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HYM Investment Group’s preferred alternative for redeveloping the 161-acre Suffolk Downs racetrack property calls for 10,000 housing units and 5.2 million square feet of commercial space, while reducing building heights near the Orient Heights section of East Boston.
The Boston-based developer had originally proposed two options for the site, including a “pro-commercial” alternative with less housing and 9 million square feet of commercial space, as Boston and Revere sought to attract Amazon’s HQ2.
Under the new baseline proposal, part of a new filing with the Boston Planning and Development Agency, approximately 7,200 housing units would be located on the 109-acre Boston portion of the property, including 930 income-restricted units. Boston’s inclusionary development policy requires a minimum of 13 percent affordable units in multifamily projects.
But community activists and Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards are calling for a more aggressive affordable housing program in the 16 million-square-foot development to combat displacement amid Greater Boston’s ever-rising real estate prices.
Commercial space would be split between 2.7 million square feet in Boston and 2.5 million in Revere.
In response to community feedback, HYM said it will reduce building heights along the Orient Heights section, with buildings ranging from 40 to 85 feet and the taller buildings located further from the existing neighborhood.
Other changes announced in the filing include:
- A continuous bicycle/pedestrian path from Belle Isle Square to Route 1A.
- A cycle track or shared-use path along Walley Street to Bennington Street and a future extension of the planned East Boston Greenway.
- Redesign of the Route 1A entrance into a rotary, replacing a jug handle.
- And an increase in indoor civic space from 5,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet.
A comment period on the updated proposal runs through May 31.
