Written by Betsy Walsh Frissora
On Thursday September 4th, the BRA will host a public meeting regarding the plans for the 319 A Street development. The meeting is being held at Factory 63 Apartments, 63 Melcher Street, at 6:30 pm.
Leading the project is Boston Residential Group, who purchased the 319 A Street building last May for 12.5 million. The architect is ADD Inc. The BRG plans to rehabilitate and convert the existing 48,000 sq.ft. brick and beam building into 48 residential units with ground floor commercial space. The 5,000 sq.ft. of ground floor will be devoted to commercial space. It is anticipated to be a new fine dining restaurant, which will include the construction of an outdoor dining terrace.
According to bizjournals.com, the 48 units will include studios as well as one- and two-bedroom units. The size of each unit will range from about 400 square feet up to 1,200 sq. ft. and be priced between $450,000 and $1.2 million.
The residential building will feature a roof deck, bike storage, and finishes that are sought by the urban dweller that increasingly seeks to live as well as work and play in the district. It does not appear that there will be any parking included, which could add to the growing southie parking problems.
The BRA states that the project will involve a thorough renovation of the building interior, and restoration of the historic facades, including historically sensitive modifications and repairs to the building exterior (such as the replacement of doors, windows, etc.) There will be no expansion of the exsisting building, except for a new stairway and a new elevator, which will allow access to the roof.
Construction is expected to begin January 2015 with an opening slated for 2016. Approval from the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals is required to convert the space from commercial usage to residential.
Come check out the meeting and let the BRA know what you think of the plan for 319 A Street. The comment period ends on September 29. Email your comments to Lauren Middleton-Pratt at [email protected].
