It would seem that building giant projects over the Mass. Pike is suddenly in vogue.
News just dropped that the long-stalled Fenway Center project in Kenmore Square is expected to start construction next year. Now comes word that developers have approached the state about reviving the Columbus Center project at 101 Clarendon Street, where the South End and Back Bay meet.
Recall that that 10-acre project collapsed in 2010 due to local opposition and financing challenges (including the formidable task of building over the Pike).
Fast forward six years—and into a very different economy—and at least two unspecified developers want to take another crack at Columbus Center, though mystery shrouds the endeavor so far. Per Tim Logan in the Globe:
The interest level is very preliminary, so it’s unclear whether any of the developers would pursue something on the scale of the original Columbus Center proposal, which included blocks of buildings and a 35-story tower built on decks over the turnpike and several adjacent lots east of Clarendon Street.
Stay tuned. If someone figures out how to build over the Pike for relatively cheap—or gets the necessary subsidies to do so—this thing could actually happen.
- Developers are showing new interest in Mass. Pike air rights project [Globe]
- Fenway Center could finally get going next year [Curbed Boston]
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