The Planning Department this month recommended approval of four new development projects to the BPDA Board. All were approved. The newly approved development projects represent approximately 825,786 square feet (SF), will create 88 new residential units, including 15 units that are designated income-restricted, and will support approximately 965 construction jobs and 1,310 permanent jobs. These projects will make Boston a more resilient, affordable, and equitable city.Development Projects
Future Cancer Hospital at One Joslin Place in the Longwood Medical Area moves forward
Housing: 300 bed inpatient hospital, linkage payments toward affordable housing
Jobs: Approximately 825 construction jobs, linkage payments towards workforce development programs
Community: Reconfiguration of the roadway network for pedestrian safety and reconstruction of Joslin Park, monetary support for local organizations, support for cancer screening programs through the Boston Public Health Commission
Sustainability: LEED Gold
Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) are partnering to build a new cancer hospital. The project is in response to a growing need for inpatient cancer care capacity, and driven by diverse factors ranging from aging populations to new state-of-the-art treatments. This project will allow an expansion of cutting edge care. To build the Future Cancer Hospital, the current Joslin Diabetes Center will be demolished and its staff relocated to other parts of the BIDMC campus. The first three floors of the new building will include a lobby, kitchen, staff and visitor café, patient and family center, spiritual center, retail space along Brookline Avenue, clinical support, a patient observation unit, and an imaging suite and loading/support spaces. Above the first three floors will be ten hospital floors with inpatient beds. Inpatient clinical support will be located on multiple floors and include diagnostic imaging, respiratory therapy, pharmacy and minor procedure rooms, nutritional and dietary services, and materials management and loading facilities. The project will also build two pedestrian bridges to more easily and efficiently transfer patients and practitioners within the BIDMC campus.
As part of the mitigation and community benefits, this project will reconstruct Joslin Park, increasing the total amount of open space, and reconfigure the roadway in the vicinity of the new hospital. The redesign will include significant pedestrian safety and multi-modal improvements in alignment with the Fenway Transportation Action Plan. In addition, Pilgrim Road will be opened for public use as a two-way street, which will help alleviate traffic in the Longwood Medical Area. The project will contribute: $1 million to the Boston Housing Acquisition Loan Fund, $1 million to the Boston Public Health Commission to facilitate cancer screenings, $350,000 to the Boston Centers for Youth and Families, $150,000 to the Fenway Community Center, and $218,150 to the Boston Transportation Department in support of the bikeshare system and to provide two bikeshare docks on site at the hospital. In addition, this project will contribute $4.8 million in linkage funding to the Neighborhood Housing Trust in support of affordable housing, and $875,935 in linkage funding to the Neighborhood Jobs Trust in support of job training programs.
New Boston University Pardee School of Global Studies to be built at 250 Bay State Road
Jobs: Approximately 64 construction jobs
Community: New open space
Sustainability: LEED Gold, Mass Timber construction, fossil-fuel free/all-electric building
A current parking lot on Bay State Road will be converted into the new Boston University (BU) Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. The new academic building will also include an acre of new public open space. Community benefits for the project include a new, accessible ramp between Marsh Chapel and the BU Beach, creating an accessible route between Commonwealth Avenue and the new building and associated open space. The project will make additional public realm improvements such as creating a safer pedestrian environment on Bay State Road, improving the sidewalks, and ensuring accessible parking spaces for employees. The project will also provide bike parking, contribute $75,000 to the Boston Transportation Department in support of the City’s bikeshare system, and provide a bikeshare dock on site.
The proponent for this project collaborated with the Planning Department to test several process improvements as a part of Article 80 Modernization, including submitting a preliminary community engagement plan, reorganizing filing materials for more efficient staff review, and participating in a streamlined Boston Civic Design Commission (BCDC) process. These actions are intended to encourage meaningful and predictable community engagement and create a consistent review process. The efficacy of these tools will be evaluated by Planning Department staff and feedback will be incorporated.
295-297 Franklin Street project to convert office space into new homes
Housing: 18 residential units, three income-restricted units
Jobs: Approximately 11 construction jobs, ground floor retail
Community: Bringing more residents to Downtown
Sustainability: Reuse and preservation of historic structure, compliant with Stretch Energy Code
As part of the City’s Office-to-Residential Conversion Program, this project will renovate what is currently a five-story office building into 18 new homes Downtown, three of which will be income-restricted.
This project is one of 15 applicants in Mayor Wu’s successful Office-to-Residential Conversion Program, which is on track to create 762 units from the conversion of 20 vacant office buildings.
Project at 12 Post Office Square and 10 Liberty Square will convert offices into residential units
Housing: 70 residential units, 12 income-restricted units
Jobs: Approximately 65 construction jobs
Community: Bringing new residents to Downtown
Sustainability: Reuse and preservation of the historic Hornblower and Weeks building and Codman building, compliant with Stretch Energy Code
As part of the City’s Office-to-Residential Conversion Program, this project will renovate two adjoining six-story buildings into 70 units of housing Downtown, 12 of which will be income-restricted. The units will be a mix of studios and one-bedrooms.
This project is one of 15 applicants in Mayor Wu’s successful Office-to-Residential Conversion Program, which is on track to create 762 units from the conversion of 20 vacant office buildings.