The Copley Place Site is located at 100 Huntington Avenue, at the border of the South End and Back Bay. More specifically, the Site occupies the southwest corner of Stuart and Dartmouth Streets, and currently functions as a large brick paved entry plaza for Neiman Marcus and Copley Place.
In June of 2008 the Simon Property Group filed a Project Notification Form (PNF) proposing an expansion to the Copley Place Development, which was initially built on air rights above the Boston Extension of the Massachusetts Turnpike in the early 1980s. As part of the original Copley Place Development, there was consideration of additional retail space relative to what was eventually built.
In August of 2011, the proponent filed a Draft Project Impact Report (DPIR), which outlined the updated plans for the project, which includes approximately 115,000-SF of new retail and restaurant space. The expansion plans also include the addition of approximately 670,000-SF of new residential space, comprising 318 housing units, as well as improvements to the public realm surrounding the Copley Place Development in the vicinity of Dartmouth and Stuart Streets and the creation of a more welcoming entrance from the Southwest Corridor.
On November 17, 2011, the BRA Board approved the expansion project, a $500 million private investment project that will provide 1,700 construction jobs. The project’s Planned Development Area (PDA) Development Plan also received approval from the Boston Zoning Commission on December 14, 2011. The 318 residential units will be housed in a 47-story tower, which will be the tallest residential building in Boston at 625 feet. The proponent will create 48 new affordable housing units on site.
On July 16, 2013, Simon Property Group filed a Notice of Project Change (NPC), which outlined several changes to the project, which now includes: 680,000-SF of new residential space, comprising 542 housing units (including a minimum of 71 affordable units on-site), a smaller-scale expansion of the Neiman Marcus, and a larger-scale expansion of the project’s retail component. The building envelope and height remains the same, but due to modified construction techniques, will stand 52 stories tall.
The design will transform the brick-paved plaza entrance to Neiman Marcus into a multi-story atrium with a glass façade welcoming pedestrians into an indoor garden with programmed activities and channeling visitors and shoppers to the retail stores.
Simon Property Group has committed, at a minimum, to developing a landscaping plan for the Southwest Corridor Park that incorporates active uses along with a $250,000 contribution to the Southwest Corridor Park Conservancy. The developer has also committed a minimum of $1 million towards new public art and $250,000 to the Friends of Copley Square. It is anticipated that the project will appear before the BRA Board in the Fall of 2013.
The project will generate approximately $7.2 million in annual property tax revenue. Once the project breaks ground, construction will take an estimated 3 years.
Citizens Advisory Committee: The Copley Place Expansion Citizens Advisory Committee (CPECAC) is made up of residents, business owners, community organizations, and professionals. Mayor Thomas M. Menino appointed the CPECAC in May of 2008 to review and guide proposed development by the Simon Property Group at the Copley Place Site. The CPECAC will be responsible for assisting the BRA with review of development scenarios, urban design, transportation impacts, and mitigation during the Article 80 review process.
For more up-to-date information on the project and it’s Development Review status, please visit the Copley Place development project page.