Government Center Garage Could Be Replaced

An 11-story parking garage at Government Center could be replaced with housing, hotel rooms, office and retail space, according to a new proposal filed this week with the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

HYM Investment group on June 5 filed plans to construct a mixed-used development at 1 Congress St. in downtown Boston, on the site of the existing Government Center Garage.

The project calls for construction of six new buildings and reuse of a portion of the existing parking garage for parking. The new buildings would feature 771 units of housing, including apartments and condominiums, 204 hotel rooms, 1.3 million sq. ft. of office space, 82,500 sq. ft. of retail space and a new public plaza and pedestrian promenade.

The currently “auto-centric” garage would be transformed into a “transit-oriented development with construction of a new Hubway station, new bike lanes on adjoining streets where none exist today and an enclosed, secure, 850-space bicycle parking center,” according to the project filing.

The developer estimates the project will create 2,600 construction jobs as well as 6,000 permanent jobs.

The project is being developed by Bulfinch Congress Holdings LLC, a joint venture of the National Electrical Benefit Fund and the Lewis Trust Group, which purchased the 4.8-acre property in 2007 for the purpose of redevelopment, according to the filing.

The project is seen as a way of “improving the vitality and the urban design and architectural character” of the Government Center area and Bulfinch Triangle areas and would remove what the developer called “a massive, unsightly barrier” between the Bulfinch Triangle, North End, Government Center, Beacon Hill and West End neighborhoods.

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