Written by Betsy Walsh Frissora
The BRA approved many new development projects throughout Boston in their August 15th board meeting, but surprisingly only one for South Boston this month. Does this mean the new developments in South Boston might finally be slowing down? Many South Boston residents would like to think so.
In the meantime, one of the more recent development projects to be approved in Southie is located at 30 B Street. The project will consist of the construction of 32 condominiums, four of which will be “affordable” units. In addition to the four affordable units, the developer will contribute $40,000 to the City’s Inclusionary Development Policy Fund for affordable housing. The developer for this $13,000,000 project is GFC Development Inc, and the architect is Embarc Studio Architecture + Design.
Located at the corner of B Street and West Sixth Street, the new condominium complex will build up the already existing three one-story buildings to be five-story residential buildings, which include 33 on site and off-street parking spaces. This is an improvement from the original plans, which included more condominiums and less parking spaces. Of the 33 units, ten will be one-bedroom units, fourteen will be two-bedroom units, and eight will be three-bedroom units. The building(s) size will total 40,060 sq.ft
Convenient for transit, the development will be within walking distance of the Broadway Station T stop on the MBTA red line, and the area will be served by three bus lines to downtown Boston, Cambridge and other areas in Southie. There will be a designated spot for bike storage on the first floor, to promote traveling via bike rather than car. Both the residential and garage entry to the building will be on West 6th Street, to limit traffic on B Street.
According to the plan, the community benefits of the project include widened sidewalks, newly planted trees, as well as the replacement of three old buildings with new architecturally pleasing buildings that blend in with the current neighborhood surroundings.
