewed the initial feedback AEW has received on the proposal, with the main themes revolving around vehicle access into and out of Brigham Circle, security and increased foot traffic within the building, and the location of rideshare drop-offs and pick-ups.
Attorney Joseph Hanley a partner and director of the firm McDermott, Quilty, Miller & Hanley, reviewed the current zoning of One Brigham Circle and the process to amend the PDA.
“It was originally approved as a Planned Development Area, what that means is that it is an overlay and basically creates special zoning for the site that was approved in 2001 and the property opened in 2003,” said Hanley. “It includes not just the building and the courtyard and the surface parking, but also the 5.5-acre Kevin Fitzgerald Park. We like to think too, that this development itself with its many contributing uses, not least of which is a supermarket, is also a key part of that.”
The current PDA allows for the professional office, as well as the retail and restaurant uses at One Brigham Circle.
“What we are proposing to do is to amend that overlay of zoning to merely add clinic as an allowed use in its table of uses,” said Hanley.
The clinic office space would not be throughout the entire building, he added. What is being proposed is about 67,000 square feet of clinical office space, with 10,000 square feet on the second level and just under 57,000 square feet on the third level.
“We would still have a mix, and we think that top level will still be desirable, hopefully for some meeting and gathering space,” Hanley said.
One Brigham Circle would continue to have the same amount of parking spaces, with 384 total spaces, 136 in the surface lot and 248 in the garage spaces, Hanley said.
“What we are contemplating is a two-step process … we call this a pre-file meeting, that is because we are engaging in a lot of community outreach before beginning the regulatory process,” said Hanley. “We have had some meetings with the BPDA, preliminary meetings, and we are looking to get as much feedback and engage with all you important stakeholders.”
In the two-step process, Hanley said the first filing would be to amend the PDA, which would change the table of uses but would not permit an actual project.
The project itself would fall under large project review from the city because the proposal would be to change over 50,000 square feet.
“That is a process that the tenant would need to go through if and when we have them to proceed,” said Hanley. “It really provides a level of flexibility, and one of the things we looking to do is to continue to work with the neighborhood leadership on an MOU (memorandum of understanding) that provides a comfort level as we go from step one to step two; the commitments are adhered to and we all end up with the continued contributions of this most important development.”
In other business, the CAMH members overwhelmingly voted to support the application for a pour license for the proposed Namu Distilling Company proposed for 89 Heath Street.
Business co-founders Josh Moss and Will Blessing highlighted their efforts to open a craft gin and soju distillery with a focus on Korean heritage.
The plans for the distillery include a tasting room and cocktail bar, and Moss said the drink menu will include gin and soju cocktails based on the history of Boston’s neighborhoods.
Moss and Blessing also said their goal is to host weekly events such as trivia nights and cocktail tastings and to establish the distillery as a neighborhood hub and hangout spot.
The CAMH also considered a request for a recommendation on a proposed fourth floor addition to a third story condominium on Calumet Street, but board members said they wanted more clarity from the applicant about the ownership and easement of the fourth floor space before making a recommendation.