Details of a proposed office-to-residential redevelopment project that would transform an 11-story, block-long building at 31 St. James Ave. in the Back Bay into 476 residential units were discussed during a city-sponsored meeting held virtually on Oct. 14.
The Vanbarton Group, a New York-based real estate firm that specializes in office-to-residential redevelopment projects, intends to convert the building into housing while maintaining 12,000 square feet of existing ground-floor restaurant space, said Todd Dundon, a principal with the Boston architectural firm, Gensler.
The proposed residential-unit mix, said Dundon, comprises 140 studios; 198 one-bedrooms; 58 one-bedrooms with home offices; 70 two-bedrooms; and 10 three-bedrooms. The units would all be located on the building’s second through top (11th) floors, with no housing on the ground level. No parking will be created on site via the project, he said.
Also, ground-floor retail space would be increased from 25,000 square feet today to 29,000 square feet, said Dundon, while existing basement space will be converted into residential amenity space. The project also includes plans for 8,000 square feet of rooftop amenities, including residential access to a new rooftop terrace.
The building’s existing historic entrance on St. James Avenue will remain the project’s main point of entry, said Dundon, while two new “satellite” entrances will be created to provide residents access to the elevators.
The so-called ‘Park Square Building,’ which is bordered by St. James Avenue to its south, Providence Street to its north, Berkeley Street to its west, and Arlington Street to its east, was once the largest structure in New England. The building has reportedly struggled financially since the pandemic, however, and it was sold in April at foreclosure for $95 million to LNR Partners, a Miami-based subsidiary of commercial real estate giant Starwood Property Trust.
This project proposal comes in response to the city’s Downtown Conversion Pilot Program, which was launched in October 2023 to help facilitate the post-pandemic transformation of unutilized office space into new residential units.
The city’s public comment period for the proposed redevelopment project runs through Oct. 26; comments can be submitted via the city’s project page at https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/140-providence-street, or email them to: Dylan Norris, project manager, at [email protected].