The Boston Redevelopment Authority Board granted approval to the Charlesview redevelopment project in Allston-Brighton following a public hearing tonight. Charlesview is a 213-unit apartment complex currently located at the corner of Western & North Harvard Avenues in Allston. Through a 2007 land-swap agreement with Harvard University, The Community Builders, Inc., on behalf of the Charlesview board of directors, submitted a proposal for the Charlesview redevelopment project to be located on two parcels; the 7.93-acre Brighton Mills site on Western Avenue and a .72-acre parcel on Telford Street.

“The residents of Charlesview have waited long enough for new housing,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. “This project will transform the underutilized Brighton Mills site into a thriving mixed-income residential community with neighborhood retail and open space. I’m pleased that in addition to this project, Harvard University has committed to develop homeownership units at the Brookline Machine site. I want to thank the community for their participation throughout the review process as their comments and feedback ultimately resulted in a better project.”

The Charlesview Redevelopment project proposal includes a 470,163 square foot mixed-use development consisting of residential, community, commercial and open space uses. The project calls for the construction of 240 rental units, 213 of which are the replacement units, with an additional 27 new rental units and 100 new homeownership units. Twenty of the homeownership units will be located on the southern and western borders of the Brighton Mills site and 80 units will be located on the Telford Street Site. The project also includes approximately 26,533 square feet of commercial/community space and the creation of four acres of new open space that includes the re-established connection between the neighborhood and the Charles River.

Specifically, the Brighton Mills site includes 25 individual buildings, including 19 townhouses, three row houses, and three mid-rise buildings. The Telford Street site includes a seven-story building consisting of the 80 homeownership units. Building heights on the Brighton Mills Site will range from 2.5 stories for the townhouses to five stories for the mid-rise buildings adjacent to Western Avenue.

This project’s main objective is to relocate the existing residents of the Charlesview Apartment Complex to a new, well designed, sustainable development, on the Brighton Mills Site, which is located less than a half mile away from the current complex. The Charlesview complex is 40 years old and has reached the end of its useful life. Presently, the living conditions are substandard and have been on the decline for many years. Relocating the Charlesview Apartment Complex to the Brighton Mills Site will allow the existing residents to stay together as a community, and with the creation of an additional 27 rental units, allow for flexibility for those residents who require different housing types based on family size or income levels so they can stay within the existing community. The 20 homeownership units on the Brighton Mills Site will create opportunities for the residents of Charlesview to achieve the goal of homeownership or allow future residents to become a part of the neighborhood. The 80 homeownership opportunities on the Telford Street site will further the goal of creating diverse income levels for the entire project.

The housing program includes a diverse mix of incomes on both the Brighton Mills Site and Telford Street Site, and far exceeds the BRA’s Inclusionary Development Program requirements. The diverse housing plan includes six income tiers – up to 50%; up to 60%; up to 80%; up to 100%; and up to 120% of HUD area median income, as well as a market rate component. The full program includes market rate, moderate and low income units. All of the proposed buildings will incorporate multiple income tiers and units will be indistinguishable from each other regardless of income tier.

In addition to the two-year review process for the Charlesview redevelopment project, BRA planning staff is in the midst of working with the Allston community on an extensive Community Wide Planning (CWP) process of the adjacent Holton Street Corridor. Through this effort, the need for additional homeownership opportunities in the neighborhood was identified as a top priority. In response, Mayor Menino asked Harvard University to commit the Brookline Machine property for future residential development. Harvard has agreed to develop at least 10 market-rate homeownership units on the site. The creation of these units will be a wonderful complement to the Charlesview redevelopment project, furthering the vision for a vibrant neighborhood.

In addition to The Community Builders, Inc., the development team includes CBT Architects, Rackemann Sawyer & Brewster as the legal counsel, and Howard Stein Hudson as the transportation consultant. The project will create 300 construction jobs as well as 30 permanent jobs upon completion.

The project is still subject to further design review by the BRA’s Urban Design staff. The project must next seek approval from the Zoning Commission.

Media Contact: Jessica Shumaker, 617.918.4446.

Release Date: December 17, 2009