Boston PIC Approves Library, Two Residential Projects Across Three Neighborhoods

BOSTON — December 19, 2024 — Boston's Public Improvement Commission cleared eight petitions in a single December 19 session, advancing a new Fields Corner Branch Library and more than 185 units of residential housing across Dorchester, East Boston, and West Roxbury. The commission approved specific repair plans and a vertical discontinuance for the library project at 1520 Dorchester Ave, which will replace a 1960s-era, 8,600-square-foot building with a two-story structure of approximately 14,700 gross square feet; project manager Susan Philipson of the Public Facilities Department presented alongside Ryan Gordon of Nitsch Engineering. A 41-unit East Boston building at 9 McKay Place won approval for both a pedestrian easement and street repairs, but with conditions: the ramp design must satisfy the Commission for Persons with Disabilities — Patricia Mendez pushed for a perpendicular curb cut geometry — and a tree protection plan must satisfy the Parks Department, which had already flagged concerns about a large ash tree on the site. The commission also approved street work and easements for a 124-unit, five-story development at 361 Belgrade Avenue in West Roxbury, presented by Rick Latini of Howard Stein Hudson, including the narrowing of a 77-foot crossing at Belgrade Avenue and Anawan Avenue down to 40 feet.