Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is among those catching heat from critics of a proposed 775-foot residential and commercial tower that requires a change in a state law restricting structures from casting shadows on the city’s historic common.
Walsh wants to sell a city-owned parcel containing a parking garage east of the common to a developer. Walsh wants the state legislature to modify a 1990s-era law to allow the transaction to go forward, but public criticism is running high.
Supporters of the current law, such as the Friends of the Public Garden, are concerned that a change in the legislation would open the floodgates for similar projects in the area. The brouhaha over shadows cast by high rises highlights the difficulty of getting residential sky scrapers permitted in densely packed cities.
A columnist in the Boston Globe wrote, “The obsession with shadows on Boston Common is ridiculous.” He added that the garage is an eyesore, and the project would help alleviate a shortage of housing in the city. Former governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis was among those expressing reservations about changing the law.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Sep 3, 2021
Low-cost methods can have substantial impact on reducing embodied carbon
Whole-building design, material substitution, and specification strategies can slash carbon by up to 46%.
Codes and Standards | Sep 2, 2021
Case for power resiliency in buildings grows with more disaster and outages
Essential businesses like data centers, hospitals are first adopters of new storage systems.
Codes and Standards | Aug 31, 2021
UK industry group wants mandatory whole-life carbon assessments of buildings
Aims to address hidden emissions embedded in supply chains.
Codes and Standards | Aug 31, 2021
Home electrification will require code upgrades
Residential electric panel capacity must be increased.
Codes and Standards | Aug 30, 2021
Facebook’s new $800 million Arizona data center to save big on water
Will restore more than 200 million gallons of water per year to river basins.
Codes and Standards | Aug 26, 2021
California may require solar on new high-rise residential and commercial buildings
State energy commission approves proposal; Could become law in 2023.
Codes and Standards | Aug 25, 2021
Study finds racism, discrimination common in construction industry
NIBS to share best practices with industry leaders to improve worker treatment.
Codes and Standards | Aug 24, 2021
White paper addresses insulated metal panel specifications for roofs and walls
Pertains to provisions of the National Building Code of Canada.
Codes and Standards | Aug 24, 2021
KTGY releases free resource to reduce carbon footprint in multifamily developments
Helps navigate Denver Green Code measures—a series of voluntary codes.
Codes and Standards | Aug 19, 2021
Massive infrastructure bill includes hundreds of millions for building energy efficiency
Funds allotted for updated code implementation, construction technology, K-12 efficiency programs.
