Beacon Hill Civic Association Community Corner

Beacon Hill Community Fund Grant Award Winners to be Recognized

At the December 14th BHCA Board of Directors meeting*, these organizations and members of our community will be recognized for their winning proposals submitted to the Beacon Hill Community Fund, totaling $29,500:

1. Beacon Hill Seminars: $2,000 for investment in technology to continue to expand online courses

2. Big Sister Association of Greater Boston: $2,500 to help support the wellbeing of girls in Beacon Hill and beyond

3. Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program: $2,500 to support the Food Program for homeless patients

4. Boston Landmarks Orchestra: $2,500 for the Summer 2021 season of concerts at the Hatch Shell

5. Friday Night Supper Program: $2,500 to support operating expenses allowing for weekly meals and other needs for homeless in Boston

6. Hill House, Inc.: $2,500 to sponsor 6 youths from 250 Cambridge Street to the Hill House 2021 summer camps

7. International Women’s Writing Guild: $2,000 to support the creation and distribution of an anthology written by girls of color and their mentors in Boston

8. Museum of African American History: $5,000 to expand distance learning opportunities and a more robust website

9. Old West Church: $3,000 for freezer storage to enable longer edible life and an increase in bi-weekly food offering for displaced, elderly and food-insecure people

10. Piers Park Sailing Center: $2,500 for year-round support of programs in marine science, climate leadership, sail training, and water safety

11. The Simple Things: $2,500 to provide masks and cold weather necessities such as socks, hand warmers and survival blankets

*This meeting will be held via Zoom. Please contact the BHCA at [email protected] for joining instructions.

More information about the Fund can be found at bhcivic.org/community-fund.

State to Seek Proposals for Redevelopment of Hurley Building

Bruce Kiernan, BHCA Director and Chair of the Oversight & Planning Committee

The state continues to move through its process for the redevelopment of the Hurley Building at Cambridge and Staniford Streets. In November, a virtual public meeting was held to discuss the draft Design Guidelines for the redevelopment, with about 230 people participating. On December 17th, a second public virtual meeting will be held to review the Project Proposal, which will be submitted to obtain formal approval to begin soliciting proposals for the site.

When redevelopment proposals are received, in mid- to late 2021, community members will be invited to discuss more specific aspects of the proposals. The redevelopment provides an opportunity to substantially improve the use and design of this prominent site. However, nearby residents have expressed concerns about the project, such as the uses included on the site; the size and massing of the building; preservation or reuse of the existing building; and traffic generated by the development. (For more information, see the state web page at bit.ly/hurleyproject. The draft Design Guidelines and Project Proposal are available at bit.ly/hurleydocs.)

The current timeline for the project is to identify a redevelopment partner during 2021, and to begin construction in 2023. The redevelopment partner for the site is expected to build replacement office space for the state, as well as additional office space for private use. That would allow the state to consolidate office space it currently leases at other locations in the downtown area. The site is zoned for up to four to five times the current floor area (up to 1.2 million net square feet), with heights of 125 feet along the street edges and 400 feet on the interior.

The Hurley state office was completed in 1971, and currently has about 241,000 usable square feet and 327,000 total square feet; has about 625 occupants; is about 50 to 70 feet in height; and shares 200 parking spaces with the adjacent Lindemann Building. The Lindemann Health Center would continue to operate, and is not part of this redevelopment process. However, it is a goal of the project to improve the open spaces around the Lindemann, and to convert the parking lot at Merrimac Street to a park.

The public can submit written comments by email, to [email protected], or by mail to: Abigail Vladeck, DCAMM Project Manager, One Ashburton Place, 15th Floor, Boston, MA 02108.

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