Plans by Cabot, Cabot & Forbes of New England Inc. and New England Development of Newton call for at least 30 buildings to be developed on the University Avenue site, which is located next to Route 128 and the Route 128 rail station in Westwood. The first phase of the development, to be called Westwood Station, will begin construction later this year with the development of about three million sf of residential and retail space, including up to 400 condominium or apartment units, John Doherty, president of Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, tells GlobeSt.com.
"The project centers on a strong mixed-use format very closely connected to transit," says Doherty, who describes the project as a pedestrian-friendly mini-city surrounded by open space with links to the region's commuter rail lines. "It's a whole new form of development in Boston."
Doherty says he is currently negotiating with several national hotel chains to build a 300- to 400-room hotel on the site as part of the first development phase. The entire project will include more than one million sf of first-floor retail space along with about 200,000 sf of office and R&D space in addition to the residential component. Stephen Karp, head of New England Development who will develop the project's retail space, is currently negotiating with several retail tenants, Doherty says.
The project, which has been in the works for the past 18 months, has already received a zoning change that will allow the master-planned development to be built as part of Westwood's smart growth initiative, Doherty says."
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