Clarification: Mass Eye and Ear says the profit on the existing Storrow Drive parking lot it leases from the state is less than $500,000 a year. CommonWealth reported it was at least $500,000 a year.
The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary is proposing to build a four-story, 1,000-car garage underneath Storrow Drive and construct a park on top as part of a $170 million project that may also include an expansion of its offices out over the Charles Street Extension.
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| The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary parking lot along Storrow Drive. Photo by J. Cappuccio. |
The Infirmary’s proposal is modeled somewhat on the park at Post Office Square, where a nonprofit created by abutting businesses tore down an old, above-ground parking garage, moved the parking underground, and built a park on top. The difference with the park on Storrow Drive is that it would be set in the middle of a busy roadway system instead of in the heart of downtown.
Jennifer Street, a spokeswoman for the Infirmary, said the hospital is just starting to brief the public on its proposal and is open to modifications. The Infirmary has drafted legislation that would authorize the state to lease the land at market rates to the hospital for 99 years, and is working with lawmakers to get it filed. The Infirmary has hired former Senate President Robert Travaglini as its lobbyist.
Street said the Infirmary would be delighted if the legislation could be passed before the current session ends on July 31, but acknowledged that was a long shot. “This is truly an exploratory process for us,” she said.
The Infirmary is likely to face resistance from those who would prefer to see Storrow Drive moved and the Esplanade expanded outward rather than having a park created on top of an underground parking lot in the midst of a busy roadway system. Ken Kruckemeyer, an architect and former state official who has participated in Esplanade planning discussions, said the configuration of the Mass Eye and Ear’s proposed park, the adjoining office expansion, and the likelihood of increased traffic congestion give him pause.
“It seems to me it’s a lose-lose-lose on the part of the public,” he said. “The Mass Eye and Ear proposal, to my mind, is a nonstarter.”
Rep. Martha Walz, who represents the area in which the proposed park would be located, said the Infirmary’s proposed legislation will probably be revised after meetings with residents from the West End and Beacon Hill are held next week. “This is the very earliest stages of this conversation,” she said.
The project would require a realignment of Storrow Drive and its access ramps at Charles Circle. Plans also call for access to and from the parking garage to be direct from Storrow Drive, which would reduce traffic in the Charles Circle area but could lead to backups on Storrow Drive itself. Since the project involves extensive roadwork, Street said there have been discussions that the state might pick up $30 million of the $170 million cost of the project.
Mass Eye and Ear is also seeking to buy the air rights above the area next to its building and above the Charles Street Extension. Street said that space would be used for an expansion of the hospital that would extend out above the proposed park and garage, allowing patients who park there to take an elevator directly into the hospital. The proposed hospital expansion is not part of the $170 million price tag for the garage and park.
Mass Eye and Ear currently leases the existing surface parking lots along and under Storrow Drive from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. The Infirmary pays $120,000 a year to rent the 400 spaces, an extremely low price that allows the hospital to turn a net annual profit of at least $500,000. The Mass Eye and Ear lease was one of several highlighted in a CommonWealth story earlier this year on sweetheart leases handed out by the state. The department has promised to put the Mass Eye and Ear lease out to bid.
A spokeswoman for Ed Lambert, commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, says he has taken no stance on the Mass Eye and Ear proposal. “As it is proposed legislation, it is up to the Legislature’s judgment,” S.J. Port said in an email. “In the meantime, DCR will continue to do what we are charged with—to seek the best solution for the Commonwealth at this property by moving forward with a public RFP.”
Meet the Author
Associate Editor, CommonWealth
About Paul McMorrow
Paul McMorrow comes to CommonWealth from Banker & Tradesman, where he covered commercial real estate and development. He previously worked as a contributing editor to Boston magazine, where he covered local politics in print and online. He got his start at the Weekly Dig, where he worked as a staff writer, and later news and features editor. Paul writes a frequent column about real estate for the Boston Globe’s Op-Ed page, and is a regular contributor to BeerAdvocate magazine. His work has been recognized by the City and Regional Magazine Association, the New England Press Association, and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. He is a Boston University graduate and a lifelong New Englander.
About Paul McMorrow
Paul McMorrow comes to CommonWealth from Banker & Tradesman, where he covered commercial real estate and development. He previously worked as a contributing editor to Boston magazine, where he covered local politics in print and online. He got his start at the Weekly Dig, where he worked as a staff writer, and later news and features editor. Paul writes a frequent column about real estate for the Boston Globe’s Op-Ed page, and is a regular contributor to BeerAdvocate magazine. His work has been recognized by the City and Regional Magazine Association, the New England Press Association, and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. He is a Boston University graduate and a lifelong New Englander.
Meet the Author
Editor, CommonWealth
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
Street said the additional parking is desperately needed by Mass Eye and Ear. She estimated the Infirmary would need 700 of the 1,000 spaces and the remainder could be used by others in the area. “It would be a game-changer for us,” Street said of the parking spaces.
(Michael Jonas and Colman Herman contributed to this report.)
