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Skinny Tower at 171 Tremont Street scrapped as developer sells parcel

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Emerson College the buyer

Father-son development team Maurice and Joseph Dabbah have scrapped plans for the so-called Skinny Tower at 171 Tremont Street just off the Boston Common.

Instead, the developers have sold the vacant five-story office building there that they had planned to convert to Emerson College.

The Dabbahs’ original plan called for a 355-foot, 32-story tower just 50 feet across. Vociferous opposition to potential shadows and added vehicular traffic led to repeated chops, until, in October 2016, the city approved plans for a 13-story building with 12 luxury condos (with no parking).

The truncated tower would still require $55 million to build, and there are no guarantees the luxury condo market will be as hot years from now as it is today.

So, when Emerson offered the Dabbahs $24 million for the site, the developers jumped. The deal closed November 7.

The college plans to use the property for student services and may eventually convert it.