New Towers at the Pru Center

[Cotuit]

<span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Pru owner plans tower homes: Luxury project to be built first</span>

By Scott Van Voorhis | Wednesday, February 23, 2005

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>T</span>he Prudential Center is poised for another round of expansion that will add hundreds of residents to a landmark Back Bay complex best known for soaring offices and upscale shops.

Real estate giant Boston Properties is sketching out plans for a residential project on the Exeter Street side of the Pru campus, a top company executive told the Herald.

Meanwhile, construction crews will begin work this summer on hospitality-executive-turned-developer Robin Brown's planned luxury condo and hotel high-rise around the corner by the Pru's Boylston Street front entrance.

"The Back Bay is a part of the city that for many years has been the strongest part of the residential market," said David Barrett, a senior vice president at Boston Properties. "The Back Bay is by no means overbuilt."

With Brown's project moving steadily forward, Boston Properties is able to start fleshing out plans for the next big Pru project.

The Exeter Street residential project was proposed more than three years ago, but was kept on the shelf as planning got under way for the soon-to-be-built Mandarin Oriental condo and hotel complex.

The prospect of more housing won praise from state Rep. Marty Walz (D-Back Bay). But Walz also said she hoped the project, at the least, would have units targeted at a range of income levels.

"What we need is housing for low- and moderate-income families," Walz said. "We have plenty of housing for the wealthy being built in the city."

But what end of the market the Pru residential project would target - or even whether it would feature condos or apartments - has yet to be hammered out, Barrett said.

While optimistic, Barrett said significant challenges remain to be worked out. The proposed Exeter Street housing site is tightly configured and next to an entrance to the Pru parking garage.

<span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>From The Boston Herald</span></span>

[LeTaureau]

I thought I remembered hearing about this project a couple of years ago. I hope they do it right. The Pru complex has multiple areas where slender towers would be appropriate. This one should be tall!

BTW, this author terrible. He seems to be one of the only reporters to cover downtown develop projects, but his negative spin is ridiculous. He likes to use phrases like "soaring tower" and "highrise" just to get the NIMBYs fired up. Damn press.

[atlrvr]

A long planned office tower for the site of the Pru Food Court (between the Mandarin Oreintal and Hynes Conv. Center) on Boylston, is seeking to increase its heights. This is the last office-building for the massive Prudential Center complex.

It was originally approved along witht he whole Pru complex to be about 11 stories, roughly the same height as the Mandarin Oriental, but the owners and future developer, Boston Properties, is looking to put up something in the 20 story range.

The real estate giant is considering plans for a 400,000 square foot office and retail tower at the prominent Back Bay site, local executives said.

The project, which would take shape on Boylston Street next to the entrance to the Pru, could rise as high as 24 stories, according to one source.

That would present a major shift from Boston Properties

[atlrvr]

Well, an update on the last two Pru towers.

From the Globe.

Prudential Center owner Boston Properties Inc. yesterday asked the city's permission to raise the height of an office tower it plans to build at the Back Bay complex from 11 to 19 stories.

The new building would be 265 feet high, 110 feet taller than previously planned. The company had earlier won city approval for a 287,493-square-foot building at 888 Boylston St., to be built in front of the Prudential Tower. Yesterday, Boston Properties asked to increase the total square footage to about 439,000.

[PabloG]

The Banker & Tradesman article below has some details on the new proposal for the Prudential Center.

Does anyone know how to identify what people / organizations are on the PruPAC?

Proposal for Pair of Towers Causes Some Growing Pains

September 17, 2007

By Thomas Grillo, Reporter

Banker & Tradesman

Project Team Eyes Spot at Hub

[PabloG]

Rendering of Pru expansion:

[atlrvr]

Welcome PabloG

I condensed some of your post, and typically would condense it more. In the future, please try to copy just the main points of the article and provide a link.

That said, thanks for posting. I think the new apartment tower looks great, a big step up from the older Avalon apartment towers.

As far as who is on PruPac, I haven't been able to find a list anywhere, but I'm sure if you called BRA that they would be legally obligated to get you a list of names.

[Lowerdeck]

Anyone find it odd people are complaining about heights of buildings to be constructed when they're right near the second tallest building in New England anyway?

[atlrvr]

Yes...I find it very amusing....considering the taller of the two buildings would be less than half the height of the Prudential Tower.

I understand a bit more of the concern about the 19 story office tower since it would be pushed right up on Boylston, but they need to understand that shadows aren't the end of the world. This is an excellent spot for an office tower, and with demand for Back Bay locations, its better that it goes here than in another location that is much more out of context with it's surroundings. Besides, a decent portion of the time, the new office tower's shadow will lie within the Pru's shadow already.

I think maybe all the neighborhood assoications and all the largest developers should sit down and pow-wow.....each side needs to better understand the other's motives, and what is reasonable expectations.

[Claremorris 2]

That is the first thing I thought when I heard them harping about the new tower! It's right next to the Pru! Good point.

I think maybe the reason why they are so cautious is because of all the new projects that are occurring or have been proposed in the general vicinity. There might be new Pru towers, a "universal" dorm near the YMCA on Huntington, multiple new towers on top of and near Berklee on the corner of Boylston and Mass Ave, and these are just the proposals that I'm aware of. The area could change dramatically with all the new buildings. I would argue for the better though, but that's just my opinion.

I read in the Globe today that there is going to be a new BRA chief who has worked in Providence and Hartford. Here's the link. I wonder how much his insights and his history will affect these projects ?

http://www.boston.com/realestate/news/arti...et_things_done/