Developer Don Chiofaro has been trying to overwhelm city officials and the public by pitching dramatic, never-before-imagined plans for the Boston Waterfront. Chiofaro’s $1 billion Harbor Square proposal, which would have dual towers rise from a Boston Harbor parcel currently occupied by an unsightly garage, has excited many; it’s also drawn the ire of residents of the neighboring Harbor Towers condos, who overwhelmingly oppose the project.

The digital rendering above, created by Northeastern School of Architecture professor and director George Thrush, attempts to put into context the impact of Harbor Square – if it were to be completed, that is. As seen from South Boston’s Fan Pier site, the rendering specifically highlights the height of the proposed skyscrapers and their proximity to the water (and condo towers).

The gist is this: A majority of Harbor Towers’ 1,100 residents oppose Chiofaro’s 1.3 million-square-foot proposal, which would replace the existing garage with a pair of 650-foot- and 550-foot-tall towers. Instead, Harbor Towers Trustees have said they prefer a more “modest” – less “overwhelming” – development.

“We have been encouraging redevelopment of the Garage at some reasonable scale for more than five years now,” said Lee Kozol, Chair of the Harbor Towers Garage Committee in statement.

More than 550 people have signed a petition against the Chiofaro proposal – which would also be co-developed by Prudential Real Estate Investments. These signatures, along with consistent verbal opposition expressed by residents against the proposal, “should put to rest suggestions by the Chiofaro Co., and by some in the media, that Harbor Towers is divided on this issue,” continued Kozol.

Harbor Towers Trustees sent letters of opposition out to Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Chris H. Busch, Senior Waterfront Planner for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, and a host others on Monday.

Now in comes Thrush, the NU professor tasked – along with other professionals – with offering alternative development plans. Thus far, Thrush and co. have pitched a shorter, one-tower proposal and some other alternative design concepts, featuring, what one Harbor Towers resident calls “real open space for views and pedestrians.”

So, not this:

And definitely not this:

Thrush’s digital rendering at the top, created using digital files of the Harbor Square proposal submitted to the BRA which are already available to the public, is an attempt to provide a look at the “visual consequences” the proposed towers would create, our Harbor Towers source said. It’s included in Thrush’s presentation, dubbed “The Public Interest at the Waterfront,” which we hope to check out in its entirety soon.

Stay tuned.
—
Author’s note: An earlier version of this story may have suggested that all 1,100 Harbor Towers residents oppose the Harbor Square proposal. However, only a majority – not all – oppose it. The post has been updated. Apologies for any confusion.