Mayor Menino Announces: New Projects Moving Forward
Apr 11, 2013
Housing and Retail Approved for Barry’s Corner
Total Project Cost: $150M
Total SF: 350,000
Housing: 325 units, 42 affordable
Retail: 45,000 SF
Construction Jobs: 500
Permanent Jobs: 250
Answering the call of Allston residents for housing, services, and amenities, the BRA Board unanimously approved Barry’s Corner, a project that will transform a Harvard University parcel into 325 units of housing, 45,000 SF of retail space, and 221 parking spaces. Sixty percent of the units will be studios and one-bedrooms, and 40% of the units will be two and three-bedrooms. Barry’s Corner will include public realm improvements with new, open space and transportation improvements to accommodate car sharing and bike sharing services. Two new streets will be built to facilitate access to Barry’s Corner, to improve traffic flow, and to create parking. The project will be led by Samuels and Associates, developers of other mixed-use projects, Fenway Trilogy and 1330 Boylston Street. The residential units will be split into two components sharing a single podium for retail and residential amenities. [gallery ids="10605,10604,10603"] Consultants Selected for Sullivan Square Planning Study [caption id="attachment_10575" align="alignleft" width="139"]
Sullivan Square[/caption] The BRA Board approved the selection of Crosby Schlessinger Smallridge LLC as consultants on a joint BRA/Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) study being done in Sullivan Square. The study is the result of a recently completed transportation planning process that envisions the transformation of Rutherford Avenue and Sullivan Square in Charlestown into an urban boulevard with a walkable city grid adjacent to the Sullivan Square MBTA stop. The BRA/MAPC study will identify land use and development guidelines for the parcels in Sullivan Square that the road realignment would create.
In July 2012 the BRA Board issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to hire a consultant for this study. Five firms submitted proposals and following a committee review Crosby Schlessinger Smallridge LLC was selected. The planning study is being funded with $100,000 from the BRA and $50,000 from the MAPC.
Representatives of the BRA, MAPC, and the newly hired consulting team will kick off the planning process this month.
Funding Energy Efficiency Repairs for Affordable Housing
With the unanimous support of the BRA Board, $74,000 from the Inclusionary Development Program Energy Fund has been allotted for the repair of the energy/heating systems of 208 residential units of Genesis House (Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly). Furnaces, boilers, air sealant, and wall insulation will be replaced, thereby reducing the utility costs for residents. The $1M Energy Fund, part of the Inclusionary Development Program, gives grants to improve the energy efficiency of existing affordable, multi-family, rental housing.