With a giant hole in its heart, Downtown Crossing will suffer another cheerless Christmas.
But this year’s festivities have even less hope on the horizon for the redevelopment of the old Filene’s Basement.
The project went back to square one on Wednesday when the Boston Redevelopment Authority officially pulled permits from developers who left a gaping crater in the ground when they halted construction in 2008.
“I remember going down there as a kid, Christmas shopping,” said City Councilor Sal LaMattina, whose district covers Downtown Crossing. “Shop windows were decorated, it was a happy time. You go down now and it’s like a death in the family. That’s the feeling when you walk down there.”
Despite claiming to be unable to finance the project in Boston, Vornado Realty Trust was approved to build a New York skyscraper recently.
“That’s really frustrating,” LaMattina said. “Yeah the economy tanked, but they have money. They built in New York.”
If the property is sold and a new developer is found, the project would still have to go through the BRA’s review process again.
