April 7, 2023
Rendering of proposed Boston Street apartments by Khalsa Design.
A developer has proposed replacing a vintage-furniture store at 115 Boston St. in Dorchester with a two-building, six-story complex with 90 "compact" apartments.
Roughly 8,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space would be rented to Crossfit Southie, which would move from its current location at 385 Dorchester Avenue in South Boston, under the application filed by developer Adam Burns.
Burns filed for approval under the city's "compact" pilot, aimed at helping to moderate rental prices by letting developers build units smaller than normally required by city zoning. To meet the pilot's requirements for resident "amenities," Burns has proposed meeting and recreation rooms, a lounge, a pet washing and grooming station and landscaped open space areas.
At least 15 of the new residential units would be rented as affordable.
Burns is also proposing a 57-space garage - with 41 spaces for residents and 16 for the retail space. The application points to the nearby Andrew Square Red Line stop and bus lines:
It is expected that due to the availability of public transportation and the walkability of the surrounding neighborhood that residents living in the development will rely heavily on alternative non-vehicular modes of transportation to access the site.
In addition to work-out space and locker rooms, the gym will also include a cafe, with a seasonal patio, and a juice bar that non-members can patronize.
Also in the plans: A 19-bike Bluebike station and the planting of 17 shade trees, 3 evergreen trees and 140 shrubs on what is now a space covered entirely by buildings and asphalt.
