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Stuart Street Study ( Back Bay)


Neighborhood:	Back Bay
Type:	Community Planning
Status:	In Process
Project Manager:	Andrew Grace
Phone Number:	(617)918-4379
Email Address:	Andrew.Grace.BRA@cityofboston.gov
Last Updated:	12/10/2010

The Stuart Street Planning Study will examine potential development opportunities, identify and define height, density, and use guidelines, and develop scenarios for future development in the area. The study will include an assessment of the impacts of density and height on the surrounding neighborhoods, including the impacts on the transportation infrastructure, transit system, parking supply, and utility infrastructure (electrical, water, and sewer), and the environmental impacts such as wind, shadow, and ground water. Provisions for and protection of open space, pedestrian access, historically significant buildings, and view corridors will also be included in the study. The study will integrate 3-D computer modeling of the area to evaluate impacts.

The study is in response to significant projects in the area including the Clarendon, Columbus Center,131 Dartmouth Street, and 10 Saint James developments and need for a replacement the 20 year old Downtown Interim Planning Overlay District. The focus of the effort is to recommend zoning and development guidelines that encourage development which will benefit the long-term interest of the City, while balancing and protecting the interests of the abutting commercial and residential areas.

The area�s long-term build-out will impact nearby structures, landmark buildings, residential areas, and open spaces. As development occurs, it will need to take into consideration the wind and shadow impacts on neighboring Trinity Church, the Boston Public Garden, and the adjacent communities of Bay Village, the South End and Back Bay. Additionally, since much of the Back Bay is built on landfill, maintaining appropriate groundwater levels is of importance. New development must mitigate effects of groundwater loss and its potential impact on the surrounding area.

This end result of the Stuart Street Planning Study will be new development guidelines and zoning recommendations for the Stuart Street blocks.

STUDY AREA

The Stuart Street Planning Study area, bound by St. James Avenue to the north, Dartmouth Street to the west, Columbus Avenue/ /Cortes Streets to the south, and Arlington Street to the east, represents a 12+ block area totaling more than forty acres. A number of significant Boston landmarks define the area: the 790 foot� Hancock Building, the Old Hancock Building, Copley Square, and Trinity Church. The area is also identified by the diagonal intersection of Columbus AvenueStreet and sits adjacent to the historic neighborhoods of Bay Village and South End. Most of the study area is located in the General Business District (B) and within the Downtown Interim Planning Overlay District (IPOD), which became effective in 1987. The remainder of the area is included in the Bay Village Neighborhood District (Article 63), and the South End Neighborhood District (Article 64) both adopted in 1998. Recent additions to the area include the 10 Saint James and 131 Dartmouth Street office buildings. Recently approved development projects include Columbus Center Turnpike Air Rights (Parcels 16-20), covering four blocks of the city, The Bryant on Columbus, a fifty unit residential project with parking (under construction), and the 350-unit The Clarendon development project, at the intersection of Stuart and Clarendon Streets (also under construction).