by The long wait is over: Tremont Crossing development is now ready to move forward
This ambitious project will utilize the 8-acre city-owned land located in no less than the very heart of Roxbury, Massachusetts. After several years, the developer led by Feldco Development Corp. with an equity partnership with Landmark Properties on the first phase of development have received the long-awaited approval from The Boston Planning & Development Agency and is now gearing for the second phase of the project.
The Tremont Crossing before the development plan
The prominent landmarks around the neighborhood of Tremont Crossing is the Northeastern University, Harvard Medical School, and Museum fine arts, among others. This parcel of land along the Southwest Corridor between Jackson Square and Ruggles Street is the geographical center of Boston and is historically important. The empty lot had a long history before getting developed. The site was supposedly vacated to create a highway in the geographic center of Roxbury during the 1960s for the extension of Interstate 95 into the city. But after the neighborhood activism sparked when people literally stood in front of bulldozers, the government was forced to ultimately abandon the project. Prior to the approval of the project, this huge piece of land was vacant, fenced and gave freedom for wild plants to grow for over 500 years. But there are better opportunities that await for this area than to be a wasteland.
How the Tremont Crossing will become an important part of Boston Development
This highly anticipated project is expected to have something for everything, a place for people to come, live, and learn. Tremont Crossing proudly boasts its “City within a City” substantial design with over 727 rental residential units ranging from studios to three-bedrooms including nine townhouses along Whittier Street, 108,000 square feet of office space. There will also be a central public plaza, 405,808 square feet available to be rented out as commercial space for retail brand, including Bj’s Wholesale Club which is a much needed supermarket around the area are only a few of the spaces expected to rise in the most awaited Tremont Crossing.
As Roxbury is hailed as the “center for Black Culture in Boston”, it boasts an allotted 31,000 square feet for National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAA) museum and other cultural facilities. Not only will people get to see modern structures, but they will also get a chance to embrace and look back to an integral part of Boston’s history through this initiative. This museum is in addition to another historical treasure found around the vicinity which is the Roxbury Center for the Arts, Culture, and Trade, which opened in 2005.
Tremont Crossing is a very promising project in terms of the economic gain that it will be contributing. This “City within a City” designed project is expected to provide over 2,000 job opportunities in the construction phase of the project that will last for 2 years and thousand jobs as well during when the it will be functional. Aside from this great benefit, there will also be a substantial percentage of the residential areas that will remain low-cost, and even a big part of it will be made available for residents of Roxbury.
Tremont Crossing has had its ups and downs before this most awaited news. There had been delays, several redesigns that took 5 years in the making to get an approval, and hurdles before the project finally commenced. But finally, the long wait is over. This long-awaited development project in Roxbury is now ready to move forward towards bigger milestones.
