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Three development projects approved at April BPDA Board meeting

Apr 13, 2018

The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) Board of Directors approved two new development projects and one Notice of Project Change (NPC) at the April meeting. The projects represent a combined investment of $136 million and will generate 38 total residential units with five affordable units.  

The BPDA continues to make progress towards Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s goal of increasing affordable housing to support a strong middle-class. Since the start of 2018, 1,244 new housing units have been approved, with 401 affordable units for low or middle-income residents. Since the launch of the Mayor’s Housing Plan, more than 17,000 homes have been completed, and 9,000 are in construction.

Development Projects

135 Morrissey Boulevard project to renovate former Globe site to generate creative, STEM-focused office space

Live: A contribution of $4,772,723 in Housing Linkage to the Neighborhood Housing Trust (NHT), public community space
Work: 3,000 full-time jobs, STEM-focused campus, on-site career center
Connect: 275 bike storage spaces, building wifi, LEED Silver Certified
Size: 695,000 square feet

The 135 Morrissey Boulevard project is located in Dorchester at the former Boston Globe Headquarters building. The project includes a comprehensive renovation of both the inside and outside of the former Boston Globe Headquarters building. In addition, the project will include landscaping improvements throughout the project site.

Overall, the improvements will result in 695,000 square feet of refurbished space meant to attract creative office, technology, light manufacturing, warehouse, retail, and life science tenants, with approximately 868 off-street parking spaces and approximately 209 bicycle storage spaces. The envisioned building program is made up of the following uses: office/business, tech flex/light industrial, retail/restaurant, food service and fitness space.

In addition, the proposed 135 Morrissey Boulevard project will provide community benefits to Dorchester and Boston as a whole. These benefits  include 2,500 square feet of space located at the project site to be programmed and utilized as a community job training/employment center, open to the public. This space will be provided at no cost to a local non-profit organization. In addition, a contribution of $4,772,723 in housing linkage will be made to the Neighborhood Housing Trust (NHT), along with a commitment to adopt the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR)-owned public open space known as Patten’s Cove for no less than 10 years.

951-959A Dorchester Avenue to create 38 new rental units and revitalize longstanding Dorchester Market

Live: 38 new housing units, five new affordable housing units, new local restaurant and bar, renovated local community market
Work: 40 construction jobs, 6,670 square feet of street level retail and commercial space
Connect: 26 parking spaces, transit oriented development, adjacent to Upham’s Corner
Size: 37,350 square feet

The 951-959A Dorchester Avenue project will consist of a five story, mixed-use building with 38 residential rental units. As currently proposed, the units will consist of 33 market rate units and five Inclusionary Development Policy Units (IDP Units). There will be a mix of 11 studio units, 19 one-bedroom units, and eight two-bedroom units.

The ground floor of the project will have 6,670 square feet of commercial retail space that provides new space for the long-existing Dorchester Market and an improved restaurant use. In addition, there will be 26 off-street garage parking spaces located on the project site. A trash and recycling room will be located within the building, as well.

The project will also provide $20,000.00 towards community benefits including $10,000 to the City’s Fund for Parks, $5,00 to the Edward Everett elementary school, $3,000 to the Dot Art nonprofit and $2,000 to the Dorchester Little League (formerly the Savin Hill Little League).

Notice of Project Change

Parcel 9 - Haymarket Hotel moves forward in Downtown

Live: 225 hotel units, patio and open space, new street-front landscaping
Work: Approximately 125 permanent jobs and 300 construction jobs
Connect: 9,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, rooftop amenities, revitalized Blackstone Street and support for the Haymarket Pushcart Association

The NPC for the Parcel 9 Haymarket Hotel project, located on a 29,400 square foot parcel along the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, was approved with a modest increase in the maximum height of the building, from 65 feet to a maximum of 69 feet, 6 inches tall to achieve acceptable floor-to-ceiling heights within the building.

The project consists of a 225-key hotel, containing approximately 9,600 square feet of complementary retail and restaurant uses, a one-story component at the Hanover Street end that will house a restaurant as well as a rooftop deck and ground floor area off Blackstone Street that will be leased to the Haymarket Pushcart Association to accommodate storage and restrooms for their members. The ground floor of the building will also include restrooms accessible to the public as well as meeting space that can be made available for community use. The building design includes glass storefronts as well as building materials which provide a contemporary take on the historic setting of the project site between Blackstone Street and the North End neighborhood. The project will reconstruct Blackstone Street from North Street to Hanover Street, as well as streetscape improvements around all sides of the building, subject to required approvals from the City's Public Improvement Commission.

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