A proposed amendment that would allow a change in use for the 11-story building located at 1000 Washington St. in the South End from office to lab space was the topic at hand during a virtual joint-Impact Advisory Group (IAG) and public meeting sponsored by the Boston Planning & Development Agency on Wednesday, Aug. 2.
Ashley Myslinski, senior project manager for BioMed Realty, the largest private real estate developer in the life science and technology industries nationwide, outlined plans to convert existing office building to a lab-ready building, which would entail the installation of additional mechanicals and a new screen wall on the roof, as well as making façade upgrades, including adding new windows and making other improvements.
“There are not too to many changes to building itself,” she said. “It’s not terribly different than what you see today.”
As for what has prompted the building’s proposed change in use, Myslinski pointed to the abundance of vacant office space that now permeates the city and added the building’s current office tenant is slated to move out in early 2025, when the conversion project is expected to begin.
Meanwhile, BioMed Realty has committed to keeping the converted lab building limited to Biosafety Level (BSL) 1 or 2, said Myslinski.
Construction is expected to have a minimal impact, said Myslinski, since most work would take place inside the building itself. Much of the existing building material would also be reused in the project, she added.
Additional project mitigation will include a job-linkage payment of around $395,842; a housing linkage payment of nearly $1,976,839; $20,000 each to Friends of Peter Park and Pao Arts Center, respectively; and $10,000 to the BPDA “for community use at its discretion,” said Myslinski.
Last year, BioMed Realty converted the adjacent building at 321 Harrison Ave. from office to lab/research space; mitigation for this project included the creation of 10,000 square feet of cultural space; various sidewalk and streetscape improvements; new on-site bike storage; added retail; and a new “pocket park,” said Myslinski.