Boston ZBA Approves 95-Unit Downtown Office-to-Residential Conversion

BOSTON — August 13, 2024 — Boston ZBA approves 95-unit downtown office-to-residential conversion at Devonshire Street. The Boston Zoning Board of Appeal voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a proposal by STJ Devonshire Equity Partners to convert three connected Financial District buildings — 83-89 Devonshire Street, 258 Washington Street, and 262 Washington Street — into 95 rental apartments under the city's Office-to-Residential Conversion Pilot Program. Attorney John Caldini told the six-member board that office occupancy had plummeted to less than 20 percent after COVID-19, making conversion the most viable path forward. The roughly 86,700 square feet of residential space will contain 29 studios, 59 one-bedrooms, and 12 two-bedrooms, with no parking provided or required; approximately 15,800 square feet of existing ground-floor retail will remain intact. The board also unanimously approved a six-unit homeownership condominium at 54 Dorset Street in North Dorchester — revised down from eight parking spaces to five and up in open space by 20 percent — despite the Boston Planning Department remaining on record recommending denial without prejudice over paving and cantilever concerns.