The Pebbles Corp. Selected to Develop $330M Mixed-Use Project in Boston

BOSTON — The Pebbles Corp. has been selected to develop its first project in Boston. The firm was selected by MassDot and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to develop a mixed-use project at Turnpike Air Rights Parcel 13, located at the intersection of Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Along with Handel Architects and Utile Inc., a Boston-based think tank, Pebbles has proposed The Viola Back Bay, a $330 million, 390,000-square-foot mixed-use development for the site. The proposed plans include a 156-key boutique hotel, 88 condominiums with unobstructed views of the Charles River, 85 residential apartments, 20,000 square feet of retail and 138 on-site parking spaces. The transit-oriented property will be accessible by Hynes Station and offer ground-floor access via a new entrance on Boylston Avenue. HDR Inc., an architecture and engineering firm specializing in transit projects, will serve as station designer for the project. Parcel 13 encompasses approximately 54,500 square feet of air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike and portions of the MBTA Green Line tunnel across the street the from Hynes Convention Center. Construction is expected to commence in 24 to 36 months pending the approval process.