888 Boylston Opponents won’t Back Down

A week after Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino called for the Prudential Center developers and community watchdog groups to come to a compromise over the final tower in Prudential Center plans, opponents of the tower have said that they will not back down, according to the Banker & Tradesman.

In the original plans, Boston Properties (Prudential Centers’ owner) planned to have a 12 story tower built. However, the company has said that they would like to expand on that initial plan and have toe tower reach to about 19 stories. Boston Properties has said that the demand foe more high-end office space justifies the additional height added to the building, but local activists have said that, because the Prudential Center was approved as a package, Boston Properties shouldn’t be allowed to differ from the original plan.

Most of the complaints center on the desire to prevent Boylston Street and the Back Bay from becoming a canyon of high rises. Boston Properties has also said that, with the additional height, some retail may be incorporated into the design, but that doesn’t seem to be swaying the opponents.

Until this conflict is settled, the project is unlikely to go forward.