The Boston Planning & Development Agency has approved the building of 128 new residential units in Roxbury and East Boston, with 99 designated as income-restricted.
Located on Washington Street in Roxbury and Maverick Street in East Boston, the projects are expected to bring much-needed new housing to the area including rentals and homeownership units.
2085 Washington St., Roxbury
Once complete, the 2085 Washington St. project will include 64 apartments and 32 homeownership units. Of the 96, 94 will be income-restricted. The project is part of a three-phase development of Madison Tropical Parcel 10, sponsored by the Madison Park Development Corp. and Tropical Foods. This is the third and final phase of the project that also includes expanding Tropical Food Market and creating a mixed-used development with both affordable rental units and ground-floor commercial use.
Along with affordable housing, the development will include artist gallery staples, artist workshops, a community meeting space and a resident work bar. This final phase of the project also brings with it a new pedestrian plaza and a new BlueBikes station.
The project is part of Boston’s PLAN: Nubian Square initiative which includes community input and established objectives for publicly owned properties in the area that include the creation of jobs and affordable housing, as well as using resilient and sustainable construction and committing to the community’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
East Boston’s 279 Maverick St. will bring 32 residential units, five of which will be income-restricted, as well as ground-floor retail space.
The five-story building will include a mix of studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units, as well as 1,797 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.
The project’s developers are also planning streetscape improvements, as well as a landscaped patio and bicycle repair station for residents. Additionally, the project will contribute $9,465 to Boston’s bikeshare program, adding new street trees, widening the sidewalk and the creating a direct connection to the Tomahawk Drive shared-use path, that connects the neighborhood to both local transit and parks.