BPDA approves City Realty’s transformative Allston Sq. redevelopment project

Boston, MA According to City Realty, the BPDA’s approval their redevelopment project, Allston Sq. Incorporating the desires and goals of the local community, the project will revitalize the intersection which serves as the gateway to Allston-Brighton while maintaining the history that makes the neighborhood special. Allston Sq. will transform a vacant and underutilized stretch of industrial warehouses and parking lots into a town square of housing, retail, public art and open space connected throughout the project.

“We have worked very diligently to design a project that meets the communities standards and will be an asset to the area for generations to come,” said Josh Fetterman, director of project development at City Realty. “By blending bold new design with the historic character of the neighborhood, our goal is to create a project that reflects Allston-Brighton storied history and exciting future.”

The proposed Allston Sq. development consists of six buildings situated around the prominent intersection of Cambridge St. and Harvard Ave. The project will redefine an abandoned industrial corridor while providing new housing stock and an invigorating commercial environment, allowing residents to live, shop and dine all within Allston Sq. And with over 70% of the residential units being condominiums, this project provides one of the largest concentration of new homeownership units the neighborhood has seen in decades.

The design plan will incorporate the preservation of two classic buildings: Allston Hall at 4 Franklin St. and the Allen Building, the former headquarters of Jack Young Auto Parts at 334 Cambridge St. Allston Hall will return to its role as a community gathering space, with ground floor retail topped by one of kind loft apartments. The Allen Building is going to be revitalized, converting from a patchwork warehouse back into beautiful homes, while continuing the iconic yellow brick row house style in a brand new addition.

The remaining sites will feature four new buildings along with many public improvements, including more than 10,000 s/f of additional street level open space, outdoor communal gathering spaces, more than 6,000 s/ft of additional sidewalk, more than 9,000 s/f of public art space, and the introduction of more than 46 new street trees in an area that previously had only one. These public improvements combined with more than 22,000 s/f of new retail space will make Allston Sq. an active and energetic streetscape for residents and the surrounding communities. To hatch all of these ideas for the new project, we continually worked with the local residents to create the best possible design for this project.

Allston Sq. will create 347 units of housing, including 244 condominium units and 103 rental apartments. The units will be a mixture of studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, and three-bedrooms along with several live/work units along the ground floor.

Allston Sq. is located near the Boston Landing MBTA Commuter Rail Station and the MBTA Green Line, and is located along several major MBTA bus routes as well as the Mass Pike. In addition, the project will feature storage for 300 bicycles and provides access to major biking thoroughfares along Commonwealth Ave. and the Paul Dudley White Path.