BPDA Approves Downtown Life Sciences Building

In an effort to revitalize and reoccupy an existing building on Atlantic Avenue, the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) board approved plans to create a life sciences hub in Downtown Boston.

Last week the BPDA board voted in favor of the project at 745 Atlantic Ave. The project will renovate the existing building on Atlantic Avenue and change the use of the existing downtown building to allow for lab space, research and development, as well as offices.

According to the BPDA approval, the ground floor will also include food and beverage retail space.

“This change in use is estimated to bring more than 600 new permanent jobs to the area, in addition to approximately 300 construction jobs,” wrote the BPDA in its decision. “As part of the community benefits for this project, the development team will contribute $50,000 to MassBio Education to support their Apprenticeship Program or BioTeach program, providing STEM education resources and a pathway to biotech and life science jobs for Boston residents.”

The project will also generate $791,700 toward affordable housing, as well as $145,551 toward workforce development in linkage fees, and $75,000 to the City’s Bluebikes program.

The project will also contribute $25,000 to the Leather District Neighborhood Association to fund Leather District infrastructure and streetscape improvements such as additional sidewalk repairs, new lighting, or street trees.

The project will also be required to provide daycare facilities either onsite or in another location in the City. Renovations of this building will make it more energy efficient, and the project aims to reduce overall energy consumption.

In regards to sustainability the developers hope to achieve LEED Gold through the reuse of the existing structure and add new high performance HVAC systems. This will significantly lower the building’s carbon emissions. There will also be an EV charging station and car sharing for employees.

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