The Boston Planning & Development Agency
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The BPDA's Development Review Department facilitates the review of small and large scale development projects, pursuant to Article 80 of the Boston Zoning Code. Led by a team of Project Management staff, this department coordinates with BPDA Planning & Urban Design staff, City Agencies, elected officials and the community to foster responsible development in the neighborhoods and the Downtown.
The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) is the planning and economic development agency for the City of Boston. The BPDA plays a far reaching role in shaping the City. |
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Updates on Projects affecting us
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For hours of fun and insight into development in Boston, head to the Boston planning and development agency website. You can check out all projects in Back Bay and their status. For projects affecting us, we will post updates on this page.
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Renovations at 70 St Botolph Apartments
Since we spoke in 2024 to the Boston Housing Authority about the renovations at 70 St. Botoloph Apartments, they have been busy preparing for the St. Botolph Apartments Modernization project. The project general contractor (Shawmut) began on site on Monday, September 15, 2025. 
For more details,about the project, click here
Update September 26th 2025
The project required taking 9 resident parking spots for construction and resident needs. After our appeal to the Boston Transportation Department, they agreed to remove 9 parking meters on St Botolph St. between West Newton and Follen Streets. These meters were spotted being removed Friday September 26th in the morning! Please pay attention to the new parking options. Thank you to Nick Gove and the Boston Transportation Department team, our neighborhood liaison Maccon Bonner, and the Office of Neighborhood Services team for making this happen. Thanks also to our elected officials John Moran and Ed Flynn for their support. Update on Crosswalk Upgrades August 2025
Hurrah, it was nice to see West Newton Street repaved and new ADA-compliant curbs put in at corners, but the work promised us is not done. First, the asphalt fill-ins on our sidewalks are not permanent - sidewalk bricking will be replaced later this fall. And, as promised in our community meeting last April, look for construction of better street-scaping that will include structures that induce drivers to slow down and stop. We’ll keep you posted! 
262 St Botolph Street Update May 2025
We want to remind you that the deadline for questions, issues, or comments must be received by May 16th 2025. Email Quinn Valcich at [email protected] 
The City of Boston will be installing speed bumps on the street at Saint Botolph St from Harcourt to Mass Ave.
The speed bumps on West Newton St will be near Titus Sparrow Park. The Saint Botolph Neighborhood Association advocated for these traffic calming measures which will be great to slow down the traffic of cars & scooters. In our area the 3 speed bumps located on the street at Saint Botolph St from West Newton to Harcourt St will be located : • 44 Saint Botolph St • 70 Saint Botolph St • 92 Saint Botolph Street. These speed bumps should be installed by this summer 2025 . The speed bumps will slow down the traffic for cars & scooters which will be great . |
Alexandra Hotel Project
South End Landmarks Commissioners approved the Alexandra Hotel project. Updates on project can be viewed here The developers of the Alexandra Hotel received the go-ahead for the Article 80E Small Project on May 15 from the South End Landmark District commissioners. The recording of the final hearing before the vote held on April 23 is linked here. Urban Design Resources
3D Model and Data DownloadsUp until 2000, the scaled wooden model of the City was the main tool for Planning to understand new developments in context. Developers needed to bring in physical models of their projects to be critiqued within the larger city model, and only individuals who were able to visit Boston City Hall could see the results up close. After 2000, the department began assembling a robust citywide 3D model. The 3D model is highly detailed and includes terrain, highway tunnels, trees, and more than 92,000 buildings. Many portions of the model are available for free public download as DWG and Max files. This service is invaluable to developers and Planning Staff, who benefit from utilizing a consistent context as they move through the project approval process. Academics may use the model for their own studies. Finally, the model helps convey information about planning and development work and promotes a constructive public dialogue about physical changes to the city. 2D Downloads2D CAD files of the entire city of Boston can be found in the Document Center. Additional 2D GIS Data is available through the City of Boston's GIS Data Hub and MassGIS. 3D DownloadsDigital 3D models of buildings, bridges, and terrain can be found in the Document Center. If you are looking for 3D buildings situated on actual terrain of Boston (in .DAE, DXF and .SKP format), please see the 3D Smart Model Data Download page. Please note that the Planning Department does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy of the dimensional information embedded in models available for download in our Document Center. One Cumberland St
Earlier in 2021....
The petition to define one Cumberland as part of the SB Landmarks district, and thus influence whether the building is taken down, has been withdrawn. Landmarks will still have influence over the disposition of One Cumberland through the normal "Article 85 Demolition Delay" process which all projects must undergo if a building 50 years or older is being torn down. At this point, we don't know if Landmarks will require that One Cumberland be preserved. Demolition Delay Application Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) received a complete application to demolish the residential building at 1 Cumberland Street BLC staff has 10 calendar days from receiving an application to make a determination about historical, architectural, cultural, or urban design significance. If you have input about the significance of this property, please send your feedback to [email protected] before 5 p.m. on December 12, 2020. The Developers
Newton-based, National Development and the developer behind the Ink Block mixed -use development closed on a long-term ground lease for the Midtown Hotel and One Cumberland Street and is planning a residential and retail property on these sites. A 99-year ground lease closed in March 2020 between National Development and the First Church of Christ, Scientist, The firm’s immediate plans are to continue to operate the site as housing for Northeastern University students for the 2021/22 academic year. 
A Northeastern University IMP & 262 St Botolph Street Virtual Public Meeting was held on May 01, 2025 in connection with the Northeastern University Institutional Master Plan (IMP) and Draft Project Impact Report (DPIR) for the 262 St Botolph Street project received by the Boston Planning Department on March 7, 2025.
What this project is about....Northeastern University has submitted a Project Notification Form (PNF) for the redevelopment of the 262 St. Botolph Street site, which currently houses Matthews Arena and a surface parking lot. Northeastern proposes to construct a new, approximately 290,000 square foot (sf) multi-purpose facility (the “262 St. Botolph Street Multipurpose Athletic Facility”) that will support Northeastern’s athletic capabilities for its Division I athletes, intramural teams, and club sports. It is anticipated the new facility will provide an inviting and diverse space for current and future students and elevate the profile of collegiate athletics in Boston. As the first project within Northeastern’s new Institutional Master Plan (IMP), the Project will enhance the overall campus plan and aesthetically integrate with and complement the surroundings of this unique site while providing for Northeastern’s varsity athletics programs and student recreation programming.
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Midtown Redevelopment
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The progress of this project is available to view on the Boston Planning And Development Agency website click here
Update posted August 2025
The redevelopment plans for the Midtown Hotel have been postponed indefinitely. As a result, National Development (ND) is currently improving and updating the property, with plans to operate it as a hotel for the foreseeable future. According to Ted Tye of ND, the refresh, which will continue in phases through the end of the year, will include upgrades to celebrate the iconic Midtown Hotel sign, as well as new landscaping, repairs to the brick wall on the site perimeter, and new signage throughout. Inside the hotel, guest rooms and public areas will have new furniture, flooring, window treatments, wall coverings, accessories, and other improvements, making it a contemporary, well-appointed, and comfortable hotel rivaling other mid-priced options in the city. And the parking will remain open. Update posted April 2024
The project start date continues to be postponed while new funding is put in place Update posted November 2022!
We’ve been keeping in touch with the city and developer National Development (ND) and, while all the final approvals are in place for the building, the project start date has been postponed until mid 2023. Because of this delay, Northeastern University will again house students at the Midtown for the Jan-May 2023 semester. When the project does commence, the first 90 days will be interior demolition, so outside structural demolition will not start until that time. WE WILL KEEP THE COMMUNITY INFORMED WHEN START DATE IS SET. Update posted September 2022!
A number of factors have delayed the start of the project and it now looks like ground will not be broken until 2023- There will be a public information meeting this fall to update the community on the project’s details and timeline. Updates earlier ....
We’ve been very busy meeting with the city and the developer National Development, (ND) as the design plans for the site are proceeding through toward the final approval process. The basic take-aways are as follows:
As the planning and permitting moves along, Northeastern University will house students at the Midtown Hotel for the academic year of 2024/2025
Background
,This redevelopment is the next big demolition/construction/development project in our neighborhood will likely start now, because of COVID in late 2022. The proposed building will be a 10-story 325 apartment unit building with approximately 17,000 sq ft of retail planned for the street level. National Development (ND) presented their plans to the SBNA on 10.13.20 and if you are interested in viewing the plans, click here. We will keep this section updated as to the timing and scope of the project. If you have any specific questions about the project and its impact, please reach out to [email protected]. or [email protected].
Virtual Public Meeting
Thursday, December 3, 2020 This was the first public meeting for the proposed redevelopment of the Midtown Hotel at 220 Huntington Avenue in the Back Bay neighborhood. The National Development team shared their vision for the project and heard community feedback. The meeting began with a presentation by the development team followed by an open Q&A session with the development team and BPDA staff. For a link to the video recording of the meeting click here Many residents, concerned about the parking entrance/exit configuration and traffic flow in the alley as currently designed, voiced their concerns through the public comments period. We have our own representatives on the Impact Advisory Board who will continue to engage with the project on our behalf. If you have any other questions, let us know! Updates on the project's progress will appear here and in our newsletters.
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Impact Advisory Group
The Impact Advisory Group (IAG) works with the city and ND to mitigate the project's impact.
The Impact Advisory Group (IAG) has been chosen and has had their first meeting. For a video recording of that meeting click here. We are thankful that our neighborhood is represented by 5 residents on the IAG. Congratulations to: Lee Steele, Dave Reed, Dr. Nicole DuBosh, Luis Aponte-Pares Mike Reinders (from SWCP). Our thanks to all of them for devoting their time to this important task. |
Back Bay/South End Gateway Project
The proposed project is comprised of up to approximately 1.26 million square feet of mixed-use redevelopment, consisting of a new office building with ground floor retail, two new residential buildings, a one- to two-story vertical retail expansion of the existing Back Bay Station building, and the partial redevelopment of the existing 165 Dartmouth Street Garage. For more information about the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) that is reviewing this project, click here
