BOSTON (AP) – About 30 years after Faneuil Hall Marketplace was transformed from a rundown eyesore into one of Boston’s top tourist attractions, some city officials think the shopping and restaurant district is losing its identity and is due for another makeover.
The city-owned but privately managed marketplace is plagued by high rents that are pushing out the local merchants while opening the doors for large national chains and numerous bars.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is scheduled this week to meet with marketplace manager General Growth Properties to discuss the future of the area, which consists of four buildings – Quincy, North and South markets, and historic Faneuil Hall itself.
“I don’t believe it’s being managed properly. If they don’t want to work with us, something has to happen,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said told the Boston Sunday Globe. “Longtime merchants are closing shops because of rising rents. It’s not Faneuil Hall Marketplace anymore. It’s a mall.”
The city also plans to form a watchdog advisory group to help attract more local merchants.
Officials and some merchants grew alarmed when Urban Outfitters and Dick’s Last Resort moved in within the past year.
There is also concern about the fact that retail sales at the marketplace have fallen three of the past six years at stores open at least a year, according to Michael Kelleher, who manages the property for General Growth and started managing the property just two years ago. Although this year sales are improving, up 13 percent compared to last year, he said.
Kelleher said the marketplace, which attracts about 20 million visitors per year, tries to attract local merchants, but needs the chains to succeed. Urban Outfitters and Dick’s Last Resort have taken over areas that have been vacant for long periods of time, he said.
Rents are also a barrier. Some retailers and food vendors pay up to $150 a square foot, said several tenants.
BRA executive director Harry Collings said the mounting concerns over the direction of Faneuil Hall Marketplace prompted the city to demand the meeting with General Growth.
“We’re concerned about retaining the character of Faneuil Marketplace,” Collings said. “At night, the area is becoming too much of a party place and that’s not the original intent.”
The area was slated for demolition until a group of residents sought to preserve it in the early 1970s.
Architect Ben Thompson and developer James Rouse got the support of then-Mayor Kevin White to revive the marketplace.
By 1983, the district had about 172 businesses, and more than 90 percent were local, according to the Faneuil Hall Merchants Association. Chains now make up 50 percent of the retailers, up from 5 percent in 1983.
“I would like to see our new landlord, General Growth, appreciate the culture and diversity of New England and its products and artisans by leasing once again to local businesses to recreate a marketplace that Bostonians will continue to use and be proud of for many years to come,” said Carol Troxell, president of the merchants association.
Bill Blumenreich, owner of the Comedy Connection on the second floor of Quincy Market, said he’s considering a move because of soaring rents and slumping sales. “Twenty-five years ago, people were dying to get into Faneuil Hall,” he said. “Today, people are dying to get out.”
– Associated Press
