Boston – The City of Boston Planning Department recently recommended approval of five new development projects to the BPDA board, all of which were approved.
Located within Franklin Park, the White Stadium project will renovate, rebuild, and reimagine White Stadium for BPS athletics through a community oriented public-private partnership with Boston Unity Soccer Partners. Built in 1945, decades of disinvestment and fire damage have left White Stadium in disrepair, lacking current safety codes and amenities for BPS athletics. Boston Unity will rebuild the West Grandstand, as well as add new amenities on site, and the City of Boston will invest $50 million to rebuild the East Grandstand. Targeting LEED Gold, it will be one of only three net-zero carbon stadiums in the country.
Located in Fenway, the 112-114 Queensberry Street project will turn a vacant commercial building into a 6-story, 24-unit residential building. All of the units will be income-restricted at 30% AMI or 60% AMI. Three units will be set aside for formerly homeless individuals and families. Residents will have access to an indoor bike storage room with 18 spaces. As a transit-oriented development, there are multiple MBTA bus routes nearby, as well as the D and E branches of the Green Line.
The 2 Charlesgate West project will bring 400 residential units, including 68 income-restricted, and 2,400sf of retail space to the Fenway neighborhood. There will be 14,000sf of shared space for residents, including an indoor lounge, co-working space, a gym, communal kitchen, and roof decks. The project will make a $500,000 contribution to the Fund for Parks Boston Parks & Recreation to support open space close to the site.
The 470 and 470A Western Avenue project will turn an underutilized lot in Brighton into a 6-story building with 39 residential units, including seven which will be income-restricted. Along with new housing, this project will bring new landscaping and public realm improvements to the neighborhood. New sidewalks will be put in along the project site and certain light poles will be moved to enhance walkability. A low-stress bike lane on Western Avenue and a raised crosswalk at Kelly Court will also be installed.
The 1905-1911 Centre Street project in West Roxbury will convert a site with two vacant buildings into 21 new homes and retail space. As a transit-oriented development, this project will be in close proximity to MBTA bus routes and commuter rail service. In support of the city’s bikeshare system, this project will contribute $6,201 to the Boston Transportation Department. In addition, this project will enhance the public realm on site, and add new green space.
The board also approved to transfer the compliance of existing Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) affordable housing units from the Planning Department to the Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH). This is a large part of achieving Mayor Wu’s vision for planning and development in Boston, in partnership with the establishment of the City of Boston’s new Planning Department. As part of the establishment of the Planning Department, the housing compliance staff in charge of the IDP Program have been transferred to work under the Mayor’s Office of Housing within the last year. Housing compliance staff monitors and enforces obligations under affordable housing agreements entered into under IDP. Since those staff members now work within MOH, the BPDA and MOH have agreed that all affordable housing agreements entered into under IDP should be formally and legally assigned to MOH.
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In addition to these projects, the board approved:
- The extension of the Downtown Office to Residential Conversion Program through 2025.
- An update to the previously approved Fenway Corners West project which would make the site bigger, and add another building within the site.
