Boston – The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) board of directors approved eight new development projects that will create 222 residential units and support approximately 1,606 construction jobs and 3,863 permanent jobs.
The project at 125 Lincoln Street in the Leather District will convert what is currently a dilapidated building into a new 11-story research and development building with ground floor retail space. This project will contribute 50-60 income-restricted units at nearby 79 Essex Street in Chinatown, to be developed by an affordable housing developer.
Located in the Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park (RLFMP), the 310 Northern Avenue (Parcel X) project will redevelop the site into two new research and development buildings on the South Boston Waterfront. The project will also build a new seafood processing center on a portion of the Massport Marine Terminal site, to relocate two seafood processing businesses that are currently on Parcel X.
A building at 51 Melcher Street in For Point that was being used as office space will be converted for life science use, preserving the historic building and protecting it from sea level rise. The project will also renovate the area’s sidewalk and streetscape. This will allow the project to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design.
The new development at 7-9 Hamilton Place in Downtown Crossing will convert what is currently a vacant building into a 12-story, 80 room hotel, while preserving the original historical facade from the 1870s. The first floor of the building will include an entry court into the building, a cafe, lobby, bike room, and back of house kitchen area. This project will also explore the possibility of using mass timber when building.
Located in Upham’s Corner, the project at 568-574 Columbia Road in Dorchester, also known as Columbia Crossing, will build a 6-story addition onto what is now the Dorchester Savings Banks, to create a mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented development project that will preserve and adaptively reuse the historic bank building. Twenty percent of the units will be allocated as artist housing.
The project at 9-19 Vaughan Street in Dorchester will build a new multi-family housing development made up of 45 units in multiple buildings. Ten units will be income-restricted. This project will improve the public realm with new street trees, sidewalks, and safety improvements for bikers and pedestrians. This will be a transit-oriented development.
A new 5-story residential building at 66 Geneva Avenue in Roxbury will create 50 homeownership units, eight of which will be income-restricted. This project responds to the goals of the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan (RSMP) of providing a wide range of housing opportunities by proposing 100% homeownership condos, with 16% of the units designated as income-restricted. Local, minority and women-owned businesses will be hired in the development of the project.
The project located at 110-128R Terrace Street in Mission Hill will build a new 6-story residential building with ground floor retail space. The building will be made up of 79 units, 14 of which will be income-restricted. Public realm improvements at this site will include the replacement of deteriorated sidewalks, wider sidewalks, and new street trees.
Additionally, the BPDA board adopted Mayor Michelle Wu’s Executive Order Relative to Speeding the Production of Affordable Housing. Within 120 days, the BPDA will issue a report on potential Boston Zoning Code changes that would incentivize the creation of affordable housing while minimizing the need for variances or other permitting burdens for these projects.
The BPDA board also approved the release of a Request for Proposals to study the feasibility of offices being converted into residential housing, life science, and other uses in Downtown Boston. The RFP went live in November, with responses due by Dec. 22.
