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BRA Board Moves New Projects Forward

Jan 16, 2014


Major Expansion Planned for Landmark Center, New Housing Planned in East Boston and South End, $100,000 for Charlestown Nonprofits
 
The Boston Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors has approved a number of projects in several Boston neighborhoods. The projects will create more than 2,000 new construction jobs and invest more than $739 million in the City of Boston.
 
Fenway's Landmark Center Will Expand with New Housing, Supermarket, Retail, Office
 
Total Project Cost: $650 million
Housing Units: 550 units, 13% affordable
Jobs: 1,690 construction jobs, 600 permanent jobs
LEED: LEED Silver

The BRA Board approved a large scale expansion of Landmark Center in the Fenway, which will bring new housing, retail, underground parking, office, and a Wegmans supermarket to the neighborhood. 
 
The $650 million LEED silver project, located at the intersection of Park Drive and Brookline Avenue, includes the demolition of the existing parking garage, and the construction of new buildings between eight and 15 stories high to be integrated with the existing building.
 
The Landmark Center expansion will feature 550 units of housing, 13% of which will be middle income affordable units in accordance with the city's inclusionary development policy, 110,00 square feet of retail including  a 75,000 square foot Wegmans, 15,000 square feet of additional office space, and an underground parking garage with 1,500 spaces.
 
The project provides over $8 million in public benefits for the surrounding community for new public art, a multi use path, improvements to Audobon Circle, support for Emerald Necklace Conservancy programming, and new open space to replace existing surface level parking on the Park Drive side of Landmark Center.
 
The project is being developed by Samuels and Associates, the firm that developed nearby 1330 Boylston Street and the future Van Ness and The Point projects. The project architect is  Elkus Manfredi. The Landmark Center expansion is anticipated to create 1,690 construction jobs and 600 part time and full time permanent jobs.
 
 
New Mixed Income Housing to Replace Dilapidated Buildings in East Boston

Total Project Cost: $27 million
Total SF: 114,076 square feet
Housing Units: 71  units, 37 affordable units
Jobs: 160 construction jobs
LEED: LEED Silver

The BRA Board approved new housing in East Boston at the intersection of Border Street and Coppersmith Way. Coppersmith Village, in close proximity to Maverick Square and the East Boston Waterfront, will replace the existing dilapidated industrial buildings located on the site.
 
Coppersmith Village includes the Border North and Border South rental buildings, which will be connected by a shared ground floor, and a separate townhouse development fronting onto Liverpool Street. The combined buildings create 71 units of housing, including 37 units of affordable housing, more than the 13% requirement of the city's inclusionary development policy.
 
The Border North and Border South buildings will each have 28 units and be a mix of one, two, and three bedrooms. The buildings include a combined total of 27 parking spaces and there will be a 3,000 square foot ground floor restaurant space at the corner of Decatur and Border Streets.
 
The Liverpool Street development will include 15 connected three story single family townhomes. Each unit will have 3 bedrooms and one garaged parking space. The project also includes 10 additional above ground parking spaces.
 
The project is being developed by the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) with architect The Narrow Gate Architecture. The project will create 160 construction jobs.
 
 
South End to add New Housing at 600 Harrison Avenue

Total Project Cost: $62 million
Total SF: 193,264 SF
Housing Units: 160 units, 21 affordable
Jobs: 200+ construction jobs
LEED: LEED Silver

The BRA Board approved a new mixed use development at 600 Harrison Avenue in the South End. The project will replace an existing parking lot with new housing and retail.
 
The $62 million project will include 160 units of housing, including 21 onsite middle income affordable units to meet the city's inclusionary development policy, and a 3,600 square foot ground floor commercial area for small scale neighborhood amenities like a restaurant or local retail shop. The project includes a 236 space underground parking garage, with 80 units for renters in the building, 70 for use by the nearby Cathedral of the Holy Cross, and the remainder for lease to the employees of nearby businesses. The project also includes weather protected storage for 120 bicycles.
 
The project developer is New Atlantic Development with project architect Utile, Inc. The project is expected to create several hundred construction jobs.
 

$100,000 to be  Distributed to 25 Charlestown Nonprofits

The BRA Board approved the distribution of $100,000 from the Charlestown mitigation fund, established to address the social impacts of development occurring on Central Artery North Area (CANA) parcels. The CANA parcels were created during the reconstruction of the Central Artery, and developers of these parcels were required to donate $925,000 to the mitigation fund.   
 
The Charlestown Neighborhood Council Mitigation Committee conducts an annual public process for nonprofits that serve the Charlestown community to apply for this funding.  The nonprofits submit an application and make a presentation regarding their programs and the proposed use of the fund.  The Charlestown Neighborhood Council then makes recommendations to the BRA requesting disbursements from the fund.
 
This $100,000 will be the twelfth authorization for disbursement from the fund, and will be distributed as follows:
 
  Organization Grant Amount
1 Charlestown Girls’ Softball $4,276
2 Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center $6,106
3 Charlestown Little League $5,598
4 Charlestown Soccer $4,116
5 Charlestown Youth Football & Cheerleading $4,402
6 Charlestown Youth Hockey $6,474
7 Skating to Success $4,620
8 Boys’ and Girls’ Club $5,645
9 Town Track Club $1,755
10 Charlestown Against Drugs (CHAD) $3,328
11 Charlestown Mothers’ Association $3,376
12 Charlestown Neighborhood Brigade $829
13 Charlestown Sprouts $824
14 Abraham Lincoln Post 11 & Memorial Hall $1,386
15 Special Townies $9,102
16 Townie Association $931
17 Battle of Bunker Hill Parade $2,628
18 Bunker Hill Monument Association $689
19 Charlestown Emergency Fund $4,747
20 Charlestown Historical Society $2,270
21 Charlestown Veterans History Project $1,998
22 Charlestown Working Theater $7,524
23 Gardens for Charlestown $2,583
24 Harvest on the Vine $6,196
25 Kennedy Center $8,597

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