Developer Plans Huge Affordable Housing Complex

A Boston developer plans to build a block-long $225 million residential building directly above the Interstate 93 tunnel, a site between TD Garden and the North End that was left over from the Big Dig. Related-Beal is proposing to construct the 14-story tower with 239 apartments, each priced at rents well below the going market rates. The project would also include 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and a 220-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel.

Construction in booming Boston has fallen into a familiar pattern: large mixed-use buildings stuffed with expensive apartments, with developers kicking in only a handful of units as affordable housing. Advocates and officials worry that if the trend continues, Boston will become a city of the very wealthy and the publicly subsidized poor.

Developer Related-Beal recently unveiled a dramatic proposal that bucks the trend: a 14-story, block-long $225 million building on a prime downtown parcel near TD Garden with 239 apartments, each priced at rents well below the going market rates.

A little more than half of the units would be so-called workforce housing for middle-income tenants, with the rest aimed at low-income residents.

“This is a new model we hope will be replicated in Boston and other cities around the country,” said Peter Spellios, the company’s executive vice president. “We had an opportunity to do something unique and creative to address the extreme lack of affordable and workforce housing downtown.”

The average cost of the apartments would be $2.50 per square foot each month, the company said, compared to a market rate of around $4.50. Unusual for downtown, the project would include three-bedroom apartments to accommodate larger families.

To qualify for the 132 workforce apartments, residents would have to earn between 120 and 165 percent of the median income, which for a two-person household in Boston is $78,800, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The remaining units would be reserved for residents earning between 30 percent and 120 percent of the median income.

The location, a vacant lot directly above the underground Interstate 93, between TD Garden and the North End, is a leftover from the Big Dig.

The project would also include 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and a 220-room hotel, most likely a Courtyard by Marriott.

The surrounding Bulfinch Triangle neighborhood is as hot as any in Boston; just glance across Causeway Street to where the company is building Lovejoy Wharf, a $230 million complex featuring a new headquarters for Converse and 100 luxury condos.

Related-Beal is able to make the numbers work at lower rents because of the unusual nature of the property. The company owns a sliver of the site, while the bulk is controlled by the state Department of Transportation, which can lease it out for less than what a private owner might charge.

Secondly, the companyl has loaded a significant portion of the cost, including the lease, onto the hotel portion of the development.

And finally, the company shrewdly tailored its proposal to qualify for a laundry list of federal, state, and local tax credits.

The developer is even planning to use the $6.75 million it promised to put toward affordable housing during approval of its Lovejoy Wharf project in this new development.

Giant Expansion Planned for South Bay Shopping Center

The owner of the South Bay shopping center in Dorchester is planning to expand the complex by another 10 acres, resulting in construction of five new six-story buildings containing 475 apartments, 130 hotel rooms, a cinema, and stores. South Carolina-based developer Edens Inc., which owns several other East Coast shopping centers, wants to start building the first phase of the adjacent South Bay Town Center, in 2016.

The two-decade-old Dorchester shopping complex is no one’s idea of traditional city development. But it bustles as shoppers from Boston neighborhoods seek out the same low prices and broad selection that major chains offer suburban consumers.

Edens’ 9.9-acre mixed-use residential project would plunk 475 apartments, a 130-room hotel, a 65,000-square-foot cinema with 12-screens, multiple restaurant spaces and 113,000 square feet of retail space as well as three parking garages.

A total of 1,066 parking spaces would be included in the project.

The project will encompass 10 parcels on Allstate Road, West Howell and Enterprise streets, and Baker and Field courts — largely vacant, commercial/industrial land and parking lots south of South Bay Center.

Each of the buildings would be mixed-use, except for the hotel—which would stand alone. Edens also plans to add new roads and open space around the new buildings.

The shopping center developer said the social and economic activity generated by the project could be an impetus for “positive change to abutting, antiquated commercial and industrial properties” in the area between Massachusetts Avenue and the Southeast Expressway.

Public officials seem to agree that the new development would surely rejuvenate an area of Dorchester, which is riddled with vacant lots.

“The goal … is to provide a high-quality, pedestrian-oriented experience similar to other shopping districts such as Cambridge’s Harvard Square.”

The company has operated South Bay since 1998 and expanded it to Massachusetts Avenue in 2006. The first phase was built in the early 1990s on the site of a former Sears, Roebuck & Co. warehouse, after plans for a biomedical facility there failed.

Existing buildings on the site include the closed Kam Man food market, a closed two-story office building, vacant shipping and loading facilities and the Aggregate Concrete plant.

The expansion plan replaces the concrete plant and adjacent buildings with apartments and stores.

Several big-box retail stores already do business at South Bay, including Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Olive Garden and Panera Bread have restaurants on the property.

Edens also plans walkway improvements to connect South Bay Center to commuter rail service at Newmarket Station, as well as bus and subway service at Andrew Station on the MBTA’s Red Line.

Five New Developments Planned for East Boston

Everyone knows that East Boston is undergoing dramatic changes, in part, because of a plethora of long-awaited development.  For several years, buyers and renters have been moving over to Eastie to escape higher costs elsewhere in the city, and soon, these five new developments will get underway to welcome even more new residents to the neighborhood.
 

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Clippership Wharf 25 Lewis Street Boston, MA 02128 Clippership Wharf is a mixed-use waterfront development in East Boston that will include 492 apartment and condominium units along with lots of retail space. It will also have 300 plus parking spaces and flourishes such as a fitness center and a canoe/kayak-rental. To further sweeten the deal, Cassin/Winn Development plans to add 1,381 feet of promenade along the Harbor.

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Loftel Boston 175 Orleans Street Boston, MA 02128   Plans for the Loftel Boston include rehabilitation of a long-vacant six-story building in the Jeffries Point neighborhood, building a two-story addition, then creating 150-room loft style boutique hotel with parking for 65 vehicles. Boston developer Heath Management plans a “modestly priced” hotel where rooms would average $200 a night or less. Redevelopment of the historic structure at 175 Orleans Street will cost approximately $20 million.

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Hodge Boiler Works 111 Sumner Street Boston, MA 02128 East Boston waterfront is undergoing a dramatic transformation, and this big project will only enhance that change. DeNormandie Companies plans to redevelop the old Hodge Boiler Works site on the East Boston waterfront and create 95 rental apartments as well as a six-room bed and breakfast and a new marina building. Plans also call for a café, a 30-slip marina, a new Harborwalk and a parking garage for 75 vehicles. The developer of agreed earlier this winter to scale back his plans from 119 apartments to 95, thereby knocking off about 80,000 square feet.

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135 Bremen Street Boston, MA 02128 Last year, the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved construction of a 94-unit apartment complex at 135 Bremen Street, between Grove and Porter Streets in the East Boston neighborhood. Rental units will range from studios to 3-BRs. Plans for the 127,000 square foot complex include 110 vehicle parking spaces, space for 100 bicycles along with landscaped public space. The six-floor development is due to have a dozen apartments designated as affordable, as well as 8,300 square feet of commercial space along the ground floor near the Greenway. Construction is expected to start late this summer, and another 12 to 14 months before completion.

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One Fifty One Liverpool 151 Liverpool Street Boston, MA 02128   Cedarwood Development's plans for 151 Liverpool Street include construction of a new five story residential building with 24 apartments and 35 parking spots at grade-level. The 38,000-square-foot project will rise a few blocks from the Maverick Blue Line stop and include three apartments designated as permanently affordable.

New Buildings Set to Rise at Ink Block Mega-Project

There are few areas where construction is busier than in the South End, where development at the sprawling Ink Block project is moving ahead at frenetic pace. National Development is preparing for construction of the Sienna condominium at the Ink Block in Boston’s South End. The developer plans 79 luxury condominium residences, ranging from studios to 3-BR units, including high ceiling ground-floor units with terraces. Building amenities will include a sky lounge with city views, swimming pool, high-end shops and a restaurant.
  

The Ink Block is a $250 million transformation of the 6-acre former Boston Herald site in the South End, into a massive mixed-use housing and retail complex, where the first two apartment buildings have already opened.

The 79-unit Siena project will soon get underway and begin to rise alongside the Sepia, joining the city’s largest Whole Foods market in a four-building complex that will have 315 apartments, 83 condos, cafes and five restaurants.

The high-end units, designed by Manfredi Architects, will range in price from $550,000 to more than $2,000,000. A rooftop hangout - complete with grilling stations, called the Skyclub Lounge - will crown the building.

The Siena project is scheduled for completion in early 2017.

Phase II is scheduled to begin construction later this year, and will include an AC Hotel by Marriott as well as a sixth building with more residential units on a parcel adjacent to the Ink Block.

National Development plans to build the 200-room boutique hotel at 223 Albany Street, near the intersection of Traveler Street.

AC Hotel is a limited-service brand that opened in Europe and recently has expanded in the United States.

The six-story AC Marriott is also being designed by Manfredi Architects, and will feature a wavy metal facade with a glass-encased lobby and lounge on the ground floor. A small garden and patio are also planned.

The Ink Block and the Troy Boston apartment complex, being built nearby, are revitalizing a once-gritty section of the South End.

The Ink Block and Troy project will include nearly 800 homes near Interstate 93. Other large projects are planned on surrounding properties that could host several hundred additional homes, office space, and retail stores.

Construction on the AC by Marriott is set to start this year; it is expected to open in early 2017.

280-Unit Ames Street Residences Prepares to Rise

The Ames Street Residences is a 200,000 square foot residential high rise with 280 apartment units and 16,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The  project, designed by FX/Fowle, will be a slender 22-story tower by rising in front of the Kendall Center East Garage, overlooking the Cambridge Center rooftop garden. 

There will be a mix of unit types at 88 Ames Street, including micro-units, studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms. Developer Boston Properties will set aside 36 apartments in the new building as affordable housing units.

The residential development has been debated for more than a decade, and was originally planned for the site now occupied by the Broad Institute’s new building at 75 Ames Street, located across the street from the site.

The project will now stand on a vacant lot on the south side of Ames Street, between 4 and 5 Kendall Center.

Boston Properties aims to transform Ames Street, between Main Street and Broadway, from a service street to a more active, pedestrian friendly streetscape with active ground floor use on both sides of the street.

The project includes a significant commitment to bicycle transportation with the addition of 296 secure, on-site, weather protected spaces accessible by residents and retail employees.

There will also be an additional 38 short-term bicycle parking spaces along Pioneer Way.

The city had initially asked Boston Properties to subsidize half the cost of a monthly bus and subway CharlieCard for the first 12 months of residence for all tenants, and also to fund $50,000 for Kendall Square transit improvements.

The developer’s counter-offer was for one month of CharlieCards.

After month of wrangling, both side agreed that for each resident, Boston Properties will provide three months of a subsidized CharlieCard and one year of Hubway membership.

The developer will also contribute $50,000 towards transit improvements, construct a Hubway station and install two electric vehicle charging stations.

Another 14-story Condo Tower to Rise at Fan Pier

Fallon Co., the developer of 22 Liberty Drive on Boston’s Fan Pier is planning to begin construction of another 14-story condominium tower nearby, starting this September. 50 Liberty Drive will be a stunning 250,000-square foot waterfront building with all-glass facade, housing 118 luxury units and a mix of retail and restaurants at street level along with space for public use. Parkland and access to the Boston Harbor are a part of the Fan Pier plan.

The building is the latest piece in a 21-acre mixed-use project, designed by acclaimed CBT Architects, underway between the federal courthouse and The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston's Seaport District.

This is one of the few remaining parcels of land in the Fan Pier mega-development. Next door, 22 Liberty Drive, an ultra-luxury condominium building, is heading toward completion, as is an office tower at 100 Northern Avenue.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has already occupied two of the three office towers on the 21-acre site. 

In fact, only two parcels will remain undeveloped once Fifty Liberty is completed. Plans call for one more mid-rise that may be offices, a hotel, or residential, and a second building on a sliver of land at One Harbor Shore Drive, to be housing, a hotel, or both.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Fan Pier is an extraordinary waterfront site situated in the elbow of Boston Harbor with breathtaking views of the Boston Harbor Islands and the beautiful city.

In an unusual move, Fallon Co. plans to market the luxury studios, 1-BR, 2-BR and 3-BR units at 50 Liberty directly to buyers, and not through brokers.

Prices will range from studios asking more than $900,000 to 3 bedroom units retailing for $4 million-plus. Ultra-luxury penthouses will boast 3 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths.

Construction of 50 Liberty Drive is slated to break ground in September, and expected to be complete sometime in early 2017.
 

$281M Seaport Office Tower Will Redefine Skyline

Skanska is set to begin construction of 121 Seaport Boulevard, a building unlike any of its neighbors — a sleek oval-shaped tower set at a diagonal to the street. The Swedish construction giant broke ground last week at Parcel L2 in Boston's Seaport Square, for a 17-story, elliptical office tower designed by CBT Architects. The 425,000 square foot structure is designed to pop out from the bland and homogenous, rectangular buildings surrounding it. 

The building's design is a response to a call by Mayor Martin Walsh for developers to come up with new and innovative looks for their buildings.

121 Seaport is curved on its sides, with a flat face above its angled entrance, and is set on a more traditional block-shaped base that will have stores and other retail. The top of the base flares out from the tower above it and will host an elevated outdoor deck and landscaping.

The curved shape of the new tower will create work spaces that are better suited for collaboration because there will no corner offices, according to CBT Architects in Boston, which designed the building.

That could help attract a wider range of tenants. It’s also set up to maximize views of Boston Harbor, allow natural light deeper into the interior, and minimize shadows on a new park below.

The building’s design is also practical: The MBTA Silver Line tunnel runs under the northeast corner of the property, limiting how much Skanska could build over it. Also, the Seaport District has a height limit of 250 feet because of flight paths for Logan Airport.

121 Seaport Boulevard is unusual by another measure: Skanska is building it “on spec,” or without having a tenant before beginning construction, and the construction giant is financing the $281 million project itself.

It’s also launching the project as prices for top-end space in the Seaport are not rising as fast as just a year ago; rents average $59 per square foot for Class A space.

Meanwhile, the Seaport is expected to have an additional 1 million square feet of new construction coming onto the market in just the next year, and even more soon after that.

The developer was confident the distinctive building won’t have trouble filling up long before its scheduled opening in January 2018.