The developer proposing a massive residential tower at 45 Worthington St. is going back to the drawing board after receiving feedback from the Impact Advisory Group (IAG), according to Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) spokesperson Nick Martin. The project has received significant community opposition.
Meanwhile, Mission Hill City Councilor Josh Zakim said that the current project is an “out-of-scale design” for the neighborhood, while local resident Richard Giordano, who sits on the IAG, says the only reason for the proposal is “sheer greed.” IAG is a City-appointed group of residents and other stakeholders that advise the City on potential impacts of building projects.
Equity Residential, the developer, did not respond to a Gazette request for comment.
Equity Residential had plans to build a 35-story, 395-unit residential tower with 270 parking spots. The parking spots would be shared with the adjacent Equity Residential building City View at Longwood Apartments. The site is currently a parking lot across the street from the Squealing Pig pub.
The project is near the Mission Hill Triangle historic district, which requires City review of changes to certain building exteriors. However, that would not apply to the tower project.
“The developers are revising the project proposal based on feedback prior to filing a Project Notification Form and going back out to the neighborhood for public comment. We don’t currently have an estimate on when the revised plans will be unveiled,” Martin said in an email to the Gazette.
Zakim, who attended a community-organized meeting last month with close to 100 attendees, said he “thinks the project is an out-of-scale design” for the neighborhood. He said that a 35-story tower next to historic 3-story buildings is “not what the neighborhood needs.” Zakim said he expects a “robust community process” with the developer, the BRA and residents.
Giordano, who helped organize the community meeting, said in an email that the current project would set a precedent for height and density on Mission Hill, clogging up the neighborhood with cars and people and making the historic Triangle area unlivable.
“The only reason for putting a project of this size and magnitude at this location is sheer greed. It violates absolutely every existing zoning limit for Mission Hill, in some cases by 10 to 20 times. I believe this project must be stopped immediately,” he said.