The developers of a controversial condo tower in the Seaport District are offering to change the building and add more public amenities in their bid to win the blessing of state environmental regulators.
The changes by Cronin Holdings LLC include making the footprint for the proposed 22-story tower at 150 Seaport Boulevard, slightly smaller, providing public access to its ground floor, and paying for an upgraded water taxi terminal.
The measures were outlined in a letter the Boston Planning & Development Agency sent to state officials earlier and released Wednesday.
It’s the latest move in an ongoing chess match between Jon Cronin, who wants to build the 250-foot condo tower on a tiny lot on Seaport Boulevard at the site of two bars, and environmental groups who say the project will block off the waterfront and set dangerous precedents for construction over the water. One controversial aspect: Cronin would build an extension of the city’s Harborwalk over the water.
Although the tower has received approvals from the city, it needs an OK from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Peter Shelley, senior counsel at the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental group that has threatened to sue to block the building, said the letter suggests state officials have pressured Cronin to lessen the effects of his project. But Shelley said Cronin needs to make many more changes before his building passes environmental muster.
“The most black-and-white illegal aspects of this proposal have been reduced,” he said. “But the public benefits still fall far short of what’s required of a project like this.”
A spokesman for Cronin described the changes as “an important part of the public process,” and said the developer looks forward to completing state review so it can “create both an iconic building and new waterfront access in the Seaport.”
The project is one of several that have emerged as flashpoints in a growing debate around development along Boston Harbor. Earlier this fall, DEP officials dealt a blow to a proposed luxury hotel on Lewis Wharf, ruling the developers could not build over pilings that are submerged at high tide.
City and state officials were not available for comment, but the DEP indicated in a regulatory notice it will take public comment on the new version of the building through Dec. 9 and rule after that.
Tim Logan can be reached at tim.logan@globe.com.