BPDA Board Approves Seven Projects, More Than 500 New Boston Housing Units

BOSTON — September 12, 2024 — Boston's BPDA board unanimously approved more than 500 new housing units across seven projects at its September 12 meeting, while also advancing seawall repairs, community benefits disbursements, and institutional master plan renewals. Board Chair Priscilla Rojas presided as the five-member board approved projects including a 236-unit rental building at 295 West First Street in South Boston with 36 income-restricted units, a 40-unit homeownership building at 819 Cummings Highway in Mattapan with seven affordable units, and two office-to-residential conversions under Mayor Michelle Wu's downtown pilot program — 615 Albany Street and 129 Portland Street — each receiving 29-year tax abatements of up to 75 percent of assessed residential value. The board also authorized a $550,000 engineering contract for north-face repairs to Long Wharf's 170-year-old seawall, dispersed $2,540,115 from the Harvard-Allston Public Realm Flexible Fund, and renewed two-year institutional master plans for Tufts Medical Center, New England Conservatory, and MCPHS University. The meeting closed with tributes to departing Director Arthur Jemison, who oversaw approval of more than 11,000 new housing units — 3,790 of them income-restricted — during his tenure.