Developers Share Visions for Charlestown Armory

Three separate visions for the old Charlestown Armory were presented to local residents last week, and all three ideas included something that has been repeatedly included in the community’s wish list: parking.

The Boston Department of Neighborhood Development and the Charlestown Neighborhood Council Development Committee hosted a meeting on June 20 at the Knights of Columbus Hall, giving equal time to three developers interested in reviving the 105-year-old building located at 374-398 Bunker Hill St. The building was formerly used as a drilling space by local military companies and as a book depository for the Boston Public Library.

After a series of public meetings, the DND issued a request for proposals for the building, providing potential developers with a list of community guidelines.

Six proposals were submitted, including two versions from the same developer, and the DND selection committee narrowed the pool down to three plans that were deemed “sufficiently advantageous,” according to Reay Pannesi, DND senior project manager.

Proposals were evaluated using a list of criteria including offer price, development concept and design, developer’s experience and capacity, financial feasibility, construction schedule and mitigation plan.

An open courtyard

Offering to purchase the property for $2.8 million, Trinity Financial proposed developing the Armory into 44 residential units—30 condominiums ranging from one to three bedrooms, nine townhouses built within the shell of the drill hall and five lofts constructed in the shed addition of the building, with the required affordable housing included. The Armory roof would be opened up to allow light to come into a landscaped courtyard that would be open to the community.

“At the heart of the complex, the gracious, 50-foot-tall Drill Hall will be re-imagined as an airy cover for a new courtyard at its center, flooded with natural light. Modeled after similar reuse of structures in the Charlestown Navy Yard, the structure’s roofing layers will be removed to reveal the elegance of the steel framed arch supports,” according to Trinity's proposal.

The courtyard would include features that acknowledge the building’s historical significance, and the former viewing platforms inside the old drill hall would be re-purposed as decks overlooking the open space.

The project includes 66 parking spaces—one each for the smaller units and two each for the larger units—that will mostly be located underground. Ten spaces will be provided in the existing parking area.

The development team includes two Charlestown residents, Trinity Financial vice president Abby Goldfarb and ICON Architecture president Nancy Ludwig, along with representatives from Duffy Design Group, Epsilon, Trinity Management, McPhail and WilmerHale.

“We know this is a major entrance into Charlestown. With the new Sullivan Square it will be even more visible,” Goldfarb said. “We also know it’s been sitting vacant for a while and you want to see people living there, you want to see the building active.”

The ‘least impact’

The second proposal came from Urban Spaces LLC and Hart Development Associates, working with Davis Square Architects.

With an offer price of $2.7 million, the plan calls for 33 luxury market rate condominiums—a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units—along with “significant space” reserved for a public exhibition on the Armory’s history. The project includes five affordable units.

Two parking spaces would be provided for each residence, with the majority located underground plus 10 spaces in the existing parking lot for a total of 67 spaces.

“The added garage in the rear will be demolished and the rear of the site will be passive green space/gardens to provide some buffering to those neighboring abutters,” according to the plans.

Dan Hart, president of Hart Development Associates, said the team recognized the building’s historical significance and wanted to create a project that would respect that history and the community.

“This is a very important building and a very important project. We have the least impact design,” he said. “We’re not trying to jam units in there.”

Green design

C-Town Ventures LLC presented the third plan, which includes an offer price of $2.9 million and features 42 condo units—ranging from two-and three-bedroom designs to “innovative loft-type live/work spaces.”

The plan calls for 85 parking spaces, mainly located in an underground garage with two two-hour visitor spaces at the building’s Bunker Hill Street entrance.

Heading up the project are Pat Keohane of Aval Associates, Charlestown resident and developer Doug MacDonald and representatives from Neshamkin French Architects of Charlestown, Joyal Capital Management and Northern Bank.

“The new Armory will be a sustainable development with the guidance of our Team LEED designer, Chris Schaffner of The Green Engineer. The designers are dedicated to integrating ‘green’ building principles into the initial planning and design elements,” according to the proposal.

Plans call for a “green roof” on more than half of the building, the use of renewable materials such as bamboo flooring and features designed to maximize energy and water efficiency.

Next steps

Following the presentations, residents had a chance to ask questions and provide some feedback on the ideas.

Several people remained concerned about the potential impacts that renovations and construction traffic would have on neighbors.

One person suggested the site did not need so much parking, noting that more spaces would mean more vehicles in the area and that residents could rely on the nearby train and bus services.

But others said they were pleased by the parking plans—and at least one person suggested that the first presenter, Trinity Financial, had not listened to the community by only offering 1.5 parking spaces per unit.

A second meeting to review the three proposals has tentatively been set for Sept. 11, according to Development Committee chairman Mark Rosenshein.

No vote was taken at the June 20 meeting.

The Charlestown Neighborhood Council does not meet in July and August.

All three proposals and supporting materials can be viewed online at dndpropertyforsale.com. Click on “Active Projects” under “Find Out More” and search for “Charlestown Armory” under the project list.