November 15, 2024
Boston
Shawmut, DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners (DLJ), Leggat McCall Properties (LMP) and Deutsche Finance America (DFA), together with Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development, celebrated the ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of the second lab building and first dedicated civic space as part of the Boynton Yards master planned development, 808 Windsor Street and Boynton Yards Park.
Designed by ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge for maximum efficiency with construction management led by Shawmut, 808 Windsor Street is Somerville’s newest LEED Platinum, purpose-built building with 11 floors, 370,000 square feet of state-of-the-art R&D lab/office and spec suites ranging from 9 – 19K square feet. In addition to ground floor retail, amenities include below grade parking, a bike storage room, gym and locker room facilities, conference room, outdoor terrace and multiple collaboration spaces. 808 Windsor is the second of four master planned life science buildings at Boynton Yards, with the future of the seven-acre site planned for additional commercial, residential, retail, civic, arts and performance spaces for a vibrant work-live-play neighborhood.
“Celebrating the completion of 808 Windsor is an exciting milestone, marking the realization of Boynton Yards’ first two purpose-built life sciences buildings,” said Kevin Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Shawmut’s New England Region. “With 101 South Street already established as a premier life sciences destination, 808 Windsor adds to this vision, strengthening Boynton Yards as a dynamic hub for innovation and research. We’re proud to be entrusted by our partners at DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners and Leggat McCall Properties to build these state-of-the-art spaces and to contribute to Somerville’s transformation into a leading center for collaboration, sustainability, and groundbreaking discoveries.”
Boynton Yards Park, located between 101 South Street and 808 Windsor Street, is a new half-acre civic space designed to bring community and vitality to Boynton Yards. Working with the City’s Public Space and Urban Forestry department, the civic space features a central lawn, splash pad, native planting beds, and thoughtfully designed amenities to create an inviting public gathering space for neighborhood residents, visitors and the Boynton Yards community of scientists and artists.
Boynton Yards Park is one of three planned civic spaces that will total over two new acres of accessible, sustainably designed public areas in the Boynton Yards neighborhood’s full build-out. It is one of a few recently finished Somerville parks that is setting a new standard for development-born public spaces, offering a contemporary cultural experience for all.
“Boynton Yards Park and 808 Windsor Street represent a shared vision for a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable neighborhood here in Somerville,” said Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “With this new park, we’re creating a welcoming public space that serves both our residents and the tenants who work here, and setting a new standard for what community-driven development can achieve. This project is a powerful example of how we can bring together public and private resources to expand open space, enhance quality of life, and strengthen the connection between innovation and community.”
808 Windsor and Boynton Yards Park join 101 South Street, the development’s first lab building completed in 2022 occupied by Flagship Pioneering founded companies; Portico Brewing; Mamaleh’s Café; The Hive, Boynton Yards’ Arts and Creative Enterprise (ACE) building; and The Block, an outdoor event activation space.
A short walk from the Union Square Green Line T station, Boynton Yards is a model for leading urban design with a progressive transportation management plan (TMA) to decrease traffic and encourage connectivity using alternative transportation modes and supportive amenities including on-site bike facilities, Bluebikes stations, e-bike access, and a dedicated tenant shuttle.
“With the completion of Boynton Yards Park and 808 Windsor, we are pleased to deliver two more unique best- in -class assets to both the City of Somerville and the life science market as part of the seven-acre Boynton Yards master planned community, said John Fenton, Managing Partner, DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners. “Within a mile of Kendall Square and a walk to the Union Square Green Line, this former industrial parcel will continue to grow and thrive into the vibrant work-live-play that SomerVision intended with more commercial, residential, retail, civic, arts and performance spaces to come.”
As the first master planned development to be approved under the new Somerville zoning ordinance as part of the City’s SomerVision comprehensive plan, Boynton Yards has evolved through an inclusive community-driven urban revitalization process. The project continues to bring approximately 4,000 permanent jobs to the City of Somerville as it continues to grow as one of the region’s most prominent life sciences hubs.
