Millennium Partners Cuts Winthrop Square Skyscraper Height By 75 Feet
A downtown skyscraper proposal scrutinized by Boston park advocates for the shadow it will cast will no longer be as tall as originally proposed, but it is not because of the city's green spaces.
Millennium Partners' 775-foot skyscraper proposed at 115 Winthrop Square exceeded recommended Federal Aviation Administration height limits that influence development surrounding Logan International Airport.
The Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan, announced in January it strongly objected to the height, as it would interfere with the takeoff path from a main runway and direct traffic over communities already experiencing an increase in overhead traffic. Millennium announced Tuesday it would only build to 702 feet, the Boston Globe reports.
Millennium principal Joe Larkin told the Globe it was a height his company could live with, and MassPort said the height reduction was a good outcome for surrounding communities and travelers flying in and out of Logan. While the two parties reached an agreement, the FAA said the building still requires further study, which could take months. Millennium is expected to file new building plans with the city and state this fall.
The developer’s proposal, which was chosen from six contenders for the Winthrop Square project, was the tallest in the competition. Its 775-foot design exceeded the 710 to 725 feet recommended for the site on Massport’s airspace map. Trans National Properties previously tried to build a 1,000-foot tower on the site before canceling it in 2008 due to FAA objection and a decline in the economy.
