The owners of Hood Park received approval from the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) on an updated Master Plan, which will enable Hood Park to continue the transformation of the 20-acre site into a dynamic mixed-use, transit-oriented vibrant destination.
SMMA is the architect of both the Master Plan and 10 Stack Street, which includes seven new buildings, totaling nearly one million square feet of additional mixed-use, hotel, retail and lab space, as well as additional parking, allowing growing tech and innovative companies to stay in Charlestown.
The BPDA also approved the development of 10 Stack St. and an addition to the already under construction 100 Hood Park Drive. The 10 Stack Street office and lab building will support new businesses and accommodate existing businesses at Hood Park, like Indigo Ag, Inc., which are looking to remain based in Charlestown with headquarters at Hood Park, while they grow and add significant new job creation in the technology sector of the market.
In addition to much-needed lab and office space, the new Hood Park will include publicly accessible open spaces for tenants and residents, as well as the Charlestown community and visitors, including a one-acre park called Hood Green. The open space will allow for a variety of programming, such as concerts, farmers markets, art exhibits, festivals, and exercise classes, and will also feature a children’s splash pool and open lawns, making Hood Park a new destination for all in the community to enjoy. The creation of a new bicycle path and pedestrian walkways will make this area of Charlestown safely accessible to all.
“This approval is an important step forward, and we are excited to move through the approval process and bring the new Hood Park to life,” said Chris Kaneb, owner of Hood Park. “We were excited to engage and collaborate with the community during this process because investment in Hood Park will benefit everyone: it will improve infrastructure, create links to transit, expand community and green space, increase affordable housing, bring much-needed lab and office space, and offer educational programming and valuable work experience for young people in Charlestown.”
To support the professional development of Charlestown youth,
Hood Park will collaborate with businesses on a summer employment/internship program
for Charlestown teens. Similarly, Hood Park will contribute up to $12,000 per year
to a Charlestown program focused on providing teen employment and internship opportunities
for five years. Hood Park will also create approximately 4,000 square feet of community
and education space that will be geared toward youth in Charlestown.
Hood Park is currently comprised of three office buildings at 500, 510 and 570 Rutherford
Ave., which are currently fully leased to office and lab tenants such as agriculture
startup Indigo Ag, Inc., Cambridge College and ERT, a global data and technology
company.
Since filing an updated Notice of Project Change in September 2018 and an Amended and Restated Master Plan in December 2018, Hood Park has held a number of community meetings to keep the community up-to-date with proposed changes and solicit feedback. Building heights were also adjusted to reflect new zoning implemented by the Boston Zoning Commission at the end of 2018, with the tallest building topping out at 262.5 feet.
The approval paves the way for an additional 150,000 sq. ft. of office/lab space to be added to 100 Hood Park Drive, a building already under construction along with the Harvey, the first LEED platinum multi-family housing development under construction on campus, and for seven new buildings, including:
•6 Stack Street: 1,000 square feet of retail space
•10 Stack Street: 350,300 square feet of office/lab space, and 149 parking spaces
•30 Stack Street: 157,400 square feet of office/lab space
•45 Stack Street: 6,050 square feet of retail space
•35 Supertest Street: 275,950 square feet of office and residential space, and 100 parking spaces
•25 Supertest Street: 128,800 square feet of hotel space
•15 Supertest Street: 12,000 square feet of retail space
This project will appear before the Boston Zoning Commission on April 10 for final approval. If approved, construction will take place in multiple phases starting in October 2019. The phased project is expected to be complete in 2027.