$200M Mixed-Use Seaport Plan Goes Before BRA

150 Seaport Blvd.
Photo Credit: Elkus Manfredi

BOSTON— Cronin Holdings, LLC submitted its Project Notification Form with the Boston Redevelopment Authority on Wednesday to begin the approval process for its $200-million 150 Seaport Blvd . mixed-use development. South Boston-based Cronin Holdings filed a Letter of Intent with the Boston Redevelopment Authority in late December 2015 for its 150 Seaport Blvd. project. Cronin is proposing in its latest filing with the BRA to build a 22-story, 283,700-square-foot building that will contain 124 residential units and 10,700 square feet of commercial and retail space on the first and second floors of the building. The property will also feature a three-level below grade parking garage that will accommodate 179 vehicles. The residential units will include studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units. Cronin in its filing with the BRA states that it anticipates beginning construction during the second quarter of 2017 and complete the project at the end of the third quarter of 2019. The company expects the development will create approximately 400 construction jobs. According to the March 30 ^th filing with the BRA, the 150 Seaport Blvd project is located on the north side of Seaport Boulevard just east of the intersection with Northern Avenue. Boston Harbor borders the site on the north and east, with Commonwealth Pier further east and Pier 4 adjacent to the west. Currently, two small one and two-story commercial buildings, occupy the project site, but will be demolished if the project moves forward. The buildings were originally constructed for use by the fishing industry for processing and related purposes and now house two restaurants and bars. The project site includes an easement over a small strip of adjacent land on the north edge of the property. A similar easement will be obtained from Massport over the eastern edge, Cronin reports to the BRA. Cronin also proposes to acquire from the city an adjacent triangular-shaped parcel of approximately 3,813 square feet, which is seasonally licensed by the existing restaurants for outdoor seating, as well as air rights over the sidewalk on Seaport Boulevard, for a total project site of about 55,000 square feet, which includes 23,780 square feet of land. “The project’s design is developed as a new gateway to the City of Boston and Seaport District providing a unique world class building with edges that carefully open up the vista to the harbor. The building form includes a two-step extension off the south façade, providing a geometric relief of the building massing,” Cronin states in its Project Notification Form. “The shaping of the building will improve the visual experience for pedestrians along Seaport Boulevard and further enhance the connection from the waterfront to the land. The company also plans street and sidewalk improvements as well as incorporating significant open space along the east and north sides of the site In addition, a “Harborwalk” will be incorporated into the project site that Cronin says will improve waterfront access and will link the pedestrian path along the water’s edge. Other improvements include new railings, decking and site furnishings. Cronin could not be reached for comment on its most recent filing. In the firm’s letter of intent filed back in December with the BRA, Jon Cronin , Crown Holdings CEO stated, “The project will mend a hole in the urban fabric by replacing an existing one- and two-story building with a vibrant mixed-use development providing an inviting, pedestrian-friendly environment that will attract people to the area even after the end of the work day.”