News & Updates

Mayor Menino Announces New Projects Moving Forward

Jul 16, 2013

New Housing for the Growing Columbia Point Neighborhood
 Total Project Cost: $60 million
Total SF: 175,000 SF
Housing Units: 184 units, 24 affordable units
Jobs: 200 construction jobs
LEED: LEED certifiable
 The BRA Board unanimously approved new housing for Columbia Point in Dorchester. The University Place Residences located at 140-150 Mt Vernon Street will replace a surface parking lot with a 6-story mixed use building, activating the northern area of Columbia Point. [caption id="attachment_11347" align="alignleft" width="314"]University Place Rendering University Place Rendering[/caption]   The University Place Residences will include 184 rental units with 24 affordable housing units that are affordable to 70% of the Area Median Income. The $60 million project includes below grade parking for up to 76 vehicles, a 7 vehicle surface parking lot, and 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail. The approved project is consistent with the vision outlined in the 2011 Columbia Point Master Plan that identifies the northern area of Columbia Point as a gateway mixed use district, appropriate for growth and density. University Place Residences is the first new development on the east side of Mount Vernon Street following the completion of the Columbia Point Master Plan. University Place Residences creates 200 construction jobs. The development team includes developer Corcoran Jennison Companies and architect Dimella Shaffer.     Housing and Retail Approved for Fenway Total Project Cost: $185 million Total SF: 302,292 Housing: 320, including 42 affordable, mix of 1-,2-, and 3-bedrooms Retail: 45,000 SF Construction Jobs: 350-400 Permanent Jobs: 200 [caption id="attachment_11353" align="alignright" width="300"] The Point Rendering[/caption] A 22-story building featuring 320 residential units, 45,000 SF of retail, and 15,000 SF of pedestrian level open space, green roof, and rooftop open space was unanimously approved by the BRA Board for the corner of Brookline Avenue and Boylston Street.  The Point will transforme the corner from brick buildings and surface parking into a vibrant, transit and pedestrian oriented community.  The streetscape will be reconstructed to feature wider sidewalks, street furnishings, landscaping, and lighting.  The Point joins an emerging neighborhood with 1,600 residential units added since 2000 and over 850 residential units under construction/permitted. Development Team: Fenway Ventures Point, Arquitectonica Architects, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, and Goulston & Storrs.   A Step Forward for the East Boston Waterfront
Total Project Cost: $80 million
Total SF: 311,428 SF
Housing Units: 196
Jobs: 240 construction jobs
LEED: LEED Silver
The BRA Board unanimously approved new housing for the East Boston waterfront. The project will replace a vacant lot and dilapidated pier with a brick and cast stone building and a publically accessible maritime history exhibit. Boston East, located at 102-148 Border Street, will add up to 200 one and two-bedroom units on the desirable East Boston waterfront. The project will also include 167 parking spaces on site, with 26 spaces designated for visitors and employees or the marine building. [caption id="attachment_11348" align="alignright" width="368"]Boston East Rendering Boston East Rendering[/caption] The $80 million project will transform a historically marine-industrial and inaccessible 14.2 acres into a bustling and economically viable structure that will contribute to the growth of the East Boston Waterfront.     Vacant Parcel Approved for Housing and Innovation Space
Total Project Cost: $300M
Total SF: 380,000 SF
Housing Units: 414 units, 63 affordable units, 60 innovation units (5 rent-limited)
Constuction Jobs: 600

[caption id="attachment_11358" align="alignleft" width="300"]399 Congress Street Rendering 399 Congress Street Rendering[/caption] The BRA Board unanimously approved The Residences at 399 Congress Street, which will bring 414 residential units to a vacant parcel in the Innovation District.  The $200 million, 22-story tower will feature a mix of 1-bedrooms, 2-bedrooms, and 3-bedrooms, of which 63 will be affordable, 60 will be “innovation units”, and 5 rent-limited innovation units.  The Residences at 399 Congress Street will be home to the largest concentration of innovation units in Boston.  These units will be surrounded by gathering spaces, work zones, conference areas, and more.  Over 40,000 SF will feature ground-floor retail, innovation space, a fitness room, media room, and game and lounge area. The development team includes Madison Seaport Holdings, LLC, ADD Inc. & Group One Partners, Inc., Brennan, Dain, Le Ray, Wiest, Torpy & Garner, P.C., Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Nitsch Engineering, and Epsilon Associates, Inc. New Housing in Jackson Square
Total Project Cost: $15 million
Total SF: 46,858 SF
Housing Units: 39 affordable units
Jobs: Approximately 10-15 permanent
LEED: LEED Silver Certifiable
The BRA Board unanimously approved new transit oriented housing for Jackson Square. The new building at 75 Amory Avenue will replace a vacant lot and is one of several projects planned as part of the Jackson Square Master Plan that will revitalize a key Roxbury and Jamaica Plain crossroads. [caption id="attachment_11349" align="alignleft" width="368"]75 Amory Ave Rendering 75 Amory Ave Rendering[/caption]   75 Amory Avenue will feature 39 units of affordable rental housing nearly three quarters of which will be two and three bedrooms. The project also includes a large common room, a property management office, recycling, bike parking, and a laundry room. The building totals 46,858 square feet and is located close to the Jackson Square Orange line MBTA stop. The project developer is the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation.   The Jackson Square Master Plan envisions a phased, transit oriented, mixed-use neighborhood on 11.2 acres of underutilized public and private parcels. The master plan was developed with the input of hundreds of community residents, youth, and business owners from across Jamaica Plain and Roxbury. 225 Centre Street, the first of 14- planned projects for the area, broke ground in May 2012. In addition a mixed income residential building, Jackson Commons, and a multi-purpose indoor rink are planned.   Approval for New Community Health Center in Allston
Total Project Cost: $26.5 million
Total SF: 48,000 SF
Jobs: 188 construction jobs
LEED: LEED Certifiable
The BRA Board unanimously approved a new health center for the Allston community. The Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center, will be constructed at 495 Western Avenue, currently occupied by a 50,600 square foot building used by the State Police and Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The $26.5 million project, being developed by the Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center (JMSCHC), will add 48,000 square feet of community health outreach space. The center will provide retail pharmacy, vision and dental clinics, a family medicine clinic, a laboratory, and a behavioral health medical suite. Creating approximately 188 construction jobs, the health center will consolidate JMSCHC’s health services, which are spread out all over the city of Boston, into one accessible location.   Hotel, Housing, and Retail for Dudley Square
Total project cost: $50 million Total square footage: approx. 185,300
Hotel: 145 rooms
Housing: 50 units
Retail: 8,000 SF

[caption id="attachment_11370" align="alignright" width="300"]Parcel 9 Rendering Parcel 9 Rendering[/caption] The BRA Board unanimously approved a hotel, housing, and retail for Parcel 9, a key 1.3 acre lower Roxbury parcel at the gateway to Dudley Square.  The $50 million project adjacent to Ramsey Park and bounded by Melnea Cass Boulevard and Washington Street calls for a 145-room hotel, 50 residential units, and 12,600 SF of ground-floor commercial, restaurant, and community space.  The development team includes Melnea Partners, LLC, NADAAA, D/R/E/A/M Collaborative, and Landworks Studio. Parcel 9 is part of the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan adopted in January 2004 to guide and shape future policy and activities in the neighborhood over the next one to two decades. Parcel 9, which is partly owned by the BRA and Massachusetts Transportation Department, was identified as a key site by the plan. Through 23 community meetings and collaboration with the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee, the BRA drafted a RFP for the Master Plan of Parcel 9 and Parcel 10, located across the street.  The RFP looked for proposals that would maximize economic development and job creation potential, generate wealth through jobs, equity, and business ownership opportunities for residents, catalyze new economic growth, reinforce Roxbury’s physical, social, and economic fabric, maximize the value of the parcels, and build a sustainable and transit oriented development. On November 16, 2010 the BRA put an RFP out on Parcel 9 and Parcel 10. On July 25, 2011 the authority received three proposals for Parcel 9. Following the submission of the proposals, the BRA, MassDOT, and the Project Review Committee, made up of community stakeholders, held 8 working sessions and one community wide meeting to review the three proposals. On January 30, 2012 the PRC voted to recommend Melnea Partners, LLC to be tentatively designated as the redeveloper of Parcel 9 and on February 6, 2012, the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee unanimously voted to endorse that decision.  Parcel 9 was tentatively designated to Melnea Partners in May 2012. Grant Approved to Ensure Affordable Rentals are Energy Efficient   The BRA Board unanimously approved a $59,031 grant to the Fenway Community Development Corporation to replace the water heating systems of 36 affordable rentals at 64-70 Burbank Street, significantly reducing heating costs for its residents.  These units are eligible for assistance following the completion of required energy audits and cost effective construction plans.  The retrofit project will also be supported by funds from the Low-Income Energy Affordability Network.   Developer Selected for Boston Marine Industrial Park Parcel
Total Project Cost: $70 million [caption id="attachment_11350" align="alignright" width="368"]Wharf 8 Pier 7, Madison Marquette Proposal Rendering Wharf 8 Pier 7, Madison Marquette Proposal Rendering[/caption]
Total Square Feet: 122,521
Jobs: 211 construction jobs
LEED: LEED Certifiable
The BRA board tentatively designated Madison Marquette as the redeveloper of Wharf 8/Pier 7, an Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) owned parcel in the Boston Marine Industrial Park (BMIP). The parcel is bounded by Liberty Wharf to the west, Northern Avenue to the south, and the Bank of America Pavilion to the east, and includes 6.5 acres of watersheet and approximately 2 acres of existing pile area. Madison Marquette proposes a mixed use project with institutional, maritime, commercial, and office facilities in two buildings, and additional activation of the watersheet. One building will total 101,521 square feet with 80,000 square feet of retail and restaurant uses on the first, second, and third floors. The fourth floor, consisting of 21,000 square feet, will host the Maritime Studies Program of Endicott College. A second building, consisting of 21,000 square feet on three floors, will be home to maritime companies Boston Harbor Pilots, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Mass Bay Cruiselines, and Boston Line & Service Company. The development will also accommodate ferry service, towing, and barge vessels and the 135 foot Schooner Roseway, which houses the World Ocean School. In May 2012 EDIC issued a Request for Proposals (RFPs) for the redevelopment of Wharf 8/Pier 7 into a site with water-dependent industrial uses that would enhance the role of the BMIP as an economic development catalyst for the Innovation District. On August 20, 2012 EDIC received four proposals from Madison Marquette, Harborlights LLC, the Cronin Group, and Cresset Development. Wharf 7/Pier 8 is in a Designated Port Area and is zoned Maritime Economy Reserve (MER), which protects the waterfront by restricting the types of projects that can be developed. As a Designated Port Area, apartments/condominiums, hotels/motels, health care facilities, recreation boating, entertainment or sports complexes, and general office buildings are prohibited. MER permits maritime industrial uses, including: bulk and containerized cargo handling operations; large vessel service support and repair; seafood processing and distribution; passenger vessel operations; and similar uses.      

Related Tags

Allston Boston East Columbia Point Dorchester East Boston Waterfront Greenway Zoning Jackson Square Jamaica Plain Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center 

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