Southie Real Estate Scoop: 45 West Third Street

Written by Besty Walsh Frissora

On Tuesday April 29th, the Boston Civic Design Commission is holding a meeting tonight at 6pm (Room 933A at City Hall) to discuss the proposed 45 West 3rd Street project that is currently under review by the BRA.   The project was proposed earlier in January by Spaulding and Styles Investments, and (if it is approved by the BRA) it is scheduled to begin construction in the fourth quarter of 2014, and anticipated completion in the fourth quarter of 2015. 

The 45 West 3rd Street project is another massive upscale residential/retail development for the West Broadway neighborhood in Southie that will “redevelop an underused site with a sustainably designed building to provide new housing in South Boston with ground floor retail space to activate the site” according to the proposal.   The project will occupy (almost) the entire block that is bound by A Street to the West, West 3rd Street to the north, Haul Road to the east, and Athens Street to the south.  Interestingly, the development will not be one single building, but a small group of differently scaled, complimentary building components that are attached. 

Overall, the 45 West 3rd Street development will create  a new upscale six-story 144,500 sq.ft building containing residential units, a parking garage, retail on the ground floor, a new fitness and yoga studio, and storage/office space.  Currently, the proposed site contains a 30,000 sq.ft. brick building that will be demolished and replaced with the new  building that lies on an acre of land.   2,200 sq.ft. of the 144,500 sq.ft. will be designated to retail space (currently proposing a new restaurant as one option) on the ground floor.  The remaining 141,300 sq.ft. will make up 164 residential units, a garage for 115 parking spaces, a yoga and fitness studio, and reception/ office usage.  The164 residential units will include a great variety of residential types (such as townhouses) and sizes to meet the different needs of buyers- a nice change from the typical two-bedroom condo developments.   22 of the units will be affordable housing units that are cut by 15% of the market price  

Not only will the 45 West 3rd Street project bring more people and business to the West Broadway neighborhood, but it will also bring 180 construction jobs, and upscale architecture and landscaping to the area.  The sidewalks along the project will be widened, and there will be trees planted along the streets.  It will also create two open outdoor amenities.  The first will be two elevated courtyards with green grass providing outdoor common space.   The courtyards have been specifically designed to capture the most sunlight possible.  The second is a roof deck that would be over the garage area (along Athens Street) that would also provide outdoor common space to residents.   

Stay tuned for more updates while the project is reviewed and refined!