Developer Plans 527,000-SF R&D Project in Navy Yard

Oliner wants to build the complex, which he proposes will be called the Yard's End Research Center on what is known as parcel six and seven of the 135-acre waterfront area. Oliner has control of the property through a land disposition agreement with the BRA, which provides a long-term lease to a Navy Yard developer providing he/she builds the property. If no development occurs, the property reverts back to the BRA.

"The city is definitely supportive of the concept of research and development space," Meredith Baumann, spokesperson for the BRA, tells GlobeSt.com. "This is one of the ongoing growth sectors and this [project] will be a welcome addition. We are looking forward to working with the community on this proposal."

Oliner recently received city approval to develop parcel four in the Navy Yard into a 215-unit residential development. That project encountered a lot of local opposition because of its size and building heights, and was ultimately scaled back.

If approved, the project will involve a research and development center within two buildings, one of which will be 362,200 sf and the other 164,800 sf. It will mix office, lab and support space. The upper floors of the buildings will offer floor-to-floor heights of 15 feet, which is commensurate with lab usage. The site will also feature two levels of below-grade parking with approximately 719 spaces.

The developer proposes limiting the height of the buildings to 55 feet along the waterfront with a maximum of 75 feet for one and 120 feet for the other. The buildings will reflect the architectural elements of the Navy Yard, according to the documents the developer filed with the BRA, but will still reflect a "state-of-the-art research environment." As part of the development, three acres of the property will be used as open space and a public access to and along the water will be created.

As Baumann points out, there is a research and development component in the Navy Yard already--Massachusetts General Hospital has a research building there--but the area does not have the critical mass of lab space like the Longwood Medical Area. The city is in the process of creating a set of development guidelines for the LMA, a densely developed area of medical and research institutions.

"It's not to say that development won't continue at LMA, but [the Navy Yard] is another place where research and development seems to be growing," notes Baumann.According to documents filed with the BRA, they will be brick and masonry with some steel and glass, combining traditional Navy Yard architectural elements with ''a state-of-the-art research environment.''