City officials are making progress on plans for a new parking garage that could be located at the current home of Gary’s Beverages at 165 Deer St. City manager John Bohenko said the city is working on drafting a letter of intent to purchase the Deer Street property owned by GL Rogers and Co.
Bohenko said the non-binding letter would establish the terms of a possible sale, including the price of the land and details about the garage. He expects the letter to be finished by the end of January, with a public presentation before the city council coming sometime in early February. At least six of the nine councilors must vote in favor of the project for it to move forward.
Bohenko said the city recently did soil testing on the property. He added that, as part of the garage’s design, the city plans to follow cues from the North End charette and incorporate “liner buildings” that will include retail and office space and obscure the garage.
The site was chosen by a subcommittee of the economic development commission, which looked at more than 20 potential garage locations.
“This was one of the best sites … that was not owned by the city,” Bohenko said. — Larry Clow