Walsh marks Hub on Causeway opening

Speaking from what would have been the center-court line at the old Boston Garden with white, gold and black confetti raining down on him, Mayor Marty Walsh celebrated a different kind of win for Boston: The Hub on Causeway.

Walsh called the project that now dominates the West End skyline a “transformative” development that is bringing a jaw-dropping combined 1.87 million square feet of shops, nightlife, offices and apartments above North Station and adjacent to TD Garden.

Walsh cut the ceremonial ribbon Wednesday for the venture by Boston Properties and Delaware North that includes 440 residences, the CitizenM hotel, a 60,000-square-foot Star Market, a movie theater and dining destinations like Guy Fieri’s Tequila Cocina, where concertgoers can grab dinner before heading next door to catch a show at Big Night Live, a venue with a capacity of 1,500.

Hub50House, the residential tower that rises 38 stories above Causeway, boasts perks like a rooftop pool, a “woof deck” and pet spa, an outdoor kitchen and three floors of amenities. Rents in the 370-square-foot microunits start at $2,430. Studios start at $3,000 a month and rents go all the way up to $10,000 for the 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom penthouse.

But it’s not all modern luxury — Walsh said the development brought 45 affordable apartments at the Beverly, 23 senior units in the North End and another $6 million to spend.

“This project allows us the opportunity for new revenue to be able to put back into our economy for all of the things we want to push forward on … more affordability, fight income inequality and making sure we protect our environment,” Walsh said.

Walsh said he pushed to fulfill the long-term needs of a collective of West End women who have been pushing for a supermarket for their neighborhood for more than two decades.

“There is a Whole Foods here, but we have a lot of elderly and we have needed something affordable,” said Louise Thomas, who has been working on a committee to secure such a store since 2001.

“This is beautiful,” she said, gesturing at the Star Market behind her.

The last piece of the puzzle and the final phase of development of the massive construction project will be a 31-story office building, 17 stories of which will be used by Verizon, slated to be completed in 2021.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2NpjFJR