News

Video: $1 billion development proposed to reshape downtown Quincy

Posted March 02, 2009 10:00 pm

Jennifer Mann

You might not see a Whole Foods, but Trader Joe's is in the realm of possibility. Neiman Marcus isn't quite Quincy Center, but Target might fit perfectly. There could be a hotel or two, a wellness center, an influx of condominiums and office space. Quincy's historical footprint would shine.

Most everything is on the table, as city officials, residents and businesses begin digesting an ambitious proposal to transform downtown, one that could cost $1 billion and stretch over years, if not decades, before it's complete.

It's all about "stuff that's real," said Richard Heapes, a partner and co-founder of Street-Works Development Group of White Plains, N.Y. "This is, and will remain, an everyday life kind of place."

On Monday, Street-Works representatives gave their first public presentation of an urban design plan that began percolating in 2004, when the company arrived in Quincy to find Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. a permanent home base.

Heapes and other Street Works representatives met with The Patriot Ledger to offer a sneak peek of their design, which will evolve through rounds of public hearings and meetings with city officials. The city also offered information relative to the design, and how it builds upon plans that have been years in the making.

Heapes said the public planning will continue long after they get a formal designation from the city and state to develop downtown.

"This will be a conversation for years to come," he said.

Street-Works has hired Jim Borghesani of PrimePoint Strategic Media to handle public relations in respect to the project. Borghesani was chief political consultant on Mayor Thomas Koch's 2007 campaign. At the time, he was deputy general manager for the public relations firm Regan Communications.

Heapes said Street-Works is eyeing an area of Quincy Center that is roughly bound by the new concourse to the Quincy Center T station, and Burgin Parkway to Washington Street.

The company has spent $15 million to date in property acquisition, planning, and other costs, according to Heapes. But he declined to give many specifics, beyond acknowledging an $8 million purchase of the former Granite Trust Building and $500,000 for surveying the area for underground utilities, storm drains and pipes.

According to Heapes, the firm has 70 percent of its planned redevelopment area under control. That includes city properties, Stop & Shop properties, and agreements to either purchase properties or to partner with existing owners.

Heapes declined to name specific properties that have been bought or those that are under consideration to be part of the plan while negotiations and acquisitions are ongoing. The Patriot Ledger contacted dozens of property owners in the area, but none who were reached said they had been contacted by Street-Works or had agreed to sell.

Downtown office expansion would be anchored by a new building, up to 20 stories tall, at what would be 1440 Hancock Street, near the intersection of Cottage and Hancock streets, according to Street-Works.

The building would surround an internal parking garage, where the parking lot behind the Granite Trust building is now. Heapes said that landmark building is not as suitable for major office space because of its size and structure, but might be ideal for condominiums. The company is considering adding a residential component behind the building, or a hotel.

Larger retailers, including some department store types, would be pooled in the area surrounding what is now the Ross parking garage, which would be demolished. Heapes did not give specific names; tenants in the firm's other developments have included Crate and Barrel, Barnes and Noble and movie theaters.

Street-Works said it also wants to bring at least 1,000 new residential units to Quincy Center, ranging from rental to ownership, and flats to lofts.

Heaps said he hoped there would be a "wellness center," with a health club and hospital component, possibly through a partnership with Quincy Medical Center. Four additional parking garages, four to five stories high, would be scattered around the downtown area, Street-Works said.

The company estimates at the end of the day it will make $1 billion in private sector investments over a 10- to 15-year period, not including $200 million to $300 million in public sector improvements.

City planning director Dennis Harrington said revitalizing the city center will put more eyes on the street, which can reduce crime and work to further attract businesses and residents. A vital downtown can also improve property values in surrounding neighborhoods, which means the city as a whole benefits, he said.

Jennifer Mann may be reached at jmann@ledger.com . SIX KEYS TO THE PROJECT

Office space: A major office expansion at 1440 Hancock Street, up to 20-stories tall. A wellness center, with a health club and hospital components. A permanent home for Quincy College.

Retail: Large-format retail to help anchor Hancock Street. A restaurant component. About 35 percent service-oriented (your butcher, wine store, deli). Another 30 to 40 percent larger retailers, movies or soft goods. Department store retailers.

Housing: A minimum of 1,000 units, from condominiums to rental, from lofts to flats Parking Five garages, four to five stories each.

Consumer-friendly: Oriented toward the suburban customer; all managed by one entity, either public or private.

Public space: Across Hancock Street at the foot of city hall, with benches, lighting, trees. The pedestrian-friendly area would connect three historical landmarks - Hancock Cemetery, Old City Hall and the United First Parish Church - creating a convenient path for train commuters to walk downtown.

Traffic: A new downtown concourse, a city effort that is already underway, will create a clean east-west path through the downtown area.

CATEGORY: x01 Develop Quincy project

Article Comments

Article Categories
News