News & Updates

BPDA Board approves 247 affordable residential units at December meeting

Dec 16, 2016

Adopts PLAN: South Boston Dorchester Ave. to guide future growth of neighborhood

The Boston Planning & Development Agency’s (BPDA) board of directors approved eight development projects at the December meeting. In total the projects represent 350 residential units, 247 of which are affordable, and are valued at $1.03 billion.

The Board also voted to adopt the PLAN: South Boston Dorchester Avenue guidelines, which will guide the BPDA and the community on future development and public realm improvements within the South Boston Dorchester Avenue Study Area. Mayor Martin J. Walsh called for the plan in 2015 because of the need to shape growth as a community and create a holistic vision for the area. The plan establishes goals and strategies that will help drive short- and long-term public-private investments in the community, including a new network of streets, public parks and green space, a range of housing types, and more commercial, 21st century industrial and retail activity for South Boston. This plan will also serve as the foundation for working with the community to update zoning in the area so that it aligns with the community’s vision and creates predictable conditions for future development.

Of the eight development projects approved, four were new projects and four were Notices of Project Change (NPC). Below are summaries of the approvals. The full board agenda and archived video stream can be found here.

NPC Projects

Parcel K, a mixed-use development anchored by residential units, a boutique hotel and office space on the South Boston Waterfront;
South Station Air Rights, an office and residential development above South Station;
30 Polk Street, a residential development in Charlestown; and
422 River Street, a residential development in Mattapan.

New Projects

162 affordable units for seniors in Chinatown to be rehabilitated

Total Project Cost: $71,046,069
Total SF: 124,720
Construction Jobs: 307

Located in Chinatown, Quincy Tower is a 16 story affordable housing complex that contains 162 age-restricted units. The approved project will substantially rehabilitate Quincy Tower’s interior and mechanical systems, including: (1) heating and domestic hot water boiler replacement, (2) emergency generator overhaul, (3) the renovation of kitchen and bathroom areas in the residential units, (4) building accessibility upgrades/improvements, (5) security system enhancements, and (6) common area equipment replacement and upgrades. The building footprint, number of units, and parking spaces will remain the same. Ten percent of the units (17 units) will be rented to households with incomes at or below 30 percent of area median income (AMI) and the remaining 144 units will be rented to households at or below 60 percent of AMI, all in perpetuity.

3353 Washington Street to bring 45 rental units to Jamaica Plain

Total Project Cost: $18,000,000
Total SF: 45,286
Construction Jobs: 34

3353 Washington Street will be an approximately 45,286 square foot residential building with ground-floor retail space on a parcel of land located at the intersection of Washington Street and Green Street in Jamaica Plain. The project will include approximately 45 rental units, 24 parking spaces, and significant landscaping and streetscaping improvements. 3353 Washington Street is a transit-oriented development (TOD) that is an approximately four-minute walk from the closest MBTA station. The new building will be five stories high, with over 2,000 square feet for retail use on the ground floor, and a ground floor bicycle storage room with space for approximately 20 to 30 bicycles for residents of the building, and tenant lobbies on both Green Street and Washington Street. Eight of the units will be affordable units, six at 50 percent AMI, and two at 70 percent AMI. This development is consistent with the direction of the ongoing planning study with the community, PLAN: JP/Rox.

280-290 Warren Street approval to bring 95 affordable units to Roxbury

Total Project Cost: $47,000,000
Total SF: 153,365
Construction Jobs: 109

Located at 280-290 Warren Street, 100 percent of the units in this two-phased project will be income-restricted and geared towards family and elderly (95). The project will also include 11,334 square feet of commercial office space, a coffee shop, a restaurant, and 102 parking spaces in a two-level garage.

Phase I will include the construction of a four story building consisting of 51 units of housing, 7,284 square feet of commercial office space, and 74 parking spaces in a two-level garage located at Warren and Clifford Streets. Phase II will include the construction of a five story building with 44 units of elderly housing, 4,050 square feet for coffee shop and restaurant space, and 28 parking spaces in a single-level garage at Warren and Waverly Streets.

Parcel Q1 receives approval to be considered a Development Impact Project (DIP)

Total Project Cost: $110,000,000
Total SF: 298,700
Construction Jobs: 183

The Parcel Q1 project will include the construction of an approximately 298,700 square foot, 13-story commercial building with 8,400 square feet of ground floor retail, 211,700 square feet of office space, and three levels of parking to accommodate approximately 150 vehicles. The project also proposes an approximately 12,900 square foot urban plaza to increase publicly accessible open space within the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park. The urban plaza will be carefully landscaped and may include container kiosks that would provide additional ground level retail or food service. The building entrance will be oriented towards the urban plaza to encourage a vibrant pedestrian environment at the base of the building and to complement the mixed-use development proposed for the adjacent Parcel A.

This project will also yield a number of public benefits, including improvements to Drydock Avenue and Summer Street as they border the project site and a donation of $50,000 towards the proposed Martin Richard Park. As a DIP, the project (by way of the developer) will contribute $1,004,761.50 to the Neighborhood Housing Trust and $201,193.25 to the Neighborhood Jobs Trust.

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