Watertown, MA – The Boston Development Group (BDG), an investment management and real estate development firm, has received approval from the Watertown Zoning Board of Appeals for a proposed life sciences development at 66 Galen St. in Watertown.
BDG plans to build a major life science campus totaling nearly 450,000sf of Class A Office/ R&D LAB. Its proposal addresses the goals outlined in The Watertown Comprehensive Plan, and builds upon the burgeoning life science cluster in Watertown that has evolved and accelerated over the last several years.
The development team includes Elkus Manfredi Architects, Ground, VHB, Moriarty, and Vannasse and Associates. The project is expected to break ground in early 2021.
Seeking to capitalize on market conditions, BDG assembled several parcels along Galen Street which was previously seen as a blighted, autocentric strip of abandoned buildings and vacant land. This project will help improve the traffic and bus circulation and provide an iconic building which will enhance the entrance into Watertown Square. When combined with BDG’s owned property at 51 Water St., the entire site totals in excess of five acres of prime developable land at the confluence of Watertown Square and the Charles River.
Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, BDG’s phase 1 plan features just over 200,000sf of LEED Gold certifiable office and lab surrounded by 44,000sf of open and green space (40%). Ground, a landscape architecture firm located in Somerville, is designing a pair of parks that will provide tenants, visitors, and neighbors a place to pause and recharge amid lush plantings and distinct seating pockets.
In addition to the new parks, the development will transform vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian flow by adding new traffic patterns and networks. The building will also feature 277 on-site, below-grade parking spaces, a spacious bicycle room, and solar panels on the roof.
