Business

Fenway lab and retail complex – and maybe a library branch – to continue Boylston Street transformation

The mixed-use development by Samuels & Associates secured city approval on Thursday.

A rendering of the approved project at 1400 Boylston St. in Fenway. Elkus Manfredi Architects

By Christopher Gavin

2 minutes to read

A mixed-use laboratory and retail development — that may also someday be home to a new branch of the Boston Public Library — will be the latest addition in the years-long transformation of Fenway’s Boylston Street corridor, after developers secured needed city approvals on Thursday night.

The Boston Planning and Development Agency’s Board of Directors voted to green light the plan for the 553,000-square-foot complex put forth by Samuels & Associates, the local real estate and development firm that has ushered in many of the neighborhood’s sleek stores, offices, and apartments over the past decade.

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The latest project, developers say, will rework the “underutilized” 2.4-acre lot at 1400 Boylston St., a parcel sitting on the edge of the Emerald Necklace currently home to a decommissioned gas station, parking lot, and a Star Market grocery store that’s slated to move to nearby 401 Park Drive.

The approved plans call for 498,000 square feet of office and research space along with 17,000 square feet reserved for stores and restaurants. An additional 5,000-square-foot building intended to serve as a community space may eventually be the location of a new Boston Public Library branch, BPDA filings show.

Adding to the property’s allure will be a half acre of open space along the corner where Boylston Street meets Park Drive, developers say.

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David Manfredi, of Elkus Manfredi Architects, told officials Thursday the green space aligns with similar open areas Samuels & Associates built into neighboring developments, such as at 401 Park, the Fenway’s former Sears complex that now houses the Time Out Market.

“The intention is to really make it a destination for the neighborhood,” Manfredi said.

As the BPDA capped the more-than-two-year review process on Thursday night, several local residents and leaders of civic organizations expressed support for the plans, in part touting the building’s tiered, step-like design.

“It’s not too often that a project really steps back in the way that it does to try to minimize shadow,” said Karen Mauney-Brodek, president of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. 

“There is a real challenge in our city because there are not consistent shadow guidelines.”

According to Seth Riseman, the BPDA’s deputy director for design review, city officials are conducting a study to potentially create that guidance for that particular area of the Emerald Necklace.

“But in the interim, we are focused on understanding the impacts of shadows at different times of year and making sure to minimize that and focus on mitigation,” Riseman said.

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Peter Sougarides, a principal at Samuels & Associates, said the 1400 Boylston St. development will cast “minimal shadows” on the park in the early morning hours “that move very quickly in the spring and in the fall.”

“As they move, they go into the street, and so we believe that we’ve worked very hard to minimize any impacts,” he said.

According to the BPDA, the project will also contribute $5.8 million in linkage funding to support affordable housing creation in Boston, along with $18 million to subsidize costs to build 48 income-restricted homeownership units at the nearby 164 Park Drive housing development.

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