Utile selected for the Downtown Boston Greenway District Study
Utile was selected by the Boston Redevelopment Authority to lead an ambitious new planning initiative in Downtown Boston. As the BRA Request for Proposal states: The study seeks to develop guiding urban design and planning principles for the new Greenway District focused around the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The study will examine potential development opportunities; identify and define height, density, and use guidelines; and develop scenarios for future development in the area. The study will include an assessment of impacts of density and height on the Rose Kennedy Greenway as well as the adjoining districts/neighborhoods.
The study will include recommendations for sustainable design guidelines for the District in keeping with Mayor Thomas Menino’s recently announced Government Center Green Growth District.
Utile’s work will also explore an innovative parking policy that reduces commuter and special event car use Downtown, achievable because the area is well-served by mass transit. Parking policy is being prioritized because three potential development sites within the study area are currently publicly accessible parking garages with a total capacity of 4378 cars. A development proposal to replace one of them, the 2300-car Government Center Garage, is active right now and is being vetted by the developer/owner Raymond Properties in a series of informal community meetings.
Utile will be collaborating with Ken Greenberg, a Toronto-based urban designer; HR&A, a Manhattan-based real estate and economic development advisory firm; and the Boston office of Nelson Nygaard, a nationally recognized transportation planning firm.
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