Development could free up room in Fenway Park's concourses if team can move its officesGETTY IMAGES
The owners of the Red Sox are "moving into the real estate development business," partnering with a developer on an "ambitious, long-term venture that would transform the neighborhood just outside the walls of Fenway Park," according to a front-page piece by Silverman & Logan of the BOSTON GLOBE. The five-acre project would feature "office space, apartment buildings, retail stores, and possibly a hotel, along with public art and green space." Parcels are owned by Fenway Sports Group Real Estate and the D'Angelo family, owners of the sports apparel company '47 Brand. They are partnering with WS Development to "steer design and construction of the project." Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy said, "We are not some joint venture that is just looking to maximize height or density. We want to create value, but we have to make sure we do no harm to Fenway Park and the fan experience." The codevelopers said that while "extensive planning has begun," they are "still working out many details." They are "considering the prospect of one day building out over the Massachusetts Turnpike," which "would enable more ambitious development." In addition to "housing, retail, office, and lab space -- and maybe a hotel" -- the development "could allow the Red Sox to leave their cramped offices in Fenway Park." That "would also free up room in Fenway's concourses." A new '47 Brand team store "will fit in somewhere," if "not necessarily in its current spot across from Fenway's Jersey Street gates" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/20).
