It's on like Donkey Kong, who might end up climbing it one day. Credit-card kingpin Steve Belkin has resurrected plans to build what could be Boston's tallest tower. Recall, Belkin was the lone bidder in November 2006 for the city-owned parcel at 115 Federal Street in the Financial District (or whatever we'll end up calling it) and he already owned an adjacent parcel at 133 Federal. He pitched a 1,000-foot tower that would easily have been the city's—New England's—tallest (above is a rendering of the would-be Renzo Piano-designed sprout). Then the FAA said um... because the tower might interfere with jets at Logan; and then the Great Recession slammed the financing window.
But now Belkin's back. According to The Globe's Casey Ross, Belkin has met with city officials in recent weeks to discuss his plans, which remain shrouded largely in glassy mystery. We do know that now is the time to think hard-hats and cranes in prime Boston. The Millennium Tower announcement of earlier this month put a kind of exclamation point on a wave of new big-time construction in the city. Every other day seems to bring a new groundbreaking (yesterday it was Waterside Place in the Seaport). If Belkin can nail financing, it's unlikely his tower can't get under way this time.
· Office High-Rise Would Join List of Boston’s Tallest [Globe]
· Big Groundbreaking for Supermarket-Bringing Seaport Tower [Curbed Boston]
· Let's All Rename the Financial District! [Curbed Boston]
· Ladies and Gentlemen, the Millennium Tower [Curbed Boston]