Developer vows this time massive Fenway development ready to begin

Developer John Rosenthal bounded up to the microphone at the BPDA board meeting this afternoon: "I'm baaack!"

"We are truly ready to go" with the $580-million Fenway Center project, Rosenthal said. Construction on the two initial buildings, itself a $230-million job involving, among other things, 313 residential units, should begin this spring, Rosenthal said.

Rosenthal was before the board for two relatively minor changes to the initial two buildings.

He told the board he now has financing in hand - and that his lender wanted him to start on the first two buildings because they will be built on land, rather than on air rights over the turnpike, because of problems surrounding past air-rights projects, notably the failed Columbus Center project on the Back Bay/South End line.

Rosenthal has been trying to build the center for some 20 years - he paid for and oversaw construction of the Yawkey Way commuter-rail station as part of the work.