Known for the Green Monster and the iconic Citgo sign, Fenway might be undergoing a 2.1 million square foot redevelopment. It would transform Van Ness Street, Brookline Street, Jersey Street, and Lansdowne Street into office, residential, and retail spaces. The goal is to turn the hallowed streets of Fenway into a metropolis of people, retail and commerce.
The project was proposed by WS-Fenway-Twins Realty Venture, a collaboration between Fenway Sports Group Real Estate and the D’Angelo family, owners of the Red Sox Team Store on Jersey Street. Of the 2.1 million square feet of redevelopment, 1.6 million will go to offices/research, 200,000 will go to residential areas, and another 200,000 will go to retail spaces. According to the Project Notification Form, the project will begin in 2022 and will take five to seven years to complete.
The proponents have described the redevelopment as “an exceptionally high-quality urban design outcome, which will benefit those who live and work in the Fenway neighborhood, as well as the city of Boston.” They have asserted that the project would yield “four acres of pedestrian-oriented public realm,” would serve as a “model of sustainable and resilient development,” and would create “an estimated 25 million… from income tax.”
Miki Rierson, Housing Counselor at Asian American Civic Association, says that redevelopment typically leads to rising house prices. However, in this case, she hopes it will also lead to an increase in affordable housing units. “Traditionally, a lot of these big restructuring or redevelopment programs have not considered [affordable housing]. And if they have, it has been an afterthought,” says Rierson. “I am hopeful some of these residential spaces will be made affordable.” According to the notification form, of the 215 new residential areas, 30 will be made affordable.
Fenway residents James Smith and Holly Berry are worried about the redevelopment, but can see the benefits of it. They are both members of the Fenway Community Development Corporation’s Organizing Committee, and have been Fenway residents for many years. “The high rises go up, and the rent is increasing… It’s come to the point where everything is so congested,” said Smith. “The traffic is already a mess over here.”
Both Smith and Berry acknowledged impact transit studies done for each individual project, but were unsure whether there would be an impact study on the combination of the seventeen projects in Fenway. “It’s going to be traumatic going through Boston,” said Berry.
The developer, Yanni, had come to Fenway to reach out to the community groups and listened to their concerns on the project. According to Berry, “The developer has been instrumental in reaching out to the neighborhood and making his plans pretty clear… He’s had meetings with several of the Fenway groups already.” However, Berry and Smith made it very apparent that they wanted a long-term relationship with the developers, and hoped that it would continue even after the construction.
Another of their concerns was the retail stores opening in Fenway. “Our interest is in affordable housing and inclusiveness. That means being proactive about keeping family and actual residents here,” said Berry. Smith also raised concerns about the uses of the retail spaces, asking if the shops will be “family-friendly” or if they would build shops for baseball and tourists. Smith hopes that Fenway will keep its current rapport with the community, “everybody knows one another.” He supports a family-orientated neighborhood because families will stay and be a part of a community longer. “See when you have it like a hotel, people moving in, people moving out… I don’t feel it’s a good thing,” says Smith.
As one of the top destinations in Boston, Fenway’s redevelopment will attract many people from places all across the world. What remains to be answered is whether the development will positively impact the Fenway community. Only the future will hold the answers.
Photo courtesy of Melikamp, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
