A series of residential projects on formerly vacant city-owned lots along the Glenway Street corridor have broken ground this fall and are under construction. Many of the lots have been empty for more than 30 years and were targeted in a process that began almost 10 years ago when then-District 4 Councillor Andrea Campbell worked to catalog all empty city lots.
More recently, the city has sought competitive bids and awarded the sites to local companies, most of whom are first-time developers.
One of the first lots awarded came in 2021 to TLee Development and CoEverything at the corner of Harvard and Standish Streets – a two-site project with 22 mixed-income homeownership units only a block from the Talbot Avenue commuter rail station. Construction began in late October.
On the main site abutting Harvard Street, the 3-story, 16-unit building will also contain eight parking spaces and a community or retail space on the ground floor.
“The Harvard and Standish Homes development reflects our commitment to expanding homeownership opportunities across Boston,” said Housing Chief Sheila Dillon. “Through strong partnerships, the city is helping families and individuals of different incomes purchase stable homes and contribute to their communities.”
Said Miriam Gee, co-founder of CoEverything: “Homeownership should be an option for the people who make this neighborhood strong. This project shows how community-driven development and thoughtful public investment can create new opportunities for working families.”
Just up the street, a groundbreaking celebration was held on Nov. 14 for the Erie Glenway project developed by the African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE), which closed on the purchase of the property in late October and intends to build nine units of housing in three buildings.
That residential project on a busy corner lot represented the final parcels to go into construction in Phase I of the Welcome Home Boston (WHB) program – which identifies city-owned lots and puts them out to bid in a continuation of Campbell’s original effort. Other developments in Phase I that are only a few blocks from the Glenway corridor will be completed in 2026 as well by Boston Communities, Dorchester Design Collaborative, and Norfolk Design & Construction.
WHB Phase II is now underway, with the first project at Ballou and Selden Street in Mattapan set to begin construction soon. That project will deliver 18 new homes across five city-owned parcels. Additional closings for Phase II are scheduled through winter 2025–2026 in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan.
Phase III, announced last summer, makes 11 additional Ccty-owned parcels available for redevelopment in Hyde Park, Roslindale, Dorchester, and Roxbury. The city received 11 eligible proposals for the lots, which will be publicly announced in December.
