Kavanagh Advisory Group to Develop Residential, Office Space in Boston

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Danvers-based Kavanagh Advisory Group LLC has won BRA’s unanimous vote to develop a four-story residential project on a vacant site at the corner of 1^st Avenue and 9^th Street in the Charlestown Navy Yard. The 48,000-square-foot building will be marketed as “Starboard Place” and will include 36 one-bedroom apartments and 18 studios; of the 54 rental units, 11 will be designated as affordable, Charlestown Patch reports.

As the Navy Yard is a National Landmark, the $16 million project designed by BH+A Architects of Boston follows the guidelines of the Historic Monument Area design, which are in agreement with the National Park Service, Massachusetts Historical Commission, Boston Landmarks Commission, and the BRA.

The development team, which also includes BDLWT&G as business consultants, estimates that the project will create around 150 construction jobs. Construction at the former Parcel 39A will start in June, according to the Charlestown Patch.

By the end of 2013 Kavanagh Advisory Group will also start redeveloping a vacant four-acre parcel of 6 Tide Street in the Marine Industrial Park, a 191-acre industrial complex in the South Boston port area. According to the Boston Business Journal, the site housed J.J. Daly Co.’s 120,000-square-foot warehouse until 2008, when the company was shut down.

Kavanagh’s original project included a 360,000-square-foot office building, but the plan had to be scaled down because the developer failed to secure an anchor tenant. The new design calls for a 120,000-square-foot facility that would be completed by 2015.

Rendering of Starboard Place credits to BH+A Architects

BRA Approves $200 Million Residential Tower in the West End

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

A development team including AvalonBay Communities, Exclusive Real Estate, Goulston & Storrs and CBT Architects has received unanimous approval for a 38-story residential high rise planned for Boston’s West End neighborhood, on an empty site between TD Garden and the Charles River.

AvalonBay Communities’ original project was filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) in 2005. Back then it included 363 residential units—a mix of condominiums and rental apartments—in a 572,071-square-foot tower, 270 parking spaces and 7,794 square feet of retail space. Though the BRA voted in favor, the development had to be put on hold because of economic conditions, according to the Boston Herald.

Under the revised plans, the $200 million Nashua Street Residences will total 636,551 square feet of space and will offer 503 rental apartments ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, including 27 affordable housing units. As the North Station transit hub is located near the development, the number of parking spaces was reduced to 219 (with 503 storage spaces for bicycles). The new project will also feature 3,575 square feet of retail space, which is less than half of what the development team had previously planned.

One of the redesigned features at Nashua Street Residences is a two-story retail arcade that is meant to organize and enhance pedestrian access to North Station and the TD Garden. According to the Notice of Project Change that was submitted for approval in November 2012, the arcade will provide a welcoming atmosphere for public events and will improve the use of public transportation.

Construction at the Nashua Street Residences is slated for fall 2013 and the developers anticipate the creation of approximately 650 construction jobs and 15 to 20 permanent jobs. When completed, by the end of 2016, the development will be at a minimum LEED-certifiable level and will trigger an estimated $1,75 million in annual real estate taxes.

Rendering credits to CBT Architects

Massachusetts Commits to $67 Million for 23 Affordable Housing Developments Across the State

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Keeping up with the state’s efforts to support new housing developments, the Patrick-Murray administration revealed last week it has committed $67 million in affordable housing resources and tax credits that would back 23 developments in 21 communities across Massachusetts. The announcement was made by Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki, who attended an official event held at 525 Beach Street in Revere, where a 30-unit affordable housing community will be built with the support of $2.2 million in state financing.

The $67 million investment—which consists of more than $9 million in federal low-income housing tax credits, $7.7 million in state low-income housing credits and $47.7 million in state and federal housing program subsidies—is estimated to create 1,326 new housing units and more than 1,700 construction jobs.

1,164 units will be affordable to low- and moderate-income individuals and families, with 298 units designed for extremely low-income families and individuals recovering from homelessness.

“Having good, affordable housing at every level is important to our continued economic recovery, as we work to make sure we maintain our strong, well-trained young workforce,” said Secretary Bialecki in the press statement.

The announced funding is handled by the Department of Housing and Community Development and will support projects in Boston, Barnstable, Cambridge, Brockton, Chelsea, Framingham, Holyoke, Easthampton, Mashpee, Marion, Watertown, Revere, Rockport, Northampton, Pittsfield, Webster, Springfield, Williamsburg and Chesterfield and Winthrop.

According to a market report by Marcus & Millichap, new residential construction in  the Boston Metro Area is expected to climb (at least over the next three years) thanks to higher rents and a vacancy decrease of 170 basis points in the last two years.

Chart courtesy of Marcus & Millichap

Dudley Square Affordable Housing Project Awarded MassDevelopment Bond

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Two residential projects planned for Boston’s thriving Roxbury neighborhood have received $9 million in tax exemptions from MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, which issued the bond on behalf of Dudley Greenville LLC. Sponsored by Madison Park Development Corporation, the two adjacent projects will comprise 43 units of affordable rental housing as part of the Orchard Park HOPE IV initiative, a $63.5 million vibrant residential community under development in Dudley Square financed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Dudley Greenville will be built on two parcels located near the intersection of Dudley Street and Harrison Avenue. Construction is expected to be complete in 2014, the Boston Business Journal reports. The first site, a five-story elevator building, will include a combination of 31 rental units ranging from one-bedrooms to three-bedrooms, and 3,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space. The second site will feature a four-story walk-up building with a two-bedroom unit and 11 three-bedroom units.

“This $18 million investment in Roxbury’s Dudley Square will transform two prominent vacant lots into modern buildings with 43 affordable, energy-efficient homes for low income families,” according to Madison Park Development Corporation CEO Jeanne Pinado.

A recent report issued by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and quoted by the Boston Herald shows that the state of Massachusetts reached No. 4 on USGBC’s annual list of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings. With 106 green developments certified in 2012 or 2.05 square feet of LEED space certified per person, Massachusetts moved up three positions from 2011. Atlantic Wharf, a waterfront office tower, was the first skyscraper to achieve LEED Platinum in Boston.

Rendering courtesy of MassDevelopment

Chart via USGBC

Roseland Breaks Ground on $67 Million Portside at Pier One Apartment Project

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Roseland Property Company, a subsidiary of Edison, NJ-based real estate investment trust Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, broke ground on a five-story apartment project that is part of Portside at Pier One, a planned mixed-use community located at Marginal and Lewis Streets on the East Boston waterfront. Developed in a joint venture with The Prudential Insurance Company and Cranshaw Construction as main contractor, and financed by a construction loan from Citizens Bank with participation by Salem Five Bank, Phase I of the project will cost around $67 million and will include 150 market rate and 26 affordable housing units.

As reported by the Boston Herald, Portside at Pier One is one of the four East Boston waterfront projects that are in various stages of construction. The other three are:

•          Clippership Wharf – under construction by Winn Development
•          Hodge Boiler Works – developed by Philip DeNormandie
•          A New Street industrial redevelopment

Designed by a team of architects at Fort Point Associates, Inc., the Portside at Pier One master-plan will redevelop three parcels totaling 26 acres (Pier 1, Pier 5 and the East Boston Shipyard) that are owned by the Massachusetts Port Authority (“Massport”). According to a press release from Mack-Cali Realty Corporation, the master project is a 10-year Roseland-led effort which was approved by Massport in December 2012. It includes nearly 600 luxury apartments and approximately 70,000 square feet of ground floor retail and public space, activation of the water’s edge, a 7,500-square-foot recreational Marina, a fitness center, business center, theater room and controlled access garage parking.

The developer has not indicated an estimated completion date for Phase I of the project, but Roseland will oversee the leasing and management of the property.

“We are delighted to see this much anticipated project get underway. The extraordinary public and residential aspects of this community, including an expanded marina and shipyard, world class waterfront park, and magnificent views of the downtown Boston skyline, will all combine to energize the East Boston Waterfront,” Mack-Cali CEO Mitchell Hersh said in a press statement.

Rendering of Portside at Pier One courtesy of Fort Point Associates, Inc.