Two Dot developments win BRA approvals

A pair of significant Dorchester development projects in Neponset and Columbia Point were approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) board last week. The Bayside DoubleTree Hotel on Mount Vernon Street won the city board’s green light to move forward with a planned $28 million expansion project that will add 97 new rooms to the complex. The hotel owners and Corcoran Jennison Companies proposed building a new six-story, L-shaped addition to the existing hotel, bringing its capacity to 294 guest rooms. The addition will include a 4,000 square foot ballroom and a new restaurant and bar, along with new meeting rooms. Work is expected to start in the new year and be completed by March 2017.

In Neponset, a $5.5 million plan to build 22 condo units behind a new restaurant at 367 Neponset Ave. met with the board’s approval. The restaurant— tentatively called The Dorchester— will include 250 seats with parking across the street. The residential component will renovate and expand upon an existing warehouse that was formerly home to Boston Party Rental. The total size of the project is 31,565 square feet— with 26,065 square foot of residential space.

“After hearing feedback from community members, the overall height of the project was reduced from four floors above the parking garage to three,” the BRA said in a statement. Also, the “residential façade was recessed so that the building fits in more naturally with the aesthetics of the surrounding area.”

A timeline for construction has not yet been set, according to city planners.


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