"I am pleased that we were able to strike the right balance between private development and public access for Fort Point Channel," says Herzfelder in a statement. "This plan will reactivate a critical part of the Boston waterfront and offer high-quality public destinations that support dynamic, year-round public uses of the channel area."
The city advanced the harbor plan through the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The BRA's plan centers on implementing the city's Fort Point Channel Watersheet Activation Plan and a proposal by Equity Office Properties to develop a 33-story 942,000-sf mixed-use building for the Russia Wharf property on Fort Point Channel. The proposed redevelopment includes residential space, a hotel, and pledges to preserve the exteriors of three historic buildings.
"This plan will set in motion the redevelopment and revitalization of the historic Russia Wharf buildings into a mixed-use development," says Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
The decision approves elements of the Fort Point Channel Watersheet Activation Plan, a public-private blueprint developed by the BRA and abutter groups to redevelop the industrial waters of Fort Point into a public destination. To support the activation plan, Herzfelder's approval requires Russia Wharf to contribute $500,000 to the final design and construction of the Children's Museum Park and an additional $1.6 million to support other projects identified in the activation plan.
The approval allows a redevelopment at Russia Wharf that is taller than what would normally be allowed, on the condition that the project provide enhancements to public access along the project and channel waterfronts. The state emphasizes that this approval defers consideration of the US Postal Service sorting facility until the city completes master planning for that section of the Fort Point Channel area.
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