The Salzberg family, long-time retailers in Uphams Corner, filed plans last month to redevelop a key commercial building on Dudley Street by converting it from the one-story Rainbow Fashions clothing shop to a six-story, mixed-use, 48-unit building on the corner of Virginia Street.

Brothers Mark and Stuart Salzberg have been in the retail business in Uphams Corner for decades, owning and operating the building at 749-755 Dudley St. for over 30 years, and previously with their late father. They also own the building on the other side of Virginia Street, 745 Dudley, which houses a large school uniform store that Mark runs. The family has owned that building for upwards of 50 years, he said.

Now, Mark says, is the time for Uphams Corner to grow and they remain fully invested in making that happen in the neighborhood.

“I’ve been working retail in that area since I was 14 and it’s always been a great place to live and work,” he said. “Why [growth] now? Because Uphams Corner is getting paid attention too. There is a need for housing in the area. The city wants to see housing.

“We’ve only had positive experiences in Uphams Corner,” he said. “There are challenges like anywhere else, but we believe it’s on the upswing and it’s the right time to develop.”

The brothers’ filing indicates they intend to capitalize on density, retail, and the proximity of the Fairmount Line station two blocks away. They maintain that as a transit-oriented development, it will supply much-needed additional housing to the Dorchester neighborhood, and as well as help to achieve the city’s 2030 housing Plan.

According to their filing with the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), “the proposed project addresses the shortage of market-rate and affordable housing by complying with the City’s Inclusionary Development Policy for creation of on-site income-restricted affordable units.”

The building would contain almost 3,300 square feet of retail space at the ground level and 48 units of housing – mostly market rate – above the retail. There would be 26 studios, 3 one-bedrooms, 17 two-bedrooms, and 2 three-bedrooms. The project would meet the city’s current affordable housing unit requirement and propose to keep them on-site.

While 52 bike parking spots would be available on the ground level, 9 vehicle parking spots would be created for the building – accessible from a new Virginia Street entrance. The Salzbergs’ filing also noted that “it is expected that due to the availability of public transportation and the walkability of the surrounding neighborhood, the proposed mixed-use project will rely more heavily on more non-vehicular modes of transportation to access the site.”

In terms of architecture, they lean heavily toward the look of the Monadnock Apartments about one block down Dudley Street.

“The Monadnock building is a traditional, masonry, Italianate, tripartite design building from which this modern design emanates,” reads the filing. “We proposed a brick first floor and a terra cotta tile finish of different colors on the upper floors, referencing a shared masonry vernacular. The proposed building massing creates a rhythm with the other larger buildings on and across the street, including those towards the intersection of Dudley Street and Columbia Road.”

The proposal also includes balconies on some units, and a large roof deck space for all in the building to use.

The Salzberg plan joins several building proposals in the local pipeline. Others are under construction or have been completed recently. Smaller retail buildings on Dudley Street have already been converted to larger, mixed-use buildings and hundreds more units are planned for the Columbia Road corridor.

The comment period for the Salzberg filing will close on Jan. 23.