Millennium Partners, the would-be developer of the planned tower at the site of the city-owned Winthrop Square Garage, recently detailed the effects its 55-story, 750-foot spire would have on the Boston Common and the Public Garden.
Laws dating from the early 1990s prohibit new buildings nearby from casting shadows over the parks during the first hour after sunrise or before 7 a.m.—whichever comes first—or the last hour before sunset.
It turns out that Millennium’s Winthrop Square tower will violate those laws dozens of days a year by the developer’s own estimate.
Per the Herald’s Donna Goodison, the tower “would be in compliance with the shadow laws only on 101 days of the year for the Common and 254 days for the Public Garden ... It would cast shadows on the Common for 20 minutes or less for 113 days of the year.”
Otherwise, the tower’s shadows will fall on the Common for as long as 90 minutes most days of the year. It’s important to note that Millennium thinks its tower would cast no shadow on the Common past 9:25 a.m. or the Public Garden past 8 a.m.
Will this be enough to advance the plan past this seemingly unique Boston challenge?
The city is on Millennium’s side and wants changes to the shadow regulations to allow the plan to move forward.
The tower is due to include 300 condos, plus 14 floors of office space as well as a whole mess of sweeteners such as a retail-heavy Great Hall open to the public. The city could also see more than $150 million from the sale of the site.
Stay tuned.
- Timing of Common shadows by Winthrop Sq. tower shown [Herald]
- Boston's 10 tallest buildings by 2020, mapped [Curbed Boston]
- Proposed Winthrop Square tower’s shadows cast doubt on 750-foot plan [Curbed Boston]