Kenmore Hotel Tower Proposal For Traffic, Pedestrians, Bikers

KENMORE SQUARE, MA — Kenmore Square is undergoing some major changes, and it's not just about the Citgo sign. Since the days of those old-timey cars, the intersection at Comm Ave and Beacon Street meet, the square has been tricky for anyone not in a car to maneuver.

A new video outlines proposed improvements to make it easier for pedestrians, bikes and cars to get through the square - and around a proposed 300-foot tower.

The owner of the Citizens Bank building at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street, brought the new plan to an Impact Advisory meeting Tuesday.

The developer is proposing to take the parcel of land at 560-574 Commonwealth Avenue, where the bank currently sits, and replace it with by a new 24 story hotel tower, with 382 rooms.

The Chicago architecture firm Studio Gang depicts the building cutting into the skyline from a leafy plaza where now there is roadway and median.

Meanwhile, the property at 655-665 Beacon Street would also be replaced by a new 19-story hotel with some 295 rooms, according to city data.

But after some back and forth and public meetings, neighbors have expressed concern about traffic and what to do about pedestrians.

Kenmore Square, as anyone who has run, biked or walked there knows, is tricky for anyone not in a car. And because of the complicated main intersection, a full signal cycle takes almost 2 minutes, according to a new video from Cupola Media, "But offers pedestrians very little time to cross seven lanes of fast moving traffic."

The video suggests cutting redundant roadway and simplifying the intersection to address this. How? By moving the proposed hotel tower planned for the Citizen's Bank building site forward a bit and creating a jog for cars that they say could help.

They also propose protected bike lanes.

"It would put the square back into Kenmore Square," says Jeff Speck, of Speck & Associates on the road changes.

But none of this is set in stone, said Tim Czerwienski, who is a project manager for the Boston Planning and Development Agency.

Planning has been in the process since last March, but so much has changed since the original proposal that planners said they wanted to give community members a look at what's changed and take the temperature of residents.

"It's a project that's very interesting to us, but we're still in the middle of it," said Czerwienski.

The next step? The developer needs to file a formal application or a draft project impact report. But it's hard to tell when that might happen, said officials.

If this is a project to that the agency thinks is worthwhile, then they will include traffic analysis, environmental analysis and then begin a formal review process, he said.

Stay tuned until the department gets the actual filing document with more information.

"Whenever a developer comes out with renderings that are very pretty, everything seems really baked, but there's still some work and review to do," said Czerwienski.

Take a look at the video:

• Citgo Sign Staying in Boston
• Over 1000 Petition to Make Citgo Sign Boston Landmark
• Kenmore Square Citgo Sign Prepares For A Makeover

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Image courtesy Boston

Jenna Fisher / Patch. Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@Patch.com or on Twitter @ReporterJenna