Its proponents say Westwood Station is a project that is unmatched in the northeastern part of the U.S. and is setting the stage for others considering mixed-use developments.

Construction is getting underway on the 4.5 million square foot project that includes an eclectic mix of offices, shops, restaurants and luxury condominiums. Westwood Station rests along Route 128 and Interstate 95 and the MBTA/Amtrack commuter rail, which means easy access to downtown Boston, Massachusetts, and several other east coast cities.

The 135-acre development was approved by the state late last year. The project is comprised of 1.5 million square feet of office space, 1.35 million square feet of retail space, 1,000 residential units and two hotels.

Since it is surrounded by landscaped, public open space so rare in the area, the project developers feel the unique development is without a match in the region.

A Developer with a Flair for Assembling Land
Jay Doherty, president of real estate firm Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, the project’s developer, admits that the scope of the task is intimidating, but he has a real sense of pride in how much has been accomplished.

The Commonwealth issued a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the project in early November 2007, clearing the ways for work to get underway.

“Having the major project approvals is a huge milestone,” Doherty said, adding that developments are daunting in Massachusetts, a state where large projects have a 90 percent rate of rejection.

“Our infrastructure here is so old. When you come in to do a major project, you’re dealing with an enormous amount of problems,” Doherty said.

Over a period of several months, he assembled the properties for the development and brought together the design and development team and investors. Along with his firm, Commonfund Realty, Inc. and New England Development are serving as the project’s joint-venture partners.

While unique to the Boston area, the project also was an inaugural task for Doherty in some respects since much of his development experience has been in or around the state’s mass transit system.

That experience proved essential in taking on the Westwood project in a part of the country where available land is scarce.

“I’ve done a lot more land assemblage in the greater Boston area than most developers,” he said.

Going Green
The project will include a three-pronged sustainability program, which involves transit access, water conservation and recharging program, and green buildings.

“It’s a highly desirable way to develop, despite the complexity,” Doherty said.

The nearby rail station provides service to downtown Boston in less than 20 minutes, as well as Amtrak routes to New York City and Providence, Rhode Island according to Abe Menzin, project manager and director of environmental issues for the project.

The infrastructure improvements are budgeted at around $120 million, which covers the massive task of rebuilding a system originally created in the 1960s.

“We’re building new highway ramps and new roadways that are sort of moved to the edges of the site so we can discontinue the old roads. That entails a massive investment,” Menzin said.

When finished, the site will be completely void of surface parking. Instead, vehicles will be handled by structured parking. A ZipCar program will also be on-site.

The campus will include a shuttle bus system powered entirely by alternative fuels. That contribution alone will be the equivalent of taking 1,000 cars off the road, Menzin said.

The project also includes a renewable energy program, and they hope that solar energy will be implemented throughout the campus in coming years as the technology improves.

Although some of their energy-saving methods fail to land on the radar screens of common citizens, Menzin believes people support their environmentally-conscious efforts.

 “I think the consumer really values this,” he said. “People are sick of spending their lives stuck in traffic jams.”

Attracting Businesses
The developers tried to tailor the project to fit the needs of modern companies who would locate in the development.

“You have to compete very hard for labor here,” Doherty said, as businesses often seek popular lifestyle and cultural amenities to surround their work environments to provide an attraction for employees.

“If you look at who our employers increasingly are across the country, with work forces that aren’t hourly, this type of development is attractive,” he said.

Doherty added that most businesses are concerned with promoting themselves as environmentally-friendly and therefore are also drawn to the project’s green aspects, particularly the effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Although he is keeping a concerned watch on the nation’s current economic status, Doherty is optimistic about filling the development and enthusiastic about the growing tenant roster.

Major roadblocks
The challenges of getting the project underway ranged from zoning issues to the details of a transit-oriented development in the specific location of the Westwood project.

“The complexity and risk of this is off the charts,” Doherty said. “Everywhere you turn there’s something demanding, new and difficult.”

Developers had to relocate the former tenants from the area, which proved no small task. There were approximately a dozen large firms with sophisticated equipment that were not easy to move.

The project is located over an aquifer that provides drinking water to nearby towns. The developers needed to be innovative in their approach to preserve that system.

They have developed a plan to recharge the aquifer by directing water from rooftops to open areas of ground to infiltrate the soil.

Zoning Challenges
The developers ran into a brick wall when they encountered zoning regulations that favor automobile use.

“It’s classic American suburban zoning. It’s land-intensive and it’s about the car,” Doherty said. “What does the car do, where does it park? It’s really not built around the transit system.”

Although city leaders did agree to “throw away most of the book,” Doherty said achieving the necessary changes was not an easy task.

“We still suffer from some of the hangover affects,” he said, noting that the developers found themselves challenged by residential zoning.

“They like you to build retail and office buildings,” Doherty said.

It is a common mind set in the area, where communities are already well-populated. Residents are often worried about others moving into their area.

Doherty said neighbors were eventually appeased with the idea that the Westwood project will largely draw empty nesters and young professionals.

Educating the masses
Doherty said that city leaders in Westwood were farsighted in their approach to the project, but the amount of public education required to bring nearby residents on board was significant.

“I’m still not sure people fully understand the project,” he said.

It didn’t help that the project is quite large by area standards

Doherty admitted that the complexity of the project can be baffling for some residents.

“It’s quite a leap for someone who’s idea of retail is a grocery store surrounded by a thousand parking spaces,” he said.

One of a kind
Accustomed to championing large-scale efforts, Doherty said producing a project of similar size and scope in the area is unlikely in the near future.

The acreage alone would be difficult to duplicate, since Westwood Station is about 10 times the scale of any other development project in the area.

“I think in the history of greater Boston, there are only one or two projects that come close to this,” he said.

Add the sustainability aspects and the Westwood project occupies a special niche.

“I don’t think there’s any other part of the suburbs of New England where people can live without a car,” Menzin said. “I’ve seen a lot of projects that are sustainable in terms of an office building or residential complex; I haven’t had an opportunity to work on anything where an entire community is being built on a green theme.”

That’s not to say Doherty wouldn’t consider launching a similar project there or elsewhere in the country.

“I think it is a great model,” he said.

Menzin agrees.

“Assuming the project is successful, I think absolutely it will be a model for smart growth in New England if not nationwide,” he concluded. SLDT