BOSTON — Skanska USA has received approval from the Boston Zoning Commission for the redevelopment of a 5.8-acre site in Boston that currently houses Simmons University’s residential campus into a 1.7 million-square-foot mixed-use destination. The Boston Planning and Development Agency approved Skanska’s plans for the overall development, named Longwood Place, earlier this year. Global architecture firm Sasaki designed the transit-served development, which is slated to feature five buildings that will house life sciences, office, apartments, retail and restaurant space. In addition, Longwood Place will feature 2.6 acres of open green space and 15,000 square feet of indoor community space. Located at 305 Brookline Ave. in Boston’s Longwood neighborhood, Longwood Place will be situated a half-mile from Fenway Park, home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox. Nearby institutions include Simmons University, Emmanuel College, Northeastern University, Boston Children’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. “A focus on delivering diverse spaces inside and out that surround high-performing life sciences buildings and a vital residential program make Longwood Place a vibrant addition to one of Boston’s most innovative neighborhoods,” says Meredith McCarthy, senior associate architect at Sasaki. As part of the master plan of …
Massachusetts
MassDevelopment Issues $151M in Bond Financing for Affordable Housing Projects Near Boston
by Jeff Shaw
BOSTON — MassDevelopment, Massachusetts’ state development finance agency and land bank, has issued $151.7 million in tax-exempt bonds to public housing authorities in the Boston suburbs of Brookline, Cambridge, Framingham and Medford. The proceeds will be used to renovate and preserve 368 units of housing for families, seniors, individuals living with disabilities and people experiencing homelessness. Additionally, the bonds will be used to create 46 new affordable apartments as well as to upgrade common areas, infrastructure, safety systems and landscaping. Brookline Housing Authority will use $40 million in proceeds to renovate the Sussman House Apartments in the southwest Boston suburb of Brookline. The community is a 100-unit complex that was built in 1969. Renovations include installing a new roof, windows and exterior cladding system; replacing the central heating and cooling system; upgrading elevators and unit interiors; and a new community room. Cambridge Housing Authority will use $21 million in proceeds to renovate and expand its building at 116 Norfolk St. in Cambridge, which is across the Charles River from Boston. The property, which was built in 1920, will be converted from 38 single-room units into studio apartments with their own kitchens and full bathrooms. Additionally, the project calls for 24 …
SOMERVILLE, MASS. — BioMed Realty, a San Diego-based subsidiary of Blackstone, has topped out Phase I of Assembly Innovation Park, a project in the Boston suburb of Somerville that will add 497,000 square feet of life sciences and office space to the local supply. The development will ultimately consist of three buildings and include retail space and open green space. Perkins & Will designed Assembly Innovation Park, and John Moriarty & Associates is serving as the general contractor. Vertical construction on the $514 million first phase began in August of last year, and full completion is scheduled for next year.
NEWTON, MASS. — Benchmark Senior Living will undertake a $13 million renovation project at Evans Park at Newton Corner, a seniors housing property located on the western outskirts of Boston. The assisted living and memory care community was originally built in the early 1990s. Bechtel Frank Erickson designed the project, and South Coast Improvement will serve as general contractor. All spaces will feature interior design by Boston-based Stefura Associates. Completion is slated for early 2024.
BOSTON — Atlantic Capital Partners, a division of Boston-based Atlantic Realty, has negotiated the $70 million sale of a portfolio of four grocery-anchored retail assets in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The properties, all of which are master-leased to regional operator Stop & Shop, total 272,542 square feet and are located in the Massachusetts communities of Framingham, Malden and Swampscott, with the fourth in Bristol, R.I. Justin Smith, Chris Peterson and Sam Koonce of Atlantic Capital Partners represented the buyer and seller, both of which requested anonymity, in the transaction.
BOSTON — Global architecture and design firm Sasaki has opened its new 64,000-square-foot office headquarters at 110 Chauncy St. in downtown Boston. The space spans seven of the building’s eight floors. Sasaki, which signed a 16-year lease in 2021 to relocate from the western suburb of Watertown, also redesigned the building’s lobby, retail space and entrance. MC Real Estate Partners owns 110 Chauncy Street, which was originally constructed in the 1890s.
WINCHESTER, MASS. — General contractor Seaman DiCarlo has completed the renovation of the radiology oncology department at Winchester Hospital, a 229-bed facility located on the northwestern outskirts of Boston. The hospital is part of the Beth Israel Lahey healthcare system. Locally based design firm Margulies Perruzzi served as the project architect and has now completed 28 collaborations with Beth Israel Lahey, including eight at Winchester Hospital.
CANTON, MASS. — Standard Communities has acquired Canton Estates, a 65-unit, a naturally occurring affordable housing complex located on the southern outskirts of Boston. Built in 1982, the property comprises two three-story buildings that house one- and two-bedroom units. The seller and sales price were not disclosed. Standard Communities plans to invest about $2.4 million in capital improvements to the unit interiors and to address other deferred maintenance costs.
BOSTON — Berkeley Investments has received approval from the Boston Planning & Development Agency to move forward with development of its 176 Lincoln mixed-use project in Boston’s Allston neighborhood. Plans call for Class A lab and R&D space, offices and apartment units. Designed by CBT, 176 Lincoln will be built on a five-acre site with two acres of landscaped open space. The two main commercial buildings will include 720,000 square feet of lab, R&D and office space. The project will also include onsite housing, including 252 apartment units with 10 live-work units for artists. The project will be situated within immediate proximity to Harvard’s recently completed Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Harvard Business School and the recent expansion of Harvard academic and cultural facilities such as the Harvard Innovation Labs. The expanding Harvard presence in Allston is establishing a new cluster for innovation and research in greater Boston, according to Berkeley. “With its location adjacent to Harvard’s growing Allston campus and its introduction of state-of-the-art, Class A lab space, 176 Lincoln will be an important addition to the rapidly growing life sciences, medical, academic research and corporate corridor stretching through Boston and into Cambridge,” says Young Park, …
WESTBOROUGH, MASS. — SVN | Parsons Commercial Group | Boston has brokered the sale of a 28,000-square-foot industrial flex property in Westborough, about 35 miles west of Boston. The sales price was $2.6 million. The building features second-story office space and 70 parking spots. Ryan Parsons of SVN | Parsons Commercial Group | Boston represented the seller, an entity doing business as 80 Turnpike LLC, in the transaction. Parsons also procured the buyer, Bornbam Associates.