The state issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on Wednesday for the design and development of an air-rights project at Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue.
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the MBTA are seeking development proposals for Parcel 13, which consists of approximately 54,500 square feet of air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike and portions of the MBTA Green Line tunnel across the street from the Hynes Convention Center, according to a MassDOT press release.
The adjacent MBTA Hynes Convention Center Station, which accommodates around 8,950 customers each week day, doesn’t comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility requirements, making it the busiest Green Line station not currently accessible to people with disabilities.
The RFP is seeking a single developer for Parcel 13 and accessibility improvements to the station.
MassDOT funds supplemented by the rent from a long-term lease with the developer will underwrite station design, construction and improvements, MassDOT officials said.
“This unique development opportunity will continue the transformation of this critical Back Bay intersection along the Turnpike while providing a state-of-the-art, accessible T station,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey. “We thank the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Citizens Advisory Committee for their assistance and support in moving this project forward.”
MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott added, “This exciting project will deliver historic improvements for our Back Bay area customers and continue our commitment to making our services accessible to all riders. Developing this prime parcel and Hynes Station together has the added benefit of reducing the costs of providing a new, accessible station.”
Responses to the RFP are due Nov. 7, and MassDOT said construction, which is expected to take two to three years to complete, should start in 2017, and visit MassDOT at www.mass.gov/massdot for more information.