The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) held a virtual public meeting in connection with a development plan for 100 Hood Park Drive on Monday night.
Mark Rosenshein of Trademark Partners gave a presentation of the new structure that will be placed above the garage, as well as an overview of the entire project that will include a one-acre park with grass, green spaces, and facilities for bicyclists to change and shower.
Rosenshein said that the approximately 20-acre site will be a full mixed-use development where people can live, work, and play. Ryan Park and the open space at Sullivan Square will complement the new open spaces in this project.
Rosenshein mentioned that the new signal lights leading to Rutherford Ave. are expected to be powered this week. He also said that the rooftop on the building at 100 Hood Park Drive will be open to the public and will afford incredible views of the Boston skyline.
The proposed building that was approved in the Master Plan in 2019 will be built above an 850-space parking garage and will have 30,900 square feet per floor.
The developers will add five floors above the garage for a combined height of 185 feet.
The building will be an energy-efficient structure with solar panels for batteries to be added on the west side of the building facing I-93 North.
Rosenshein also noted that with the pending sale of the Storage Bunker Building, the lights from the garage most likely will be hidden from residents living to the east of Rutherford Ave.
Addressing the looming threat of rising sea levels, the developers were able to raise all 20 acres from 17 feet above sea level to 20 feet above sea level, thus removing the site from FEMA flood plain maps.
Rosenshein said trees will be planted to remediate the pollution from Interstate 93. He also said that shadows will not be cast on the green space from spring through fall and that in December, the shadow of the building barely will cross Rutherford Ave.
Perhaps the most exciting news for area residents, in light of the rejection by the Boston School Department of a subsidized program at this location, is that the Charlestown community will receive $400,000 for each of the next five years to establish a Youth Educational Program with the community deciding the type of programs to be created with the funds.
Public meetings to discuss the best use of the funds for potential programs are scheduled to begin in the coming months.
During the public input stage of the meeting, resident Dan Jaffe said, “Everything looks good and there are no issues. One small item would be for a detail line to be put on the steps to help those with limited eyesight be able to see where they are walking.”
Another resident, Johanna Hynes, sought assurances that the mechanical equipment will not add extra feet onto the height of the structures, that the grass that is planted in the one-acre park will be real grass and not turf, and that shadows from the building will not extend onto Main Street by Albion St.
The period for residents to submit their comments will end on September 27. The project point person is Sarah Black of the BPDA.