A developer is moving forward with plans to transform air-rights Parcel 13 over the Massachusetts Turnpike in the Back Bay into a sprawling mixed-use development with a reported $300-million price tag.
The Peebles Group of West Roxbury intends to convert the site located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street that stretches partially over the east and west bound lanes of the Mass. Turnpike and partially over the MBTA Green Line Hynes station into “The Viola Back Bay.”
“The transformative project aims to link the Back Bay and Fenway neighborhoods and reinvigorate the Newbery Street corridor with its distinctive design and diverse mix of uses, respectively,” according to the Peebles Group website.
The 432,000 square-foot development would consist of between 125 and 150 condo units; a full-service luxury hotel with between 175 and 200 keys; first-floor community and retail space; and an internal above-ground parking garage that could accommodate more than 150 vehicles, according to plans filed with the Boston Planning and Development Agency, according to a revised proposal that the development team presented to the Citizen Advisory Committee for the project on Feb. 11.
The project also includes plans to construct a new headhouse that would provide access to the MBTA Hynes station at Boylston Street, as well as improve access to the station at Massachusetts Avenue to create a new, ADA-accessible, state-of-the-art T station.
State Rep. Jay Livingstone wrote, “I’m pleased that Peebles has decided to engage in stakeholder meetings to figure out a design that will provide significant community benefits (new T station) while building a structure that respects the historic district in which it’s located.”
Boston Massachusetts Newspaper
