Mayor asks abutters for patience with Columbus Center
Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday asked neighbors of the messy Columbus Center construction site to be patient for a few weeks while the developers try to find financing to restart the troubled project.
Menino said one of the local partners from WinnDevelopment is in California talking to executives of the state pension fund that is backing the project about putting the pieces back together, only days after Massachusetts state officials pulled $10 million of grant money, which could kill the mixed-use project.
"Some of you may not agree, but I think this is a good project for the city," Menino said, walking along Cortes Street above the Massachusetts Turnpike, which divides the Back Bay from the South End. "It plugs the hole."
More than a dozen residents joined Menino and other city officials, expressing frustration over the idle construction site, with equipment and materials scattered about.
"It's a disaster here," said Mark Dimino, a Berkeley Street resident. "We also lost parking spaces, and a sidewalk is [temporarily moved] out in the street."
All the residents who spoke said they support Columbus Center, the $800 million hotel, condo, and retail project that has been 11 years in planning and the subject of fierce opposition from some.
"We were very committed to seeing this project finished," said Lynn Andrews, a Cortes Street resident who thanked Menino for coming. "This has been sort of a neglected street for a long time."
WinnDevelopment spokesman George Regan said, "We've spent a lot of time and money on this project, and we're going to make it happen. . . . We want people to bear with us. We're working very hard to get this done."
Menino said he spoke with Governor Deval Patrick last week and Patrick did not rule out restoring funds to Columbus Center "if they get their financing in place."
Menino said construction workers would be particularly unhappy if the project died. "I think they're trying to get the unions on board as well," he said, making it "much easier for government to come up with additional financing."
Thomas C. Palmer Jr. can be reached at tpalmer@globe.com.
