Boston – Boylston Properties announced today that Michela DeSantis joined the team as Senior Development Manager.
Michela initiates and manages new development opportunities in the Greater Boston area for Boylston, overseeing all aspects of new development, from site acquisition through project stabilization, including underwriting, entitlements, design and oversight of construction and leasing.
Prior to joining, Michela was the Senior Director of Development at AvalonBay Communities, Inc., where she oversaw and managed the new development of more than 1,000 apartment homes throughout Massachusetts. Prior to AvalonBay, she worked at Fidelity Investments as part of the firm’s internal management consulting practice, as well as at Macquarie Capital in investment banking covering the real estate industry.
“As we ramp up new multifamily development, Michela hit the ground running and brings a wide set of skills and expertise to our newest projects in and around Boston,” said Andrew Copelotti, Principal at Boylston Properties. “The housing crisis in our region is dire, and we believe increasing supply is one of the only ways we can enact change in the short term. Michela’s local knowledge and understanding of permitting, design, and community outreach, in addition to her broad development experience has made us that much more effective this year. We’re thrilled she joined our team and our mission, and look forward to bringing more transit-orientated housing product to the region as soon as possible.”
Michela will take the lead on several projects, representing a development pipeline of more than $300M. She joined Boylston Properties as the firm delivered Arsenal Yards earlier this year, a nearly $1B investment that transformed the Arsenal Corridor in the East End of Watertown. This mixed-use development includes a 302-unit luxury apartment community, a new hotel, and nearly 400,000 sf of ground-up and redeveloped life science space, in addition to the 250,000 sf of retail that has made Arsenal Yards one the region’s hottest new neighborhoods.
“Michela is joining at the perfect time as a handful of our developments from the past 10+ years hit stabilization, and we constantly explore new acquisition and ground-up opportunities,” said Mark Deschenes, President of Boylston Properties. “Our development thesis is that plenty of underutilized acreage exists in our housing-starved region – often hiding behind abandoned or unkept industrial plots and facilities — and our investment platform has succeeded in unlocking value, economic vitality, and housing stock for these communities.”
“It’s been great ramping up at Boylston Properties this year, and I couldn’t be happier to join a like-minded team, eager to uncover and capitalize on opportunities for multifamily development in the area,” said Michela DeSantis. “This is a critical time for Greater Boston in terms of housing creation, and we are well positioned to make an impact with our short-term pipeline and long-term goals.”
Michela was born and raised in West Roxbury, MA, and currently resides in the Back Bay. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Harvard College.
