WENTWORTH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Community Task Force Meeting Watson Auditorium, Watson Hall Tuesday, June 19, 2012 Minutes Task Force: Wentworth: Public: Matilda Drayton, Pat Flaherty, Constantine Kechris, Judie Mercer, Carrie Simon, Sheneal Parker, Adeline Stallings Joe Boston, Director, Center for Community & Learning Partnerships Jamie Kelly, Director, Public Affairs Mary Ollinger, Budget & Office Manager Sandy Pascal, Associate VP, Community Relations & External Affairs David A. Wahlstrom, Vice President, Business Robert Stansell, Design Consultant, Beacon Architectural Associates Dick Towle, Master Plan Consultant, Towle & Associates Annamaria Wenner, Associate VP for Student Affairs Ulla Hester, MASCO Alison Pultinas, Mission Hill resident Katie Lauretano, Representative Sanchez s Office Johanna Sena, Councilor Ross s Office Shaina Aubourg, Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services Katelyn Sullivan, Boston Redevelopment Authority Welcome and Overview of Process Katelyn Sullivan called the meeting to order at approximately 6:15pm. She welcomed the attendees and went over the agenda. She said the main reason for the meeting is to catch up on IMP projects and to go over plans for the 525 Huntington Avenue dormitory. She reminded everyone that the dormitory project at 525 Huntington had been approved in the Institutional Master Plan ( IMP ), and would now need to go through the process of Large Project Review. So while the use, massing, and location for the dormitory had been approved in the IMP, the Large Project Review process will examine the impacts of the project on the community, including materials, design, landscaping, noise, wind, employment generated, etc. She distributed a flow chart of the Large Project review process (attached) and reviewed the steps. Dick noted that the steps on the flow chart line up with the schedule that will be discussed later in the meeting. Update on Current IMP Projects Dave Wahlstrom welcomed everyone back to Wentworth. He reviewed the five projects approved in the IMP in January of 2011: 1. Flanagan Campus Center 2. Center for Sciences and Biomedical Engineering 3. Residence Hall at 525 Huntington Avenue 4. Academic Building (on the quad) 5. Proposed relocation of Sweeney Field, onto a deck above the Parker Street Parking Lot
He added that the work currently happening on Sweeney Field is the replacement of the 15-year old turf. Dave spoke briefly about each of the five projects, starting with the ground breaking ceremonies for the Flanagan Campus Center and the Center for Sciences and Biomedical Engineering in May of 2011. In March of 2012, the first floor and front addition ( pavilion ) of the Flanagan Campus Center were opened, as well as a temporary dining area. Both projects are on track to open in the Fall. Dave emphasized the value of these new facilities, specifically the Flanagan Campus Center as an amenity to support the residential campus. Wrapping up the IMP update, Dave noted that the academic building would likely happen in the second half of the IMP, and that the relocation of Sweeney Field is dependent on what happens down the line. Apartments @ 525 Schedule and Process Dick Towle reiterated the significance of the Flanagan Campus Center for attracting students to campus for their weekend and evening activities. He credited Annamaria Wenner for her expansive programming, and noted that this hub of activity is crucial for attracting students onto campus to live. Dick noted that Wentworth still has approximately 375 students living in Boston neighborhoods, primarily in Mission Hill and the Fenway true commuters, not students living with their parents. He explained that this project is geared towards providing our older students with an affordable apartment-style option. The Apartments @ 525 would be comparable to high-end apartments, with kitchen amenities, laundry, dishwashers, high quality finishes, private bedrooms, and panoramic views of the downtown area. Additionally, as student housing, these units include utilities, cable, security, internet, student life programming, and general supervision. Further, students would have the option of either a 9 or 12 month lease. Dick noted the average Room & Board would be approximately $12k per year. With utilities included, this is nearly 50% lower than a comparable market apartment rental, which would be closer to $18k. Dick explained that the building will be approximately 112,000 SF and 84 feet high (7 stories), with 72 units (52 4-bedroom units, 19 5-bedroom units, and 1 1-bedroom unit for the Resident Director). He added that approximately 70% of the rooms will be singles and 30% will be doubles, for a total of 305 beds. Additionally, he explained that the building would have a small park at the entryway on Huntington Avenue of approximately 2,200 SF. At this point, Dick went through the draft large project review schedule that was handed out for the Student Residence @ 525 (attached) working towards the goal of opening in the Fall of 2014. Sheneal asked for clarification about what project(s) are going through the large project review. Dick said it was only the Student Residence at 525 Huntington. He explained that while the overall zoning was approved in the IMP, the Large Project Review requires a number of studies be done to ensure the building complies with state laws, and to examine the impacts of the new building, including shadow, wind, glare, hazardous materials, and it s green approach. Dick presented an early massing study of the building to give a sense of the general building shape. He reviewed the ground level floor plan (noting that the ground level would be very transparent, keeping with the commitment in the IMP) as well as a typical floor plan for floors 2 through 7.
Pat asked if all of the beds would be for Wentworth students, and Dick said they would. He added that we made a commitment to house 97% of our students seeking housing in the City of Boston and this project would house 304 of the 375 students remaining in the neighborhood. Sheneal inquired about the process for notifying neighborhood residents about project-related construction job opportunities, noting that the Fenway residents were not notified with the last projects. Dick spoke briefly about Wentworth s commitment to hiring neighboring residents, saying that they would work with Sandy, the City of Boston, and the various subcontractors and unions to try to make this happen, as these will be union jobs. He also explained that this project would fall under the Boston Jobs program, which requires 50% of workers be Boston residents. Matilda asked if it would be possible to make sure the jobs are specifically going to Mission Hill/Fenway area residents. Dick noted that is what Wentworth would like, adding that they would work with the subcontractors and union halls. Katelyn explained that, with this being a large project, Wentworth has to enter into a Construction Management Plan, which requires the construction site labor force to be 50% Boston residents, 25% minorities, and 15% women. Pat added that, as part of your contract, it can be requested that the reporting requirement be by zip code so that we can also keep track of how many local Mission Hill/Fenway people are employed. Dick said that Wentworth would put that in the RFP. Sheneal noted that as part of the IMP process there was a discussion about hiring a community liaison, to make sure that happened, and to help oversee the process, voicing her commitment to getting residents jobs for the entirety of the project. Dick agreed, reiterating Wentworth s commitment, noting that Wentworth will hire someone, either directly or through the general contractor, to be responsible for achieving those goals. Allison Pultinas asked a question about the possibility of waiving steps in the Large Project Review process. Katelyn explained that the intent is that if the BRA finds the Draft Project Impact Report (DPIR) to be fairly complete and responds to any issues in the Scoping Determination, it may issue the Preliminary Adequacy Determination (PAD), waiving further review. Dick added that it is Wentworth s intent to submit a DPIR that satisfies all the requirements, so it will be adequate and accepted as the Final Project Impact Report (FPIR), with the scoping and comments being studied and/or addressed. Allison noted that it seemed like there was an opportunity for a green roof on the Student Residence @ 525, and wondered whether than had been considered. She also asked whether there was a chance to widen the sidewalks on Louis Prang. Dick responded that as it is currently designed, the building will go to the property line in order to get the beds in and make efficient use of the space. As for a green roof, Dick said it had not been discussed at this point and would need to be examined for feasibility, adding that Wentworth is looking for a silver level LEED certification so they will be looking for green opportunities. Allison asked if the students living there would need to have a meal plan. Dick said they would have a very basic meal plan, approximately $300 per semester, which would allow them to grab about 1 meal a day. Annamaria and Dave noted that the higher meal plans are currently $600 and $1,165 per semester. Future Development of Sweeney Field Dick noted that in the IMP, Wentworth described a potential future development at Sweeney Field, but did not seek any approvals; in order to move forward Wentworth would need to go through a separate process. Dick said that the discussion tonight would be the beginning of that process. He described a 631,000 square foot office, research, and retail facility, which would be
anchored by a Wentworth Center for Innovation in Engineering & Technology (78,000 square feet). The Wentworth-run Innovation Center would study high impact ideas and technologies and the feasibility of bringing them to market. Additionally, Wentworth hopes the Center will attract technology tenants, looking to be close to the Innovation Center, Wentworth, Longwood, and Northeastern. In addition to the 78,000 Innovation Center, there would be 539,000 square feet of office and research space, as well as 14,000 square feet of retail along Huntington. Dick described pedestrian portals through the site, connecting Huntington Avenue to Northeastern s West Village and Ruggles. While the project will capitalize on public transportation, Dick noted that there will be approximately 490 parking spaces below grade. Dick explained that this development will need to go through a Planned Development Review process, similar to the process for Parcel 25. He noted that a number of the things studied for the IMP would need to be studied for this site, as well as the uses, and how they would work. Dick explained that that the underlying zoning for Mission Hill (Article 59) would need to be amended to permit a Planned Development Area on the site. Dick elaborated on the positive economic impact this project would have on the greater City of Boston as well as in the neighborhood (including potentially using linkage dollars for Parcel 25 and school-to-work programs), noting the major commitment by Wentworth to anchor the site with something that will energize it in terms of the innovation center. He suggested having a Task Force Meeting sometime in August devoted to developing a schedule and looking at some early conceptual approaches. Pat asked about a developer, and Dick responded that once Wentworth has an approved PDA, they would put out an RFP for a joint development entity or partner. He added that, as Wentworth will be one of the primary tenants, they are looking for a high quality developer. Allison said she had initially thought this project involved a parking garage. Dick explained that there would be 490 spaces below grade, which is approximately ¾ of a space per thousand square feet, but as the project links two transportation lines, they want to emphasize the elements of smart growth. Allison asked if there have been conversation with the Museum of Fine Arts ( MFA ). Dick responded that there had, and that the current conceptual design has the height biased away from the MFA, with the highest section being on the corner of Parker and Ruggles. He added that the lower section, along Huntington Avenue, would be about 6 stories and the highest section as high as 18 stories. He also noted that, in keeping with the promises made in the IMP, the plan is to have the ground floor be relatively transparent with lots of glass and limited brick walls. He noted that he would have more to present at the meeting in August, and that the Task Force would have a chance to react to the actual conceptual approaches. Pat asked about the retail space, noting that she did not remember it being as prominent in the previous discussions. Dick concurred, and Dick agreed, and said that after some discussions internally, and with the urban design staff at the BRA, it was felt there was an opportunity to do something fairly substantial with retail that could really enliven the area. Pat asked how the 14,000 square feet would be broken up, and Dick responded that that was yet to be determined. Pat voiced her concern about big box users and traffic generation, noting that how the space is defined and the user would be critical. Dick agreed, adding that Wentworth was looking for amenities that would support the campus, the neighborhood, and the actual development, adding that convenience services and dining would likely be the focus.
Allison asked if the construction of the new athletic field would be happening at the same time as the development. Dick explained that the process of studying the athletic field would happen as this project starts moving ahead, and we have the appropriate guidance and scoping. He added that through the discussions of the IMP, the athletic field was developed to almost a schematic level, so everyone could get comfortable with the idea. So once it looked like this development was starting to move ahead, Wentworth would resume discussions about the athletic field, hopefully in such a way to prevent a break in service of the field. He added that the athletic field would need to go through a Large Project Review process, similar to the process discussed earlier with the Apartments @ 525 Student Residence. Constantine asked about the elevation at the corner of Parker and Ruggles. Dick said it would be approximately 18 stories, adding that they would have some conceptual approaches to the site at the meeting in August. Pat asked if Wentworth had a broader schedule in mind for this project. Dick explained that ideally, they would like to complete the PDA process this year or early next year, which would enable them to reach out to a potential partner in 2013. He added that they want to do it right, and work with the BRA and the Task Force, and that hopefully at the meeting in August they would be able to develop a reasonable schedule. Questions/Comments Katelyn checked availability and confirmed Tuesday, July 31 st as the date for the Community Meeting, with the location to be determined. Dick added that the Task Force members would be contacted about their availability for a Task Force Meeting in August to discuss the schedule and preliminary conceptual designs for the Future Development of Sweeney Field With no further questions, the meeting adjourned at approximately 7:30pm.