One Seaport Square Breaks Ground in Boston

By Jeffrey Steele, Contributing Writer

Boston—Berkshire Group, WS Development and Boston Global Investors (BGI) announced the groundbreaking of One Seaport Square, the largest mixed-use project in Boston in three decades.

One Seaport Square is a 1.5 million-square-foot development situated on three acres within the 23-acre Seaport Square Master Plan. When complete in 2017, it will feature 832 apartments across a pair of residential towers, as well as 250,000 square feet of retail space on the towers’ first three floors.

BGI and Berkshire Group are teaming up in the ownership and development of Seaport Square’s residential component.

WS Development will develop, own and manage the retail component of Seaport Square. Seaport Boulevard, Sleeper Street, Northern Avenue and Fan Pier Boulevard border the project.

“When looking at new development opportunities, Berkshire Group’s philosophy is to find the best sites in major markets throughout the country. This time the opportunity happened to be in our backyard,” Steve Wood, partner and head of development for Boston-based Berkshire Group, tells MHN. “Compared to other world-class U.S. cities, Boston has seen less class A-plus product developed in recent years. Even with a project of this size, Boston will still be undersupplied.”

Destined for LEED Silver Certification, the towers that comprise One Seaport Square are designed by Boston-based Elkus Manfredi Architects. The towers will be named The Benjamin and VIA, will have distinctly different personas and will offer an array of living options designed to attract different target audiences.

The Benjamin, with 354 units, will offer apartment homes ranging in size from studios to three-bedrooms. The 458 apartment homes at VIA will also range from studios to three-bedroom units. But VIA will also offer 96 “innovation units,” cost-effective studio and one-bedroom residences featuring creative design configurations with access to collaborative socializing and strategizing space.

One Seaport Square will offer 96 units meeting the city’s standards for affordable rent, helping ensure the property will be a socially expansive, diverse community.

The residential portion of the development will place a value on environmentally conscious living. Urban gardens, car-charging stations, car-sharing spaces and bike storage, repair and sharing will be offered.

The smoke-free buildings will use environmentally safe cleaning supplies and will practice waste efficiency in their recycling and trash service programs.

“Much like the City of Boston, we anticipate that our residents will come from a wide range of demographics, and be of all ages and ethnicities; however, they will share a single characteristic,” Wood says. “[That is] the desire to have a seamless transition between their personal and professional lives, living in close proximity to employment so they can spend extra time having coffee on the balcony in the morning while still making an early morning meeting, walk the dog in the park during lunch, and work late while still meeting friends for dinner or a show.”