We knew the Burger King at 1350 Boylston Street in busy, busy Fenway was going to be replaced with a tower.
That's been common enough knowledge since this time last year. What was up in the air were the details, especially given—you guessed it—community opposition to the original development idea of an office tower. "I'd rather have a Burger King for another 10 years than the wrong kind of development," the head of the Fenway Civic Association told The Herald back then.
The developer, Skanska USA, has apparently listened. The tower, pending city O.K.'s, will be 196,500 square feet and 18 stories, with 240 apartments, some of them lofts with private terraces, and 105 parking spaces. There will also be ground-floor retail, including at least one restaurant, and the tower will be designed so as to taper off to four floors to form a large opening between Boylston and Peterborough streets.
It's not entirely clear the rents of the subsequent apartments. The fact that they are to be apartments, though, represents a win for the developer, as community opponents had wanted "affordable" condos of $300,000 to $500,000 each. Apartments seem to be the new-construction norm around Fenway; the 300-unit Boylston West, for instance, is going up next-door at No. 1325. And the neighborhood in general is getting on with it in terms of development. Stand back.
· 18-Story Tower Planned for Burger King Site on Boylston Street [Herald]
· Another Apartment Tower Planned Near Fenway [Globe]
· Fenway Whopper Clears Way for 'Affordable' $500K Condos [Curbed Boston]
· Our Full Count of Construction Around Fenway [Curbed Boston]