Sustainable Land Development Today - February 2008 - (Page 16) REDEVELOPMENT Westwood Station’s residential, commercial and retail components are clustered and scaled to maximize land use and livability. Going GREEN in Beantown Sustainable, transit-oriented development may rewrite the book on mixed-use projects in suburban America. By Eileen Mozinski Its proponents say Westwood Station is a project that is unmatched in the northeastern part of the U.S. and is setting the stage for others considering mixed-use developments. Construction is getting underway on the 4.5 million square foot project that includes an eclectic mix of offices, shops, restaurants and luxury condominiums. Westwood Station rests along Route 128 and Interstate 95 and the MBTA/Amtrack commuter rail, which means easy access to downtown Boston, Massachusetts, and several other east coast cities. The 135-acre development was approved by the state late last year. The project is comprised of 1.5 million square feet of office space, 1.35 million square feet of retail space, 1,000 residential units and two hotels. Since it is surrounded by landscaped, public open space so rare in the area, the project developers feel the unique development is without a match in the region. The Commonwealth issued a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the project in early November 2007, clearing the ways for work to get underway. “Having the major project approvals is a huge milestone,” Doherty said, adding that developments are daunting in Massachusetts, a state where large projects have a 90 percent rate of rejection. “Our infrastructure here is so old. When you come in to do a major project, you’re dealing with an enormous amount of problems,” Doherty said. Over a period of several months, he assembled the properties for the development and brought together the design and development team and investors. Along with his firm, Commonfund Realty, Inc. and New England Development are serving as the project’s joint-venture partners. While unique to the Boston area, the project also was an inaugural task for Doherty in some respects since much of his development experience has been in or around the state’s mass transit system. That experience proved essential in taking on the Westwood project in a part of the country where available land is scarce. “I’ve done a lot more land assemblage in the greater Boston area than most developers,” he said. Going Green The project will include a threepronged sustainability program, which involves transit access, water conservation and recharging program, and green buildings. “It’s a highly desirable way to develop, despite the complexity,” Doherty said. Westwood Station will include a solar demonstration project similiar to this one installed on the roof of a Phase 1 office building. A Developer with a Flair for Assembling Land Jay Doherty, president of real estate firm Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, the project’s developer, admits that the scope of the task is intimidating, but he has a real sense of pride in how much has been accomplished. The nearby rail station provides service to downtown Boston in less than 20 minutes, as well as Amtrak routes to New York City and Providence, Rhode Island according to Abe Menzin, project manager and director of environmental issues for the project. The infrastructure improvements are budgeted at around $120 million, which 16 February 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today
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