BPDA Board approves affordable housing in Brighton and Mission Hill
Sep 15, 2022
Agency moves new high school forward for Roxbury Prep Charter School
The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) Board of Directors this month approved five new development projects representing 481,881 square feet (SF). The new projects will create 305 residential units, 111 of which will be designated income-restricted, and will support 450 construction jobs and 220 permanent jobs.
Development Projects
Educate: 800 students
Work: Approximately 175 construction jobs
Connect: Close proximity to Newmarket commuter rail station and other transit options
Sustain: Committed to achieving LEED Gold Certification
The site at 69-71 Proctor Street in the Newmarket neighborhood will be transformed from several warehouses and abandoned buildings into a new high school for Roxbury Preparatory Charter School (Roxbury Prep). Roxbury Prep was founded in 1999 with a single middle school located in Mission Hill. Today, Roxbury Prep consists of three middle schools and a high school with a total of approximately 1,600 students, more than 90 percent of whom are Boston residents. Roxbury Prep High School opened in 2015 and has been housed in temporary and split campuses since its opening. The temporary nature of the facilities, the missing program elements (such as a gymnasium), and the six miles separating the campuses combine to present significant operational, educational, and cultural challenges. This project will make it possible for the school to serve all of its students in one facility, at a location accessible to its student body by public transportation, and within its core student demographic area. This new, state-of-the-art facility will include a cafeteria, gym, art room, science labs, engineering space, more than thirty classrooms, special education spaces, and administrative space, optimizing students’ ability to excel. As part of this project, the sidewalks in front of the school building will be widened to make it safer for pedestrians, and will also add accessible pedestrian ramps, a crosswalk, curb cuts, and new street trees in compliance with Boston Complete Streets Guidelines. There will also be both exterior bike parking and interior bike storage for students and faculty. In addition, this project will revitalize the area with more than $1,000,000 of investment into site clearance, environmental mitigation, ground improvements, and utility infrastructure.
775 Huntington Avenue project to bring a majority affordable housing development to Mission Hill
Live: 112 residential units: 57 income-restricted rental units, 27 income-restricted homeownership units
Work: Approximately 90 construction jobs, ground floor commercial space
Connect: Close proximity to public transportation, Bluebikes station onsite
Sustain: All electric, rooftop solar, designed considering Passive House standards
Located in Mission Hill, this project will makeover a parking lot into a 13-story mixed-use, mixed-income residential building that will include ground floor commercial space. Of the 112 units in the building, 75 percent will be income-restricted. All 57 rental units will be restricted to up to 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), and 27 of the homeownership units will be restricted to 120 percent of the AMI. The rest will be market rate housing. This will be a transit-oriented development, as it is close to the MBTA Green Line, and the creation of a Bluebike station on site will encourage biking as an alternate form of transportation. The project will improve the pedestrian experience at the Fenwood and Huntington Avenue intersection by widening the sidewalks, which will also shorten the crosswalk.
100-114 Hampden Street project to build new cannabis production and cultivation facility in Newmarket neighborhood
Work: Approximately 50-100 new permanent jobs in an emerging industry, approximately 50 constructions jobs
Connect: Close proximity to public transportation, bike storage room, employee locker rooms/showers
Sustain: Six EV charging stations, other parking spaces EV ready
Located in Roxbury, 100-114 Hampden Street will become a three-story cannabis production and cultivation facility. As a production and distribution facility, this project aligns well with PLAN: Newmarket's goal to preserve the area as a center of urban industrial uses. As part of this project, the developer will improve nearby intersections and make streetscape and landscape improvements, including access to bicycle parking and storage. In addition, this project will contribute $4,788 to the City’s bikeshare system. In support of two parks near the project site, the project will contribute $200,000 to the City of Boston Fund for Parks. A new public art mural will also be implemented on the project site in consultation with the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.
30 Leo M. Birmingham Parkway mixed-use development to create new housing, commercial space in Brighton
Live: 117 residential units, 20 income-restricted units, onsite park and dog park, amenity space, $10,000
contribution to Leo M. Birmingham Trust Fund, $55,000 contribution to support Portsmouth Playground, shared community room
Work: Approximately 150 construction jobs, three permanent jobs, ten jobs in local office space
Connect: Close proximity to bus routes, funding for wider sidewalks, floating bus stop, and elevated bike lane, Bluebikes station, close proximity to open space
Sustain: LEED Gold certified, all electric
The project at 30 Leo M. Birmingham Parkway will transform what is now a vacant bank into a new mixed-use development, with117 new homes in the Brighton community. Of these 117 units, 20 will be income-restricted. The building will offer ground floor retail and commercial space, as well as a common area and shared amenity space for tenants. There will be more than 150 spaces for bicycle parking on site for residents, employees, and visitors, as well as a Bluebikes station docked adjacent to 530 Western Avenue. The project is located south of the study area for the Western Avenue Corridor Rezoning Study (WACRZ), which is in its final stages of refinements and an extensive community process. The WACRZ process has identified that multi-family residential development with active ground floor uses is a priority for this area of Allston-Brighton in order to provide needed housing along a multi-modal corridor. During review, the team focused on securing safe vehicular access to the site and the design and location of usable open space and landscaping. As part of the community benefits for this project, it will create a nearly 5,000 square foot pocket park along Lothrop Street, which is one of the site’s border streets. Adjacent to this park will be a community room that could be reserved for community events. In addition, 30 percent of the project site will be made up of open space, most of which will be open to the public. This project will also make a $10,000 contribution to the Leo M. Birmingham trust fund, and an $82,000 contribution to the Boston Parks & Recreation Department’s Fund for Parks in support of improvements at Portsmouth Playground.
Live: 38 residential units, seven income-restricted units
Work: Approximately 90 construction jobs, tenants will have access to co-working space at sister building
Connect: Building dedicated EV carshare, pedestrian experience improved through widened sidewalks and reduced curb cuts
Sustain: Green roof, all electric building
With the relocation of the Massachusetts State Police barracks at 46 Leo M. Birmingham Parkway, the site will be redeveloped into a six-story, multi-family building, including 38 residential units, seven of which will be income-restricted. The building will include studios, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as bike storage, and a shared electric vehicle for tenants. The project is located south of the study area for the Western Avenue Corridor Rezoning Study (WACRZ). The WACRZ process has identified that multi-family residential development is a priority for this portion of the Western Avenue Corridor and area of Allston-Brighton. As part of the community benefits for this project, the project will widen sidewalks and enhance the pedestrian experience in the area, as well as add street trees and create additional open space. The project will also support the Boston Transportation Department’s Bluebikes system with a contribution of $10,450. This development will also allow space for public art created by local artists.
In addition to these projects, the Board approved: