Boston Planning and Development Agency approves development of 3353 Washington St., Jamaica Plain

Jamaica Plain, MA The Boston Planning and Development Agency board of directors approved development of 3353 Washington St., a new building with 45 new apartments, including eight affordable units, at Washington and Green Sts.

The residences at 3353 Washington St. will occupy four floors over 2,000 s/f of ground-floor retail space on the 15,000 s/f site. It was assembled by 3353 Washington St. LLC, an affiliate of Boston Community Ventures, a family real estate company operating in Boston and the neighborhood for many years.

“This project will provide much-needed housing and a modern design standard that integrates with the traditional style of the neighborhood,” said Mordechai Levin, principal of Boston Community Ventures. “The retail portion will add to the area’s vibrancy and serve residents, neighbors and visitors.”

The contemporary building, designed by ISA of Cambridge and Philadelphia, will have a mix of studios, one and two-bedroom units totaling 45,000 s/f, with recessed rooflines, residential terraces, and a shared roof deck with rain garden.

The development is located near the MBTA Orange Line at Green St., and the No. 42 MBTA Bus stops in front of the building. There are also six other MBTA bus routes that are accessible. There will be 24 surface parking spaces, partially covered by building, and screened from pedestrian view, with two spaces reserved for retail visitors. 

For cyclists, the location is accessible to Southwest Corridor Greenway bike path. The building will have a dedicated, secure storage room for residents’ bicycles, as well as additional racks for visitors.

Boston Community Ventures and its affiliates have had a presence in Jamaica Plain for more than 25 years, having developed JP Center, home of the Stop & Shop and Martha Elliot Center, and the Jamaica Plain Plaza, with many long-time tenants including ABCD Head Start program, Bank of America, and Dunkin Donuts. They have also developed other commercial properties throughout the Jamaica Plain neighborhood, many of which have been incubators for creative startups and small business entities.

Affiliated development companies have created homes for several major nonprofit organizations, in renovated and restored buildings, including AIDS Action Committee and JRI Health, a division of Justice Resource Institute. Other long time nonprofit tenants include the Somali Development Center, Center for Labor Education Resources, and the Family Independence Initiative. 

Boston Community Ventures was an early investor in a re-emerging neighborhood in the 1990s, renovating derelict buildings and working with local residents and business people to create a vibrant retail neighborhood. Over the years many of the small merchants have won numerous awards, including “Best of Boston” accolades.

The new building at 3353 Washington St. will be sustainable, with an insulated envelope, internal rainwater runoff system, green roof, and rain garden. LEED certification will be sought from the U.S. Building Council. Streetscape improvements include widened sidewalks, new street trees, and pedestrian benches and plantings.

Construction is expected to being in the first quarter of 2017, with an opening planned for early 2018. About 40 construction jobs will be created, along with several permanent jobs.