This project would combine four parcels, some of which currently sit empty, to build a six-story building with ground floor retail and 45 rental units in Dorchester. Eight of those units will be income-restricted. This will be a transit-oriented development as the project is adjacent to multiple bus routes. There will also be 46 bike storage spaces and ten bike spaces for visitors. Several street trees will be added as part of the project, increasing shade and cooling efforts in the neighborhood. The project will also bring improvements to the sidewalks and new curb extensions. This project will contribute $10,000 to Project DEEP, a nonprofit educational program which collaborates with Boston Centers for Youth & Families and other charities, and $7,500 to Catie’s Closet, a non-profit that provides clothes, toiletries, and other basic essentials to students living in poverty right within their schools. A contribution of $7,500 will be made to The BASE, an urban academy that uses the power of sports to engage youth in a positive way. In support of the City’s bikeshare system, this project will contribute $12,727 to the Boston Transportation Department.
819 Cummins Highway brings 40 homeownership opportunities to Mattapan
Housing: 40 homeownership units, seven income-restricted units
Jobs: Ground floor retail, approximately 41 construction jobs
Community: Large landscaped plaza area
Sustainability: Green roof
This project converts four parcels of currently vacant land in Mattapan into 40 homeownership units, including seven income-restricted units. A community room and fitness center will be available for residents and retail space will be available for the greater community. There will be 46 covered and secured bike parking spaces for residents with a minimum of ten bike parking spaces available to visitors. The project will redo nearby sidewalks by making them wider and adding street trees. A large landscaped plaza will also be installed at the project site. It will include benches, landscaping, and cafe seating in front of the retail. This project is a strong example of new housing enabled by, and aligned with, Squares + Streets zoning. The project is also contextually aligned with PLAN: Mattapan, adopted in May 2023, which identifies Cummins Highway as a major thoroughfare through the neighborhood. PLAN: Mattapan recommends expanding multi-family zoning in areas such as this in order to locate more people closer to public transit and other amenities.
Project at 295 West First Street to bring new housing and open space to South Boston
Housing: 236 units, 36 income-restricted units, converting industrial site into residential use
Jobs: Approximately 600 construction jobs
Community: New public open space, close proximity to public transportation, community space, raised intersection and crosswalk on site
Sustainability: LEED Gold, Passive House, all electric HVAC, solar panels on roof, EV charging stations on site
This project will build 236 new residential units, including 36 income-restricted units, in a formerly industrial area of South Boston. The ground floor will include community, cultural, and retail space, as well as a community cafe. A nonprofit organization will be selected as the anchor tenant for this space. In addition, there will be publicly accessible open space on site. This project will improve the public realm and pedestrian safety of the site by removing chain link fences and inaccessible sidewalks, and by adding a new raised crosswalk and dozens of new street trees in the vicinity. As part of the community benefits package, this project will contribute $50,000 to the Boston Parks and Recreation Department for parks and open space improvements nearby. The project will also contribute $68,0831 to the Boston Transportation Department in support of the bikeshare system, and provide a bikeshare dock on site.
615 Albany Street will convert current office space into 24 units of housing
Housing: 24 residential units, five income-restricted units
Jobs: Approximately 22 construction jobs
Community: Bike parking on site
Sustainability: Adaptive reuse of existing structure, all-electric utilities, compliance with Stretch Code
Located in the South End, this project is part of the City’s Office to Residential Conversion Incentive PILOT program, which officially launched in October of 2023. This project will add a sixth story to extend the building and convert it into 24 residential units, five of which will be income-restricted. These units will be a mix of studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units.
129 Portland Street project will convert office space into residential space
Housing: 25 residential units, five income-restricted units
Jobs: Approximately 27 construction jobs
Community: Bike parking on site
Sustainability: Adaptive reuse of existing structure, all-electric utilities, compliance with Stretch Code
Located in the West End, this project is part of the City’s Office to Residential Conversion Incentive PILOT program, which officially launched in October of 2023. This project will renovate the existing building to create 25 new residential units, including five income-restricted units. These will be a mix of studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. The currently vacant ground floor retail space will be renovated, and the building will also include a bike storage room on site. The project will comply with the new Inclusionary Zoning requirements, as well as the new Stretch Energy Code.
Single-family home at 90 Allandale Street in West Roxbury to become eight homes
Housing: Eight homeownership units
Jobs: Approximately 24 construction jobs
Community: Close proximity to public transportation
Sustainability: LEED Silver
What is currently a single-family home in West Roxbury will become eight new homeownership units. This project aligns with the preservation goals of the Open Space and Recreation Plan with respect to Allandale Woods through its conservation of the forested area of the site. Planning staff found that the project’s design reflects a balance of the policy goals to create new housing and conserve Boston’s urban tree canopy. This project will improve the public realm with new sidewalks, and a new high-visibility crosswalk in the vicinity. In support of the City’s bikeshare program, the project will contribute $2,200 to the Boston Transportation Department.
500 Huntington Avenue project to create new life science/office space in Mission Hill
Housing: Linkage contribution of $7.02 million to the Neighborhood Housing Trust
Jobs: Employment of Wentworth Co-op students, facilitation of workforce development program, Linkage contribution of $1.3 million to the Neighborhood Jobs Trust, approximately 876 construction jobs and 2,114 permanent jobs
Community: Publicly accessible open space
Sustainability: LEED Gold, EV parking
This project will bring new life science/office space with ground floor retail and commercial space to Mission Hill. Within the two buildings that make up this project, there will be bike parking for employees and visitors and publicly accessible open space. As part of the community benefits, this project will work with nearby Wentworth Institute of Technology to facilitate a workforce development program to provide pathways to life science careers for Boston residents. In addition, parts of the project will employ Wentworth students. This project will also contribute $181,000 to the Boston Transportation Department in support of the City’s bikeshare program, and contribute a new bike path in the vicinity of the project. In addition, this project will contribute Linkage funding in the amount of approximately $8 million.
Institutional Master Plan (IMP) Projects
Renovation of Warren Towers at Boston University and the 2024-2026 Boston University Charles River Campus Institutional Master Plan
As part of the approval of the 2024-2026 IMP for the Boston University (BU) Charles River Campus, BU will renovate their largest undergraduate dormitory, Warren Towers, renovate Mugar Library, and construct the new Pardee School of Global Studies. The Warren Towers project will repair the building’s envelope, reconfigure bathrooms, improve accessibility, modernize elevators and escalators, expand indoor bike parking, add new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and reconstruct the Commonwealth Avenue streetscape directly outside the building. As part of the construction of the new Pardee School, and in support of Boston’s Heat Resilience Plan, a parking lot will be converted into new green space. As part of the community benefits for this IMP, the University will commit $20,000 to support the maintenance of Charlesgate Park.
1249 Boylston Street and First Amendment to the Berklee College of Music 2022-2024 Institutional Master Plan
As part of the approval of the First Amendment of the 2022-2024 Institutional Master Plan for Berklee College of Music, this project will renovate and convert a building in the Fenway into academic space with ground floor retail.
117 Lake Street and Fifth Amendment to the Boston College 2023-2025 Institutional Master Plan
As part of the approval of the 2023-2025 IMP for Boston College, this project will be an addition to the existing Theology and Ministry Library on the Brighton campus known as the Catholic Religious Archives. This building will store collections, artwork, and cultural artifacts.
In addition to these projects, the board approved: