The company will have to overcome a number of hurdles before being able to begin construction. One of those is a height restriction on buildings in this area. Part of the plan, according to Alex McCallum, Beacon's spokesperson, is a mid-rise building that would exceed the 150-ft limit for buildings in the area.
"The idea is to create enough space so that the character of existing buildings would not have to change," McCallum explains to GlobeSt.com. There are currently 14 buildings on the site. McCallum would not disclose the height of the proposed mid-rise other than to confirm that it is higher than 150 ft.
Perhaps a bigger headache for Beacon is the BRA requirement that a third of any new commercial development in the Seaport district must be residential. Prior to this declaration, Beacon settled a lawsuit with Gillette Corp., which sued Beacon over its conversion of a mill complex, which abutted Gillette's property, into condominiums. Gillette was concerned that a residential area would clash with an industrial area. The lawsuit was dropped but the companies agreed that Beacon would not develop any more residential housing in this area. Channel Row is next door to Gillette.
"We understand Gillette has concerns," BRA spokesperson Susan Elsbree tells GlobeSt.com. Elsbree says that the BRA has been meeting with the two companies to try to work out a compromise. "There are a whole set of issues for anyone wanting to develop on the waterfront," says McCallum. One alternate solution according to both McCallum and Elsbree, is to lease work/live space to artists. "There is a difference between typical residential space and artist live/work space," notes McCallum. As Elsbree points out, artists in nearby Fort Point Channel are being squeezed out of there because of a tight residential market. "This could be a solution," she says.
Another option could be Beacon developing the residential housing off-site, possibly in an affordable housing project in the city. "Because of the agreement we had on Fort Point Channel, Gillette needs to agree to this," says McCallum. "All these issues will be addressed in the proposal, which is imminent."
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