Earlier this week, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) concluded their Greenway District Planning Study, setting building height limits along the 1-1/2 mile long Rose Kennedy Greenway.
To ensure that no one building or collection of buildings dominates the Greenway in terms of its scale, orientation, or architecture, the team examined potential massing studies from the perspective of the park user. Heights were also carefully analyzed for their potential to cast large or lengthy new shadows on the park parcels. Final height recommendations range from buildings between 175-200 feet along the waterfront to buildings ranging as tall as 400-600 feet on the city side of the Greenway.
The objective of the study was to create a set of guidelines specifically for the parcels adjoining the Greenway, with the following goals:
- preserve the newly created open spaces (environmentally, aesthetically, and economically) by identifying densities, height, and other building massing criteria compatible with the recreational activities and horticultural life that are being encouraged to grow there;
- Activate the broader public realm in and surrounding the parks by identifying and strategically locating desired uses, particularly at the ground plane, that will contribute positively to the Greenway;
- Ensure the long-term value of the public’s investment in creating the Greenway by shaping development to maximize the quality of the parks and extend their impact beyond its edges to the Downtown neighborhoods;
- Balance the development pressures within the Greenway District and with other growth areas and development opportunities in the City as a whole.
Using the new guidelines, the BRA and study-partner Utile estimate that between 2-million and 3-million additional square feet of buildings can be constructed along the Greenway, offering housing, shopping, and work space for up to 9,000 additional people.
The new ruling, as expected, has created winners, like Government Center Garage developer Thomas O’Brien, and losers, such as Donald Chiofaro, who has proposed a 625-foot tower where the Harbor Garage currently stands.
I’m excited to see how the Greenway — and the spaces around it — continue to adjust to the best possible fit for the residents, workers and tourists that frequent the area.
