The Board awarded tentative designation to the Boston Food Forest Coalition for the redevelopment of 82 Mascot Street in Dorchester into a food forest. The publicly owned parcel at 82 Mascot Street will be combined with four other publicly-owned parcels to create a network of community gardens in the neighborhood. Community members will use the space for gathering, growing, and sharing food, and for hosting events and educational workshops.
Fully income-restricted housing to be built at 190 Bowdoin Street in Dorchester
Housing: 33 income-restricted homes
Jobs: Approximately 33 construction jobs
Community: Community room, roof deck
Sustainability: NZC zoning compliant, all electric building, Passive House
What is currently a vacant, single-family home will be converted into 33 new, income-restricted homes in Dorchester. These will be a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. The majority of the units will be family-sized to support the long-term presence of families in the City of Boston. The building will also include indoor bike parking.
Institutional Master Plan (IMP) Proposed Projects and Project Approvals
Planning advances amendment to Wentworth Institute of Technology’s IMP including new, larger dorm building
Housing: 972 new dorm beds
Jobs: Approximately 213 construction jobs
Community: New pedestrian improvements and connections
Sustainability: LEED Gold, Net Zero Carbon compliant, Passive House, all-electric
Compared to the original IMP approval in 2024, this 2026 amendment will enable WIT to deliver 572 more beds than were originally envisioned for the Pike Residence Hall project, in a larger and reimagined dorm building, and much earlier than previously expected. The new 972 bed Pike Residence Hall will house its entire freshmen class. The construction of this new dorm will also allow other, existing dorms to be renovated or redeveloped. The construction of Pike Residence Hall brings WIT one step closer to their goal of adding 1,814 net new student housing beds to the University's permanent housing inventory over the next ten years, enabling them to provide housing for more than 75 percent of students on campus. This housing will help alleviate some of the burden on the existing housing stock in Fenway and Mission Hill by reducing the number of students living off campus. Staff will continue to work with WIT to monitor off-campus student housing impacts through the University Accountability Ordinance report.
The IMP amendment also includes improvements to the overall public realm including two new courtyards and improvements to the current pedestrian path known as the People’s Pike, improving pedestrian access to and through the WIT campus. The University will build a new connection to Ruggles Street as an extension of the People’s Pike, which will strengthen access to public transportation, with a new north-south path alongside the new Pike Residence Hall. In addition, WIT will add new bikeshare stations on campus, and contribute $133,650 to the Boston Transportation Department in support of the bikeshare system.
In addition to these projects, the Board approved: