The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 Charles D. Baker GOVERNOR Tel: (617) 626-1000 Karyn E. Polito LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Fax: (617) 626-1081 http://www.mass.gov/eea Kathleen A. Theoharides SECRETARY May 15, 2020 CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE DRAFT ENVIRONMETNAL NOTIFICATION FORM PROJECT NAME : Allston Yards PROJECT MUNICIPALITY : Boston (Allston) PROJECT WATERSHED : Charles River EEA NUMBER : 15995 PROJECT PROPONENT : Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC and New England Development DATE NOTICED IN MONITOR : April 8, 2020 Pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA; M.G. L. c. 30, ss. 61- 62I) and Section 11.08 of the MEPA regulations (301 CMR 11.00), I have reviewed the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) and hereby determine that it adequately and properly complies with MEPA and its implementing regulations. The Proponent must prepare and submit for review a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) in accordance with the Scope provided in this Certificate. Project Description As described in the DEIR, the redevelopment project has been revised since the Expanded Environmental Notification Form (EENF) was filed and includes the construction of an approximately 1.23 million-square foot (sf) mixed-use, transit-oriented development on a 10.6-acre site in the neighborhood of Allston. The overall development will include office/lab space (350,000 sf), a grocery store (67,000 sf), ground floor retail/restaurant (50,000 sf), and residential uses (764,000 sf; 868 units). The project also includes a one-acre public open space EEA# 15995 DEIR Certificate May 15, 2020 referred to as the community green, roadway improvements, and a new at-grade direct connection to the Boston Landing commuter rail station, including improved access for pedestrians, bicyclists, vehicles, and buses. The project will consist of the following four buildings (Buildings A-D): . Building A: 85-foot (ft) tall building located on the southern portion of the site with 176 residential units, and approximately 87,200 sf of retail space, including a grocery store. The building will include approximately 300 structured parking spaces and construction of approximately 24 surface spaces along Guest Street Extension. Building B: 188-ft tall building located in the northeastern corner of the site with approximately 350,000 sf of office space (including approximately 10,000 sf of community/artist space) with approximately 11,500 sf of retail space. It also includes 4 levels of structured parking totaling approximately 550 spaces. Building C: 232-ft tall building in the center of the northern portion of the site with approximately 386 residential units and 9,600 sf of retail space and approximately 200 structured parking spaces. Building D: 167-ft tall building in the northwestern corner of the site with approximately 306 residential units and 8,700 sf of ground-floor retail space and approximately 150 structured parking spaces. The project will be developed in phases. The first phase will include Building A and all infrastructure necessary to support full-build, including the community green, Guest Street Extension, East Street, West Street, Braintree Street Extension, and pedestrian and bicycle accommodations throughout the site. It will also include the construction of two signalized intersections (Guest Street Extension/Everett Street and Guest Street Extension/Arthur Street). Phased development of the remaining buildings will occur over an eight to ten year period dependent upon market conditions. Project Site The project site is located at 60 Everett Street in Boston and is generally bounded by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line to the north, Everett Street to the east, commercial properties to the south, and the Boston Landing development (EEA# 14909) to the west. The Boston Landing commuter rail station is located immediately adjacent to and north of project site. The majority of the site is developed with impervious area (10.4 acres) and contains 100,000 total sf of retail space, including a Stop and Shop grocery store, smaller ancillary retail space, and a 450-space surface parking lot. The project site does not contain any filled tidelands, wetlands, or designated rare species habitat. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Potential environmental impacts associated with the project include: alteration of 10.6 acres of land, creation of 34,848 sf of impervious area (9.6 total acres), generation of 7,990 unadjusted average daily vehicle trips (adt), an increase in water demand of 194,633 gallons per 2 EEA# 15995 DEIR Certificate May 15, 2020 day (gpd), and an increase in wastewater flows of 176,939 gpd. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are associated with the project's energy use and trip generation. Measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts include: redevelopment of a site in close proximity to transit; design of a building that can be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program; improved connections to the Boston Landing commuter station; installation of transit signal priority components, new bus stops, and bus rerouting; development of a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program; pedestrian and bicycle improvements; provision of a 1.0-acre publicly accessible centralized open space; and incorporation of energy efficiency measures to reduce the project’s GHG emissions. Jurisdiction and Permitting The project is undergoing MEPA review and is subject to a Mandatory EIR pursuant to 301 CMR 11.03(6)(a)(6) because it requires State Agency Actions and will generate 3,000 or more average daily vehicle trips (adt) with access to a single location. The project will require a Vehicular Access Permit, Approval for Construction on Former Railroad Land under M.G.L. c.30, sec. 54A, and work within a highway easement area from MassDOT. It will also require a License Agreement from the MBTA to improve pedestrian connections to the Boston Landing commuter rail station and to construct Braintree Street Extension. It may require a Construction Dewatering Permit and/or Sewer Use Discharge Permit from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). The project is subject to the May 5, 2010 MEPA Greenhouse Gas Policy and Protocol (the “GHG Policy”). The project requires a NPDES Construction General Permit and NPDES Remediation General Permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The project is subject to review by several City of Boston agencies, including, but not limited to: Article 80B Large Project review by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), Design Review by the Boston Civic Design Commission (BCDC), and Site Plan Review by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC). The DEIR indicated the project completed the BPDA’s Article 80 Large Project Review process and that the Boston Zoning Commission approved a Planned Development Area (PDA) Master Plan and Individual Development Plans for the project. The Proponent will prepare and submit a Transportation Access Plan Agreement (TAPA) and a Construction Management Plan (CMP) in coordination with the Boston Transportation Department (BTD) for the project. In 2016, MassDOT and the MBTA terminated certain easements, sidetracks, and box culvert rights located throughout the project site for an affiliate of the Proponent. Because development plans had not been identified at that time, the Proponent’s affiliate executed a Compliance Agreement that required disclosure of this Land Transfer and required completion of MEPA review for any work or activities proposed on the site within five years. Because portions of the project site were subject to a Land Transfer from MassDOT and the MBTA, MEPA jurisdiction is broad and extends to all aspects of the conveyance within the area subject to the Land Transfer that are likely, directly or indirectly, to cause Damage to the Environment as 3 EEA# 15995 DEIR Certificate May 15, 2020 defined in the MEPA regulations. Therefore, MEPA jurisdiction is broad and extends to all aspects of the project that are likely, directly or indirectly, to cause Damage to the Environment as defined in the MEPA regulations. Review of the DEIR The DEIR described changes to the project since the filing of the EENF, identified existing conditions, described potential environmental impacts, generally identified mitigation measures, and provided a brief discussion of project alternatives. The DEIR provided updated conceptual site plans for existing and proposed conditions and clarified which portions of the roadway network would be built with Building A during Phase 1. It provided a brief description of applicable statutory and regulatory standards and requirements, and described how the project will meet those standards. It included a list of required State Permits, Financial Assistance, or other State approvals and provided an update on the status of each of these pending actions. The DEIR identified project revisions that have occurred since the EENF was filed based on continued consultation with the community, the City of Boston, and state agencies. Project changes include the reduction of office use in Building B (from 375,000 sf to 350,000 sf), elimination of 27 residential units (from 895 units to 868 units), reduction in building heights, reduction of office parking for Building B (by 164 spaces), incorporation of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations and EV-ready spaces, revisions to Guest Street Extension to facilitate bus access, and improved connections from the site to Boston Landing commuter rail station (including a two-way protected cycle track and pedestrian pathways along Braintree Street). As previously described in the EENF, Building B (office use) may be replaced by approximately 340 residential units. As requested in the Scope, the DEIR identified and compared the transportation, water, and wastewater impacts of both uses.