Community Builders and Charlesview Inc. receive approval from BRA for development

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 unanimous approval from the Boston Redevelopment Authority Zoning Commission to develop the new Charlesview Residences. The plan approved by the city is the result of nearly two years of community process and design revisions. The 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 St. and Western Ave., 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 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. The Community Builders is one of the largest non-profit urban housing developer in America and has been an industry leader in comprehensive neighborhood revitalization. They have developed over 23,000 units of affordable mixed income housing, have assembled over $2.2 billion in project financing, currently manage over 8,750 units of housing serving low-income families, the elderly and special needs populations, and construct or preserve nearly 1,000 units of affordable and mixed income housing each year. The Charlesview story is one of community empowerment, interfaith cooperation and collaborative public-private partnerships. Incorporated in 1969, Charlesview was founded by five (now three) faith-based institutions as a mixed-income housing resource for the city of Boston. Today, Charlesview is a mix of ethnicities and religions, languages and cultures and represents a broad and diverse group of individuals and families -a true microcosm of the larger Allston-Brighton community.