BOSTON – Kaplan Construction, a WBE general contractor and construction management firm providing comprehensive building programs across Greater Boston, announced that it has begun work on a five-story, 41,335 SF building at 9 Leyland Street in Dorchester, Mass. on behalf of a partnership between Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation (DBEDC) and Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL).
Designed to meet Passive House and LEED Silver certification, 9 Leyland will feature 43 units of affordable rental supportive housing and enriched services for seniors to promote healthy aging and a high quality of life. Construction started in January and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.
The new five-story development includes 41 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units, and five units will be accessible to persons with mobility impairments. The building will have a multi-purpose room for residents and community members, a bike room that accommodates up to 26 bikes, two laundry facilities and a roof terrace on the fifth floor. Nine surface parking spaces including two accessible parking spaces, and connections to surrounding amenities such as playgrounds and gardens will be provided for residents. The project will bring significant neighborhood improvements by activating an underutilized site to provide much needed affordable senior housing.
“This is our third project with Kaplan Construction. They have extensive experience working with Community Development Corporations (CDCs) around Boston so we knew we would be in good hands hiring them as our construction manager for our latest development in Dorchester,” said Perry B. Newman, Chief Executive Officer at DBEDC. “Dorchester Bay is deeply committed to reducing the impacts of climate change on our communities, which suffer from higher incidence of asthma and other health inequities. The design and construction of 9 Leyland help to further our goals of energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.”
According to Passive House Massachusetts, Passive House is a voluntary international building standard developed by the Passive House Institute (PHI), located in Darmstadt, Germany. The Passive House Standard is composed of several strict performance requirements for new building construction. The resulting performance produces approximately a 90% reduction in heating and cooling energy usage and up to a 75% reduction in primary energy usage compared to homes built to conventional building codes. Passive House significantly reduces the carbon footprint while making a comfortable, healthy, and affordable environment.
The project team members for the 9 Leyland project include:
Sponsor/Developer: Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation
Sponsor/Management Agent: Hebrew SeniorLife
Owner’s Rep: HTP-CS2C/NE
Construction Manager: Kaplan Construction
Architect of Record: Davis Square Architects
MEP/FP Engineer: Petersen Engineering
Civil Engineer: Meridian Associates
Structural Engineer: RSE Associates
Landscape Architect: Deborah Myers Landscape Architects
Kaplan is currently working with DBEDC to convert the historic Pierce Building in Upham’s Corner from a mixed-used property to a fully commercial innovation hub in the district. The well-known Dorchester landmark houses DBEDC’s offices and the Fairmount Innovation Lab. In 2014, Kaplan completed construction of the Bornstein and Pearl Food Production Small Business Center, a redevelopment project in Dorchester’s Quincy Street corridor. Led by DBEDC, the project converted the vacant former Pearl Meats manufacturing facility and adjacent land into a 36,000 SF multi-tenant, light industrial business center with a focus on small-scale food production.
