After the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) approved changes to the project requested by the developers of the New Street project in April, construction crews have demolished the historic building on the site.
The original plan approved by the BRA was to tear down all the surrounding building except for the nine story building at the 6 New St. site. This building was to be reinforced so an additional seven stories could be added making it a 16-story building.
However, representatives from the development firm Gerding Edlen said that they tested the structural integrity of the nine-story building back in 2008 and it was okay but a second test recently found problems. A subsequent third test found the same problems as the second test.
The developers asked the BRA for permission to tear down the nine story building, which the BRA accepted. The developers ensured the final result and look of the building would be the same as the plans submitted to the BRA if a tear down did occur.
Gerding Edlen broke ground on the $132 million project to create what they called a “sustainable and repurposed urban oasis in East Boston” back in the fall.
Located at 6 New Street on nearly four-acres of waterfront property that had long been inaccessible to the public the old industrial warehouse into a 16-story mixed use development.
Gerding Edlen will develop 259 residential units, 4,900 sq. ft. of ground floor commercial space, 155 off street parking spaces and over 33,000 sq. ft. of public open space that would include 12 ft. wide extension of the Harborwalk and transportation dock.
Other features of the New Street complex, when complete, will feature a 16-story tower, an adjacent four-story addition and an attached parking garage. The site is now home to three, multi-story industrial buildings. Modern day amenities for the “unscripted urbanite” include a communal chef’s kitchen, rooftop pool, conference rooms, gallery exhibition spaces, dog wash and spa and water sports, to name a few.
The development team’s commitment to the highest green building standards means the transit-accessible community will have indoor bike storage, a range of car sharing options and an expanded water taxi station.
The 6 New Street development designed by ADD Inc, which will be complete in 2016, will generate more than $750,000 in new property taxes each year. The building phase will generate 340 construction-phase jobs, while the completed complex will create 20 new permanent jobs in East Boston.