Downtown Area Gets New Lease on Life

BOSTON-The Millennium Place Project is injecting new life into its neighborhood as a number of developers take chances on projects in an area that was once known for its porno houses and drug busts.

The development of 325 luxury apartments, a Ritz Carlton hotel and a 19-screen theater is near the once-infamous area of Lower Washington Street formerly known as the Combat Zone. But with this development, as well as a number of other projects underway here, that decadent perception is quickly fading.

FitzInn Parking Systems and Charles E. Smith have proposed building Liberty Place here, a 410-unit complex that will include studio-, one- two- and three-bedroom apartments with 10% of them affordable. The project will also include retail space and parking for 300 vehicles. Kevin Fitzgerald of FitzInn Parking Systems did not return calls by presstime but reportedly the developers plan on renovating two historic buildings in the area and converting a nightclub into a visitors center.