A Boston development team wants to build a pair of towers in front of TD Garden that could reach 600 feet in height, creating a gateway for the arena with stores and restaurants, 500 residences, offices, and a 200-room hotel.
The project, by Delaware North Cos. and Boston Properties, would dramatically reshape the area around the Garden and North Station. At 1.7 million square feet, it would be among the largest developments in the city, adding shopping, dining, and living options to an iconic sports property.
"This project will help to transform the rest of Causeway Street and become a new front door to the TD Garden and North Station," said Charlie Jacobs, a principal of Delaware North.
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The developers submitted an outline to the Boston Redevelopment Authority Thursday. They must undergo a monthslong review process but indicated they hope to start construction early next year.
The project would make good on long-delayed plans to redevelop 2.8 acres along Causeway Street where the old Boston Garden once stood. The site has been used for parking since the new arena opened in the mid-1990s.
Documents filed Thursday describe a towering complex that would rise over a shared "podium" of retail stores. The complex would have about 600,000 square feet of office space, 500 luxury residences, and a hotel.
Although retail leases will not be finalized for months, executives have talked about a mix of large and small stores, along with restaurants and possibly a supermarket.
A brochure circulated in recent months about the project featured a Target department store, but Jacobs said Thursday that the retailer would not open in the complex.
Construction is planned to unfold in phases. Jacobs, who declined to provide a price tag for the project, said the work would start with the retail base and a new glass concourse into the Garden.
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Next would come the offices, hotel, and residences, situated in separate towers over the retail shops.
The exact height of the towers is not yet known, but Jacobs said the complex could top out at 600 feet. John Hancock Tower in the Back Bay stands at 790 feet.
The project is one of several that could transform huge swaths of property around North Station. Collectively, developers are proposing to build more than 1,800 residences, along with office towers, public parks, and many new stores and restaurants. Five large mixed-use projects are planned for lots surrounding TD Garden.
The area's revival has unfolded in fits and starts over the years. It began with the Big Dig and the redesign of North Station and later attracted its first significant private investment with construction of the Avenir apartment complex at the corner of Canal and Causeway streets.
Development stalled during the economic downturn, but the area got a huge boost recently when Converse Inc. agreed to move its corporate headquarters to the Lovejoy Wharf development, off North Washington Street.
The project, by Beal/Related Cos., will bring hundreds of workers to the property and result in construction of a residential building, stores, a large waterfront park, and a new section of the city's Harborwalk.
Nearby, the developers AvalonBay Communities Inc. and Equity Residential are each planning 500-unit apartment buildings, and Simpson Housing is building a 286-unit apartment and retail building overlooking the Zakim Bridge.
The Delaware North-Boston Properties project could have the most significant impact on the area. It would cover the bland, gray facade of the Garden and update the site with fresh architecture and amenities.
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The buildings would be designed with generous amounts of glass and include a large archway leading visitors into the Garden. The complex would be situated over an entrance to North Station. The plan includes 300,000 square feet of new retail space.
Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.