Charlesview Residences

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PDA for Charlesview Residences Development Unanimously Approved by Boston Zoning Commission


The Community Builders, the largest non-profit, urban housing developer in the nation, and Charlesview Inc, the governing board of the Charlesview Apartments, has received approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority for the Charlesview Residences plan.


Today’s petition, which was unopposed, also received the wholehearted  support of the  Allston-Brighton elected officials, according to City Councillor Mark Ciommo, who on their behalf, pledged “to continue to work with the developer and the BRA for the best possible outcome for the Charlesview residents and the Allston community.”


The approval, which follows last month’s BRA Board vote, will enable the relocation of the existing 213-unit Charlesview Apartments, located at the intersection of North Harvard Street and Western Avenue in Allston, plus the construction of 27 additional units of moderate and workforce rental housing and 100 moderate and workforce homeownership units. In total, there will be 240 rental units and 100 homeownership units.  


As BRA Chief Planner Kairos Shen noted, this plan was modified from the original proposal filing and the development team was very responsive to the community and the BRA.


Commission member Jill Hatton underscored that this mixed-income housing development will be state-of-the-art LEED-certifiable, designed to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. In addition, the new community will be transit-oriented, adjacent to three MBTA bus routes, and within walking distance to schools, shops, and other public resources.

 

“This is a major step forward in providing new and much needed housing and public space for Allston-Brighton,” said Felicia Jacques, Director of Development for the Northeast at The Community Builders. “We have worked diligently for two years to develop a proposal that will serve the needs of Charlesview residents while also providing new homeownership and rental opportunities in the community, in addition to creating new parks, a community center and neighborhood retail.”


CBT is the architect for the development which is expected to create 300 construction jobs when construction begins in the spring.


     BRA Unanimously Approves Charlesview Development Plan


The approval will enable the relocation of the existing 213-unit Charlesview Apartments, located at the intersection of North Harvard Street and Western Avenue in Allston, plus the construction of 27 additional units of moderate and workforce rental housing and 100 moderate and workforce homeownership units. In total, there will be 240 rental units and 100 homeownership units.


Rev. Samuel Johnson, Chair of the Charlesview Board of Directors, said, “Forty years ago, recognizing the need for affordable, local housing in our Allston Brighton neighborhood, a group of five (now three) religious institutions created the vision for Charlesview. Today, with this approval in hand, we continue our mission to provide quality, affordable housing for people through all stages of life – immigrants new to our shores, young families, and people living in Allston-Brighton for their entire lives.”


 “This is a major step forward in providing new and much needed housing and public space for Allston-Brighton,” said Felicia Jacques, Director of Development for the Northeast at The Community Builders. “We have worked diligently for more than a year to develop a proposal that will serve the needs of Charlesview residents while also providing new homeownership and rental opportunities in the community, in addition to creating new parks, a community center and neighborhood retail.”



 

Dear Neighbors, Community Members, Charlesview Residents, and Friends:

The Charlesview story is one of community empowerment, interfaith cooperation and collaborative public/private partnerships. Incorporated forty years ago, Charlesview was founded as a mixed-income housing resource for the community.


The three congregations, Kadimah Toras-Moshe, St. Anthony’s, and Community, that make up Charlesview, Inc. have a long history of providing mixed-income housing to residents in need.


And we are excited about plans for the new development. The plan will enable residents of the current Charlesview Apartments to move from older housing structures to new, high-quality, affordable units with modern amenities. Further, the plan will create significant public benefits as well, including enhancing pedestrian connections to the Charles River, and re-connecting streets to create a vibrant, lively, and open residential community linked to the existing neighborhoods.

We, along with our developer partner, The Community Builders (TCB), have worked closely and collaboratively with the City of Boston to create a vision for a new Charlesview. This plan is an opportunity to maintain our residents' sense of community, but also as an opportunity to reinforce the integration of Charlesview into the fabric of the entire Allston community.


Allston is one of the most richly diverse neighborhoods in Boston; and the Charlesview community represents a mix of ethnicities and religions, languages and cultures  – a true microcosm of the larger Allston-Brighton community.