Herald Site Redevelopment Moving Forward

Plans to transform the site on Harrison Avenue into a mixed-use development are underway after an attorney for the project filed a letter of intent with the Boston Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday.

The project, led by Newton’s National Development in partnership with Herald Publisher Patrick Purcell, will include 262 residential units, 63,000 square feet of retail space, underground resident parking and a slew of environmentally friendly features.

“The site will be transformed from an inaccessible fenced-in city block to a vibrant 18 hour mixed-use complex,” attorney Marc LaCasse wrote in a letter to BRA Director Peter Meade.

A project notification form is expected to be filed later this month, triggering the BRA's review process.

The redevelopment will bring major changes to the six-acre parcel, which has been home to the Boston Herald for half a century but underutilized in recent years as printing operations were outsourced. The Herald will relocate to an undetermined location by the end of the year, according to National Development's Ted Tye.

Meanwhile, development plans for the site will enliven an area considered a gateway to the South End, Tye said. Plans include retail space for a grocery store, restaurant/café and smaller businesses, 192 outdoor parking spaces for shoppers as well as bike racks, Zip Car stations and pedestrian friendly landscaping.

“We’re trying to create a really active site where there’s a very vibrant streetscape,” he said. “There’s lights on there’s things happening."

On Thursday, Tye said the overall concept for the development remains consistent with plans presented in April, although certain architectural elements have been refined. Drawings by architect Elkus Manfredi met with criticism from some stakeholders in April who said the project lacked ambition. Tye said his firm met with neighbors and property owners in the months leading up to Tuesday’s filing.

“We met with a number of abutting property owners and stakeholders, we have a tremendous amount of feedback from the neighborhood,” he said. “All of the feedback has been incorporated into our plans.”

The project still needs approval from the BRA and other city departments before construction can begin. Tye anticipates breaking ground on the project in the first quarter of 2012.