By Michael Coughlin Jr.
Ashok Patel, the proponent for the proposed hotel at the site of an old industrial building on the corner of Porter and Orleans Street, along with his attorney Richard Lynds, fielded questions about the project during the latest Gove Street Neighborhood Association (GSNA) meeting last week.
According to documents on the Planning Department’s website, plans for this site date back over a decade, since the original developer submitted a project notification form to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) in June 2014. Eventually, the original developer’s proposal to convert the existing building to a 127-room hotel with 65 parking spaces was approved.
However, in January 2017, Hudson 62 Realty LLC c/o Jamsan Hotel Management (Patel) acquired the site, and his proposal to convert it to a 123-room hotel with accessory restaurant/retail space and 65 parking spaces was approved in May 2020.
Since the 2020 approval, there have been delays in building out the project, which past East Boston Times reports have attributed partly to telecommunication equipment on the building.
Now, the ball is rolling to get the project built and open. Before last week’s GSNA meeting, the group sent questions to Lynds and Patel, who provided answers. Notably, in this question and answer exchange, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16DVCvPmpa/, the goal is to open the hotel and restaurant aspect of the project at the same time, and the target date is this July.
During the latest GSNA meeting, a resident asked about the target date. Patel explained that the projection was from last year, based on the work schedule of the cell tower companies, which are moving the aforementioned telecommunication equipment (antennas) on the roof.
“That process is happening, but it’s honestly not happening as fast as we’d like because there’s so many steps involved in getting the FAA approvals, and it’s a very cumbersome process between three carriers who are there, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T,” said Patel.
“We’re sort of at their mercy in terms of how quick they can do their work, which then allows us to do what we need to do on the roof, to finish out portions of the roof and finish up portions of the interior of the building.”
He later indicated they can hold the projected date if the cell companies continue their work swiftly.
“Once their work is completely done and they’re (antennas) fully relocated on the roof, then we get an accurate timeline of when we can open. These are just projected dates based on the best information that we have.”
Transportation at the site was another topic broached. Specifically, multiple residents were under the impression that the plans would not have cars exiting onto Porter Street and wanted to confirm that was still happening.
Patel indicated that they would follow whatever was approved and that signage would direct traffic to exit onto Orleans Street.
“We will not be directing people to exit on Porter Street—if that’s what the approval had, that’s how it’s going to be signed,” he said.
Another attendee wondered if a TAPA (Transportation Access Plan Agreement) had been completed, since that aspect was included in the project’s cooperation agreement.
Initially, Patel was unsure if it had been completed. However, Lynds mentioned that it is usually completed in connection with permitting materials and that he would see if they could get a copy to the GSNA.
There were also questions regarding a proposed airport shuttle. Patel noted that there are plans to start with two shuttles and to use a service like Uber corporate for off-hours.
One resident wondered if this project would partner with the Embassy Suites’ airport shuttle service to limit traffic interruptions. However, Lynds and Patel both indicated that it was not practical.
Concerns were raised about the back-up horns and the noise the shuttles could make. Lynds indicated that the shuttles would be sprinter vans. Patel mentioned they would do their best to minimize noise from the vans and do whatever is minimally required from the Department of Transportation.
The antennas were also discussed as attendees wanted to know if they would be screened from public view. Patel mentioned they would be, and there are designs for vinyl fencing around them.
“There will be a screening feature around the antennas,” added Lynds.
It was also noted that the antennas would be 13 feet away from the edge of the building and would be a beige-like color so they blend in.
As the conversation continued, EV (electric vehicle) charging was brought up. Patel stated that he believed there were plans for EV charging and seemed amenable to bringing charging that would match the capability of the planned stations being installed by the city on Orleans Street.
The community benefits promised as part of this proposal were also brought up. Lynds said, “A certificate of occupancy cannot issue until such time as all commitments under the community benefits agreement have been fulfilled.”
However, Lynds said buildings of the proposed project’s size sometimes move forward with temporary certificates of occupancy where parts are complete and others are blocked off.
“A full CO (certificate of occupancy) will issue once all work is completed, all inspections have been done, and all portions of the building are open, and when that happens, that will not issue until such time as the commitments are filled under the community benefits agreement,” said Lynds.
“I don’t want people to get confused, see the hotel open and say where’s our community benefits? It’s part of the final CO.”
Eventually, the conversation ended, and preliminary plans were discussed for the proponent to return at the group’s June meeting to provide updates.
For more information about the GSNA, visit https://www.govestreet.org/home. The next GSNA meeting is scheduled for April 28.