Draft Project Impact Report - Boston Redevelopment Authority

October 21
Exeter Residences/888 Boylston
December 21
\\Mabos\projects\09916.00\docs\Permits\DPIR\Text\DPIR Chapter 5
Environmental.docx
network. Even the high-rise buildings in the vicinity of the Project Site cast relatively
small shadows the generally remain on-site.
At 6 PM, the sun has moved lower in the western sky and south-facing sidewalks are
uniformly shaded. Pedestrians continue to have the choice of walking in shade or on
the sunny side of the street.
The sun rises at 7:05 AM on October 21. At 9 AM the sun is still low in the sky and
nearly all of the pedestrian areas in the vicinity of the Project site are fully shaded.
The limited exceptions are the intersection of Boylston and Exeter Streets and the east
facing sidewalks on Commonwealth Avenue. Except for these areas, only slivers of
sunlit sidewalks are present in the vicinity of the site.
At noon, the sun in almost due south. East facing sidewalks in the Back Bay are
uniformly sunlit with the exception of Boylston Street which is nearly in complete
shadow. The existing mid and high-rise building east of Boylston Street extend
across Newbury Street but do not extend as far west as Commonwealth Avenue.
By 3 PM on October 21, the sun is low in the southwestern sky and only limited
sections of Boylston Street are sunlit. West-facing sidewalks along Commonwealth
Avenue and Newbury Street remain in nearly full sunlight. Due to the extensive
existing shadows in the Boylston Street corridor pedestrians generally do not have a
choice of sunlit or shaded sidewalks.
The sun sets at 5:52 PM on October 21.
On December 21 st , the sun is relatively low in the southern sky throughout the day
and even at noon, most public spaces and sidewalks within the study area are in full
shadow including almost all of the Commonwealth Avenue green space. The only
consistent exception throughout the day is the south-facing sidewalk on
Commonwealth Avenue where approximately 50 percent of the sidewalk is in full
sun at 12 Noon.
At noon, and 3 PM, most of the south-facing sidewalk of Commonwealth Avenue is
in full sun but as stated above, the remainder of the study area sidewalk is in
shadow. By 6 PM on December 21, the sun has set.
DRAFT - Environmental Protection 5-16