HoJo's Owner Eyes Plans for Fenway Hotel and Condos

BOSTON-The owners of an aging Howard Johnson's hotel near Fenway Parkplan to develop a hotel and condominium on the Boylston Street site. The Sage Hotel Corp., owner of the Boylston Street hotel just around the corner from the ballpark, is hoping to replace it with a new project that would bring hundreds of condominiums and hotel rooms to the Kenmore Square site.

Carl Koechlin, head of the Fenway Community Development Corp., tells GlobeSt.com that residents are concerned over the impact a high rise would have on the Fenway neighborhood. "Fifteen stories is higher than we would like," says Koechlin, noting that the plans call for about 200 hotel rooms and condominiums along with a restaurant. "Realistically, they need to have a proposal that the city is very enthusiastic about and that the Red Sox and the community is satisfied with."

The Red Sox also are concerned over the impact a high rise will have on the view from the ballpark. The team's ownership group, led by Wall Street financier John Henry, has indicated that it wants to protect the park's view of the Boston skyline from being encroached by towers. Janet Marie Smith, the head of development for the Red Sox, says while the team has not had any discussions with the Sage group yet, it does notlook favorably on a project that would tower over the ballpark.

Koechlin says the Fenway Community Development Corp. hopes to encourage the Sage Group to construct a urban village on the site that would include a mix of retail and affordable housing. I think the Sage family is both savvy enough and community minded enough to be sensitive to those issues," he says. Officials with the Sage Hotel Corp. did not return calls from GlobeSt.com seeking comment.