Proposed Project for 350 Boylston St. Resurfaces

A project for 350 Boylston St. that was originally approved through the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s (BPDA) Large Project Review in 2009 has returned to the BPDA with a Notice of Project Change for Lapse of Time, as it has not moved forward since those initial approvals. The building is the former site of luxury goods retailer Shreve, Crump & Low, which has since moved to Newbury Street.

The project, put forth by The Druker Company, Ltd., is a proposed mixed-use, nine story building with approximately 221,230 square feet of floor retail and restaurant space, upper level office space, about 150 parking spaces, and around 6,000 square feet of fitness center and spa space for the office building tenants, according to the Notice of Project Change filed with the BPDA on Sept. 17, 2019.

The notice states that the project was “fully approved through Large Project Review in 2009, the various BPDA and BTD agreements were fully executed in 2010, a building permit application was submitted in 2010 and relief from the Zoning Board of Appeals was issued and extended though and including December 2019.”

The Notice of Project Change is filed only due to Lapse of Time, and the proposed project remains generally the same as originally approved in 2009.

The project proponent states that the project was not able to move forward when it was originally approved because “…the difficulties with the financial markets in 2008 and subsequent years made securing tenants and investors difficult, so that the Project has been unable to proceed. The Proponent has been continuously engaged in efforts to secure tenants and financial partners for this Project.”

The notice says that the project is set to begin in the third quarter of 2020, “subject to approval of this Notice of Project Change for Lapse of Time, completion of design review and receipt of minor remaining approvals.” It continues on to say that the lapse of time “has not significantly increased the impacts of the Project…”

The BPDA is holding a public meeting on October 7 in the McKim Conference Room B at the Copley Branch of the Boston Public Library from 66:00-8:00pm, where details of the project will be shared with the public. Additionally, the comment period is open until October 17, and comments may be submitted through the project page on the BPDA website.

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