The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 Charles D

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 Charles D

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 Fax: (617) 626-1081 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR http://www.mass.gov/eea Kathleen A. Theoharides SECRETARY August 14, 2020 CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE FINAL 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 : July 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 Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) and hereby determine that it adequately and properly complies with MEPA and its implementing regulations. The MEPA regulations indicate that an EIR can be found adequate even if certain aspects or issues require additional review and consideration, as long as these issues and aspects have been adequately described during MEPA review and subsequent permitting and review processes provide opportunities for additional public review and comment. The Proponent has addressed the project’s potential environmental impacts, considered alternatives and identified mitigation measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate these impacts. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will continue consultation with the Proponent during permitting and review. The FEIR documents and acknowledges that the project will impact MBTA assets, including several bus routes in the study area and on two morning inbound trips of the MBTA Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail Line. The Proponent has committed to provide an operating EEA# 15995 FEIR Certificate August 14, 2020 subsidy to mitigate the project’s impact on the MBTA’s transit system. The FEIR indicated the final expenditure of these funds will be at the discretion of MassDOT and the MBTA, with the funds possibly being used towards new buses, rail cars, or to construct physical improvements to the Boston Landing Station which may be identified by the station code analysis. It is critical that this transit subsidy is managed and expended with the utmost transparency and accountability. As such, I am requiring that MassDOT/MBTA provide revised draft Section 61 Findings for public review and comment. The revised draft Section 61 Findings should identify how MassDOT/MBTA will receive and segregate funds received from this project and the planning process that MassDOT/MBTA will use to determine how the subsidy will be spent. The process should ensure that the funding will be applied to transit- related improvements to mitigate the additional ridership generated by this project and to advance efforts to improve transit conditions in the broader study area in consideration of other anticipated projects and changes in background conditions. Additionally, the revised draft Section 61 Findings should identify how delivery of transit improvements funded by the subsidy will occur commensurate with the scope and scale of project impacts as each building is constructed, including identification of any monitoring plans or thresholds that would trigger expenditures to mitigate impacts. Project Description As described in the FEIR, the project 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).1 The project also includes a one-acre public open space 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. 1 As previously described in the Certificate on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), Building B (Office Use) may be replaced by approximately 340 residential units. The DEIR previously identified and compared the transportation, water, and wastewater impacts of both uses. The impact analysis carried throughout the DEIR and subsequent FEIR assumes that Building B will be developed as office space since this use is more impactful from a transportation and transit perspective. Additionally, the Proponent anticipates constructing Building B as office space given current market conditions and the office use was advanced through the local permitting process (and approved by the BPDA). 2 EEA# 15995 FEIR Certificate August 14, 2020 . 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 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. 40, § 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 3 EEA# 15995 FEIR Certificate August 14, 2020 Braintree Street Extension. It may require a 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

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