BOSTON–Boston Planning Department this month recommended approval of Institutional Master Plans (IMPs), including a new Franciscan Children’s inpatient hospital and a new Dana Farber cancer hospital at Beth Israel, and six new development projects to the BPDA Board. All were approved.
The newly approved development projects represent approximately 717,974 square feet (SF). The new projects will create 320 residential units, including 170 units that are designated income-restricted, and will support approximately 683 construction jobs and 654 permanent jobs. These projects will make Boston a more resilient, affordable, and equitable city.
Real Estate Board approves transfer of 290 N Beacon Street to the Boston Housing Authority for redevelopment into a permanent arts and culture space and housing
The BPDA Board approved the transfer of 290 N Beacon Street in Brighton to the Boston Housing Authority (BHA). This parcel will be gifted by the developer of a nearby approved project at 155 N Beacon Street to be redeveloped into a permanent arts and culture space and housing. The property at 290 N Beacon Street abuts a BHA owned property at 55 Faneuil Street, which is currently undergoing review for the redevelopment of the existing public housing units and addition of new income-restricted units and commercial space. The BHA will work with the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture to deliver cultural space and additional income-restricted units adjacent to the Faneuil Gardens campus.
Development Projects New housing on Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) parking lots at 980 Harrison Avenue moves forward
Housing: 45 income-restricted homeownership units
Jobs: Approximately 41 construction jobs
Community: Improvements to streetscape, bike parking on site
Sustainability: LEED Platinum, all efficient electric system, fossil fuel free
This will be the first phase of redevelopment of the publicly owned BWSC parking lots, and includes a six-story building made up of 45 new income-restricted homes. This project is in alignment with the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan and PLAN: Nubian Square, which recommend maximizing affordable housing, improving multimodal accessibility, and using public land for public good. The project will also improve the public realm by widening the sidewalks in the area and creating a tree canopy around the site. Future phases of redevelopment, including more public open space and buildings 2-5 will be designed and permitted at a later date.
Phase One of the redevelopment of Faneuil Gardens moves forward at 55 Faneuil Street
Housing: 114 income-restricted units
Jobs: Approximately 134 construction jobs
Community: New outdoor spaces and community room, new pedestrian crossing to area park
Sustainability: LEED Gold, Passive House, all electric
Located in Brighton, 114 of the Boston Housing Authority units at 55 Faneuil Street will be replaced with new units within a new six-story building. The building will also include new resident amenity space and a new courtyard. This is Phase One of a five phase redevelopment of Faneuil Gardens. In total, the phased redevelopment when complete includes approximately 441 residential units, 258 of which will be one-to-one replacements for the existing public housing units, and the rest will be net-new housing, which will also be income-restricted.
Rental and homeownership units move forward at 10 Malcolm X Boulevard in Roxbury
Housing: 123 residential units, 21 income-restricted units, 12 homeownership units
Jobs: Approximately 117 construction jobs
Community: 5,100 sq. ft. of public plaza, retail space
Sustainability: LEED Gold, Passive House
Located in Roxbury’s Nubian Square, this project will include a six-story building with 111 housing units and a three-story building with 12 homeownership units. There will be 21 income-restricted units across the two buildings. The existing commercial building will remain open during construction. The project will invest more than $350,000 into public realm improvements by enhancing the lighting, widening sidewalks, adding new retail space, public art, and a new public plaza with trees and seating. More than 50 new trees on site will improve the area’s appearance and reduce urban heat island effect. The project will contribute $123,000 to the Fund for Boston Parks and Recreation to support nearby parks and open space improvements. This transit-oriented development is just a tenth of a mile from the MBTA Nubian Station Bus Terminal, which provides service to downtown Boston, and is walking distance to the MBTA Orange Line. The project will also include at least one bike parking space per unit, as well as additional bike parking for visitors. A bus shelter will be installed in front of the project on Malcolm X Boulevard. A new 15-bike Bluebike station will go in on site and the project will contribute $60,000 to support the city’s bikeshare program.
Project at 726 Shawmut Avenue will build all affordable units in Roxbury
Housing: 38 income-restricted units
Jobs: 2,000 sq. ft. of retail
Community: Local organization seeks to expand cultural, worship, and education/ESL classroom space
Sustainability: Green roof, fossil-fuel free, electric building
This project in Roxbury will turn six lots, which are currently mostly parking, into 38 housing units and more than 14,000 square feet of new cultural, commercial, and service space. The ground floor will be open to the public for commercial and cultural uses, including a multi-purpose event space, cultural cafe and bookstore, and access to the mosque and educational spaces above. Among the amenities for residents, there will be a roof deck and a bike storage room inside. Much-needed sidewalk and streetscape improvements will be made to Shawmut Avenue as part of the project, including curb extensions and ADA compliant ramps for nearby crosswalks. The project will contribute $16,330 to the Boston Transportation Department to support the City’s bikeshare program.
110 Canal Street project to convert an office into a hotel
Housing: 82 room hotel
Jobs: Approximately 52 construction jobs, approximately 40 permanent jobs
Community: Ground floor restaurant space
Sustainability: Adaptive reuse of a vacant office building, compliant with energy code
This project will convert what is currently an office building and restaurant space in the West End into an 82-room hotel with ground floor restaurant space. There is currently a surface parking lot on site as well. Due to ongoing City planning efforts to further pedestrianize Canal Street, the developer and the future operator of the hotel space will continue to coordinate with various City Departments, including the Planning Department, to consider eliminating the existing parking lot to close the Canal Street curb cut and repurpose this space for a better use.
Institutional Master Plan (IMP) Proposed Projects and Project Approvals
New clinical building for Franciscan Children’s Hospital at 30 Warren Street moves forward
Jobs: 150-200 new employees anticipated over the course of the IMP, approximately 3,000 construction jobs over course of IMP
Community: New Bluebikes station, public art installation, rain garden, two new crosswalks
Sustainability: LEED Gold
As part of the approval of the 2024-2034 Franciscan Children’s IMP, the Board approved a new project at 30 Warren Street in Brighton to build a new inpatient hospital catering to behavioral health medical services. This new hospital will replace the services currently within six buildings on the Franciscan Children’s campus, each of which will be demolished in phases as this new building is constructed. This new building will help Franciscan Children’s to modernize its aging infrastructure and expand access to desperately needed services. As part of the community benefits for this project, there will be bike parking provided on site, as well as a new bikeshare station. In addition, this project will improve the public realm with two new crosswalks on Warren Street, widened sidewalks, new trees, new public art installations, and a new public open space and rain garden. This project will contribute more than $1.7 million in linkage to affordable housing, and $322,650 in linkage towards jobs training.
IMPs for Dana Farber and Beth Israel approved, including proposed plans for 1 Joslin Place
As part of the approval of the 2024-2034 Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center IMPs, the hospitals intend to build a new cancer hospital. This hospital will address a growing need for inpatient cancer care capacity, and will provide cutting-edge cancer research and care in a dedicated inpatient adult cancer hospital. The project will be 14 stories and contain 300 beds. Benefits of this project will include the reconstruction of Joslin Park, as well as significant upgrades to Brookline Avenue including new bike lanes and a floating bus stop. This project will go through its own review process in the coming months.
IMP for Wentworth Institute of Technology approved, including proposed plans for new campus buildings
As part of the approval of the 2024-2034 Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) IMP, WIT intends to build six new projects within those ten years including buildings for academic use, administrative use, student housing, student life, parking, and open space. This new housing is projected to provide space for more than 1,000 students. This is intended to help relieve the burden on the rental market in nearby neighborhoods such as Fenway and Mission Hill. These future projects are estimated to contribute more than $3 million in linkage towards affordable housing, and more than $600,000 in linkage towards jobs training. These new projects will also include significant updates to the area’s street system and public realm, and create new open space. All projects will go through a separate review process in the coming years.
In addition to these projects, the board approved:
- The renewal and extension of the Harvard University Longwood Campus Institutional Master Plan
- A contract with a consultant to conduct a Citywide Land Use Needs Assessment.
