Dorchester, MA New England construction management firm Dellbrook|JKS has begun raising steel at 191-195 Bowdoin St. for a new mixed-use, affordable housing community with the Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (VietAID).

The 51,906 s/f site, which previously consisted of two vacant lots, will be transformed into a four-story wood framed building with 41 residential apartments.

Thirty units will be available for households at or below 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) and 11 units for households at or below 30% of AMI.

“We are excited to be working with the community and VietAID to provide more affordable housing to the area, a tenant space for the Co-op, and new job opportunities during construction,” said Dellbrook|JKS project manager Evan Stark.

There will be 6,000 s/f of ground floor retail space that will be leased to the Dorchester Community Food Coop–a grassroots initiative to build a community and worker-owned grocery store that makes healthy food accessible and advances economic opportunity through neighborhood engagement.

The project will also achieve Enterprise Green Communities Certification.