Oxford Properties Group, a Canadian real estate and development company, plans to build a 225 feet tall “research and development” property on 125 Lincoln Street. The project, which is currently under review, according to the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s website, is controversial among some local residents.
Oxford Properties Group’s most recently accessible public commenting period for residents to voice their concerns was from June 7, 2019 to July 30, 2019. During that period, a majority of the concerns were about the tower’s original 340 feet height and its implications for Chinatown and the Leather District.
“A building of this size has the potential to create wind tunnels and overbearing shadows,” Michelle Wu, a Boston city council member, wrote on July 30, 2019. Other concerns included the fact that the proposed height was significantly above the allowed maximum of 100 feet for the area.
After hearing these concerns, Oxford Properties Group revised the final height to its currently-planned 225 feet. “The updated proposal reflects their [local residents] collective feedback. It substantially increases and enhances public realm and open space … Most importantly, it shows 125 Lincoln one-third smaller in both height and density,” Mark McGowan, the head of development for Boston’s Oxford Properties Group said in a December 2020 press release.
While Oxford Properties Group has had numerous other public meetings following the closure of their first comment period, some still feel that they still aren’t being transparent enough in their process.
“We are following the standard steps in the Boston Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) Article 80 review for large projects. This includes detailed filings on all aspects of the project, community engagement and expert review from key city agencies,” Oxford Properties Group’s statement wrote.
Currently, Oxford Properties Group is in another public commenting period that started on December 16, 2020 and will run until March 31, 2021, but some local’s concerns have stayed the same across both commenting periods. Arturo Gossage, a member of the Chinatown Residents Association, said the primary concern of Chinatown residents is the intended use for the development.
“A lot of residents don’t want there to be a biolab there,” Gossage said. “They want to see more housing built in that area, and they want things like the Asian grocery store and restaurants like Hei La Moon to remain behind.”
And while Oxford Properties Group has not yet implemented housing into their plans — the development is still entirely commercial. Thanks to Boston’s development linkage program, the developers are required to pay $15.39 per square foot of the development, which will go towards funding affordable housing programs. According to the Feb. 18 public meeting, they said 2.8 million linkage money will be generated.
Oxford Properties Groups also defends that their development will bring “new and better visual and physical community connections.”
McGowan said, “New and wider sidewalks, more plantings, and lighting that links the area with The Greenway will make the site much more pedestrian-friendly, with natural locations for the neighborhood to gather and activate.”
Jacqueline Church, a member of the Leather District Neighborhood Association (LDNA) and other long-time residents, however, feel that the development will have “a visual feel of walling off our neighborhood [Leather District] from Chinatown.”
At the moment, the primary concern of most residents is that feeling of disconnect from other parts of Chinatown. In a public virtual meeting held on February 18, 2021, Wenyin Kao*, a local resident, brought up worries about the future of Hei La Moon, which will most likely have to relocate due to disruption that construction on the development would cause. “Hei La Moon is a place for Chinatown community members to be, and now [Oxford Properties Group] is displacing them,” Kao said.
Oxford Properties Group wrote in their presentation during the meeting that they are working closely together with Hei La Moon in ensuring a “successful transition,” and that they specifically will help in finding a new spot for the restaurant as well as provide financial support for the move. While it was not vocally addressed during the meeting, it was written on their presentation that this is what they plan on doing.
The current public commenting period ends on March 31st. If you would like to submit a comment, please visit this BPDA’s website through this link. If you would like to comment on this project for the next Sampan article, please email editor@sampan.org and tell us what you think.
