Boston – The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) board of directors recently approved three new development projects representing approximately 625,525sf that will create 290 residential units and support approximately 555 construction jobs and 1,098 permanent jobs. The board also approved the redevelopment of public land on the South Boston Waterfront into an EMS Station, and land in Roxbury into open space.
The project at 50 Sutherland Road will add 16 units to an assisted living/memory care facility in Brighton to help address the growing demand for senior living in the city. The project will also provide updates to the building’s common areas, create a deck for the memory care residents, and improve landscaping. Since a daycare will be leaving the building, the area currently used as a playground will be converted to open space. The project will also include new community meeting space for local groups.
50 Sutherland Road
The project at 180 Western Avenue in Allston will convert what are currently several vacant commercial buildings and parking lots into a new mixed-use development including residential, retail, and restaurant spaces. This will be a 7-story building with 274 residential units, 41 of which will be income-restricted. Improvements to the public realm will include new sidewalks and an “active cafe zone.” The project aligns with the Western Avenue Corridor and Rezoning Study’s (WACRZ) affordable housing requirements and public realm improvement recommendations.
Located in Fort Point, the 232 A Street project will convert what is currently a parking lot into a mixed use development including office/laboratory, retail, civic, and cultural space. The ground floor of the building will include 8,000sf of civic/cultural space which will be offered at a heavily subsidized rent. Improvements to this area will include new public sidewalks and bike lanes, improvements to the Harborwalk and South Bay Harbor Trail, and a berm to protect the Fort Point neighborhood from flooding due to sea level rise or storm surge.
232 A Street
Additionally, the BPDA board of directors authorized a lease agreement between the BPDA and Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) for the construction of a new Emergency Medical Services ambulance station on Parcel Z in the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park (RLFMP) to serve the South Boston Waterfront. Construction is slated to begin in the fall.
The board also approved the FY 2025 budget, allowing the transfer of funds, staff, and services to the City of Boston for its new planning department. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s ordinance to create a planning department was approved by the Boston City Council in March. The board’s vote, alongside the City Council’s review and approval of the FY 2025 City of Boston budget, will enable the launch of the planning department on July 1.
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In addition to these projects, the board:
- Awarded tentative designation to the Garrison Trotter Neighborhood Association for the redevelopment of Parcels S-20 and S-21, 48 Townsend Street, and 16-20 Townsend Street. Each of these pieces of land will be redeveloped into new open space in the Roxbury neighborhood.
- Approved a license agreement that will allow nonprofit Now and There Inc. to use BPDA owned-land at Dry Dock #2 in the Charlestown Navy Yard to display a public art exhibit.
- Approved the renewal of the Institutional Master Plan for Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
- Approved an update to the previously approved Alexandra Hotel project to change the use from residential to hotel, as it was originally proposed in 2019.
- Approved updates to Article 25 of the Zoning Code regarding new FEMA flood insurance rate maps, to ensure compliance with federal and state requirements.
