Retail tenants named for project over Mass Pike

The soaring development at Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street on Tuesday debuted plans for a roster of retail tenants on its public plaza above the Massachusetts Turnpike, and a ritzy new name: Lyrik Back Bay. Located at the west end of Newbury Street, the buildout of what’s known as air rights Parcel 12 straddles eight lanes of I-90, as well as MBTA Green Line and railroad tracks. It is already home to 450,000 square feet of commercial space, anchored by the new headquarters offices of both CarGurus and the Lego Group, and the soon-to-open citizenM hotel. The upcoming multilevel gathering space will loom over the edge of the Pike, offering an eclectic mix of green turf and 35,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, according to a press release from real estate development firm Samuels & Associates. Live music and public art installations can be expected, too. By this summer, visitors will be able to pop into Boston’s first outpost for the electric vehicle brand Rivian. The addition of a George Howell Coffee, Pink Carrot, and the tea house ChiCha San Chen is in the works for the fall. Come spring 2025, the Greek restaurant Avra Estiatorio will launch with “expansive views, private balcony seating, [and] a spacious bar area,” according to a press release. Roughly one-third of the retail space at Lyrik remains available. The name itself is a nod to artists just down Mass. Ave at Berklee College of Music and the Boston Pops, whose home base is nearby Symphony Hall, Simpson said, “inspired by the collective rhythm of the neighborhood — the legacy of this location being a hub for music, song, creativity, and the beauty that comes of creation.” The project is the first so-called air rights project over the Pike in 40 years, but not the last. Life-sciences development company IQHQ is building a lab tower on Parcel 7 near Fenway Park, while developers continue to work on a parcel directly across Mass. Ave. from Lyrik. In March 2023, the city also won a grant to study a new park over the Pike and rail lines in Chinatown.