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BRA Board approves over $515 million in projects at July meeting

Jul 21, 2015

Range of projects approved demonstrates continued health of Boston’s real estate market

Last Thursday, the Board of Directors for the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) approved six new projects and revised plans for a significant development that was previously approved for Brighton’s Cleveland Circle neighborhood. The approved projects vary in size and scope, from a new hotel slated for the Theater District, to a nearly 500-unit development on East Boston’s waterfront, and an entirely affordable housing project in Roxbury. A cluster of downtown buildings will be rehabilitated and expanded upon to create the new Congress Square project at the corner of Devonshire and State Street.

Together the approved projects represent over $515 million worth of investment in Boston’s economy. They will create a combined 696 units of new housing and nearly one thousand construction jobs.

The BRA board also voiced support for Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation’s proposal to substantially renovate Faneuil Hall Marketplace. It would be the most significant overhaul of Boston’s biggest landmark since the late 1980s. While the board voted to approve Ashkenazy’s overall vision, each individual component of the renovation plan will undergo further review by BRA staff.

Below is a summary of the development projects approved at last week’s meeting.

45 West Third Street project set to remake South Boston block with 105 new units of housing

Total Project Cost: $45,000,000
Total SF: 132,850
Construction Jobs: 99

The project team from Spaulding & Slye received approval to redevelop an underused area of land in South Boston’s West Broadway neighborhood. The site is currently occupied by 36 surface parking spaces, a small residential building at 68 Athens Street and a single story 30,000 square foot brick industrial building, situated on a featureless and inactive streetscape.

The redevelopment envisions construction of a mixed-use building with 3,400 square feet of ground floor retail space designed to unify existing site features, encourage pedestrian traffic, and introduce 105 new housing units to the area. The sustainably designed, LEED-Silver certified building will include thirteen (13) on-site affordable units, and introduce a host of public realm improvements.

These include widened sidewalks with landscaping, street furniture and lighting in accordance with Boston's Complete Streets guidelines.

Cleveland Circle project revised to include active senior housing component

Total Project Cost: $95,000,000
Total SF: 213,392
Construction Jobs: 100

Plans to redevelop 375-399 Chestnut Hill Avenue in Cleveland Circle will incorporate changes proposed by a new team from National Development, and approved by the BRA board. The originally-approved project calls for the demolition of existing site structures to accommodate construction of an approximately 218,500 square foot mixed-use building containing a new hotel, residential and retail space.

National Development’s updated vision for the project retains the hotel and retail uses, but with new, active senior housing making up the residential component. This new design proposes parsing the hotel and residential units into two buildings, along with a reconfiguration of the approved courtyard to make for a more pedestrian friendly urban piazza that complements both uses.

The proposed project will comply with the Inclusionary Development Policy by including twelve (12) units of affordable housing within the residential component of the Project.

The proponent plans to begin initial site work in the third quarter of 2015, with an estimated completion date in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Affordable apartment project named after community activist Delphine Walker approved for construction in Roxbury

Total Project Cost: $17,109,497
Total SF: 49,924
Construction Jobs: 38

Urban Edge Housing Corporation received approval to construct forty-nine (49) residential rental units at 80 Walnut Park, 67 Walnut Park, and 2040 Columbus Avenue. Construction of the Walker Park Apartments would require demolition of vacant property currently on the site in order to accommodate construction of the two proposed apartment buildings.

The building at 80 Walnut Park will include 17 units of rental housing and 12 parking spaces, while the building at 67 Walnut Park will include 32 units of rental housing and 22 parking spaces. The project’s unit mix will consist of thirteen (13) one-bedroom units, twenty-eight (28) two-bedroom units, and eight (8) three-bedroom units.

The Proposed Project will be 100% affordable to households earning less than 60% of the area median income (AMI), with 15% of those units reserved for extremely low income residents earning 30% of the AMI.

Walker Park Apartments takes its name from Delphine Walker, a much-beloved community activist who resided in a house that once occupied the project site.

Small transit-oriented development approved for Mission Hill

Total Project Cost: $3,500,000
Total SF: 22,039
Construction Jobs: 16

The BRA board approved a proposal from 36-40 Fisher Avenue, LLC to construct a new, 22,039 square foot residential building with fifteen (15) residential rental units, including two (2) affordable units at 40 Fisher Avenue in Mission Hill. The new building will be located less than a half mile from the MBTA’s Orange Line, providing direct access to downtown and the greater Boston area and helping meet the demand for more transit-oriented development.

The fifteen (15) residential units will consist of seven (7) three bedroom units, six (6) two bedroom units, and two (2) one bedroom units. The project will also include ten (10) off street vehicle parking spaces and on-site bicycle storage areas accommodating up to eighteen (18) bicycles.

The developer anticipates beginning construction by fall 2015.

Congress Square project approval to bring retail, residences, offices and hotel to Financial District

Total Project Cost: $ 105,000,000
Total SF: 458,300
Construction Jobs: 330

Related Beal received BRA approval for Congress Square, a mixed-use project centrally located in the heart of downtown Boston at the intersection of the Financial District, Government Center, and Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

The project site is an approximately 43,847 square foot area bounded by the buildings at 46 Devonshire Street and 31 State Street to the north, Congress Street to the east, Water Street to the south, and Devonshire Street to the west. Rich in culture, these early 20th century buildings were known as Congress Square when they were first built between 1899 and 1921. The new project will repurpose this special grouping of buildings in Boston’s downtown to reflect its original identity.

The ground floor and lower levels spaces will be returned to retail and restaurant use, enlivening the streetscape while providing highly desirable retail and restaurant opportunities. The upper floors of the buildings will be converted to modern offices, residences, and a boutique hotel.

Clippership Wharf project set to bring 492 residential units, and natural beauty, to East Boston

Total Project Cost: $225,000,000
Total SF: 745,896
Construction Jobs: 411

The BRA board approved an amended development plan for the Clippership Wharf project on East Boston’s waterfront. The project will result in the construction of four buildings comprised of up to 492 residential units with ground-floor commercial space and facilities for public accommodations and parking.

The project will also act as a catalyst for beautifying a dilapidated section of the neighborhood’s waterfront by removing deteriorated piles and deck from the harbor and creating an innovative “living shoreline” to encourage people to return to the water’s edge.

Clippership Wharf will help to revitalize an important part of the East Boston waterfront that has been underutilized and inaccessible to the public for decades. The public benefits of the proposed project will make the area more appealing to both residents and visitors, whether arriving by land or water.

BRA issues RFP for I-90 Allston Interchange Placemaking Study

The BRA has issued a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) to engage a consultant in preparing a placemaking study for the I-90 Allston Interchange.

The study will address design issues such as air rights development, street layout and elevations, roadway and infrastructure design, open space, pedestrian and bicycle mobility, and development density. The primary study area will be bound roughly by Cambridge Street, the Charles River, and the Beacon Park Yards. The study will help to inform a long-term vision for development that could occur as a result of the reconfiguration of a portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike that runs through Allston.

The consultant will support an exploratory team comprised of representatives from the BRA, Boston Transportation Department, Harvard University, and other stakeholder agencies.

The study should be completed within four months of hiring the consultant.

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