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Nutter Advises Synergy on Boston’s Largest Office-to-Residential Conversion Project
Print PDFNutter McClennen & Fish LLP announced that it represented Synergy in connection with the approval of the largest office-to-residential conversion project in Boston to date. The project, located at 280–300 Washington Street in Downtown Crossing, will transform approximately 230,000 square feet of underutilized office space into 255 new residential units, including 51 income-restricted homes.
The project reflects Synergy’s commitment to active stewardship of key assets and to creatively repositioning spaces to meet evolving local needs, as well as a new scale of adaptive reuse under Mayor Michelle Wu’s Office-to-Residential Conversion Program. The development will also retain ground-floor retail space, contribute to the revitalization of Downtown Crossing, and support approximately 400 construction jobs and 75 permanent positions.
Nutter’s multidisciplinary team advised Synergy on the structuring, permitting, and regulatory aspects of the project, helping to navigate an expedited approval process enabled by recent zoning updates designed to accelerate housing production in Downtown Boston.
“This project reflects the kind of thoughtful, creative approach needed to meet Boston’s housing and economic development goals,” said Michael Scott, Co-Managing Partner of Nutter. “We applaud Synergy for its vision in reimagining this property – and in particular Dave Greaney’s leadership in continually evolving his portfolio to meet the needs of the market – as well as the City of Boston for taking a holistic approach to revitalizing downtown, and the BPDA for its partnership in ensuring a timely and effective process. Synergy has long demonstrated a commitment to the vitality of Boston’s commercial real estate community, and this project is a clear extension of that work.”
“This approval in nine weeks flat shows what’s possible when a forward-looking city is paired with committed property ownership. Many developers were watching this application to see if Synergy could adapt a large, 1904 Beaux Arts office building into modern, downtown housing. Because Boston had updated its zoning code, and then delivered both vital incentives and efficient public review, Synergy could and will,” said Jared Eigerman, Of Counsel, Nutter.
Nutter’s work on this project underscores the firm’s leading role in complex real estate development and adaptive reuse projects across Greater Boston, particularly those advancing housing production, sustainability, and urban revitalization.
About Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
Nutter is a leading Boston-based law firm providing a full range of legal services to clients across industries, with particular strength in real estate, land use, and development. The firm represents developers, owners, investors, and institutions in transformative projects that shape the built environment across the region.
