The Residences at Brighton Marine is a model for providing a mix of affordable and middle-income housing with supportive services for veterans and their families who face cost burdens in expensive rental markets.
The Boston development brings together a new six-story LEED Gold-certified building with an adapted historic structure to form a campus with 102 apartments that are home to residents at different income levels, from those earning 30% of the area median income (AMI) or less to those earning up to 135% of the AMI.
As the first mixed-income veterans housing in Boston since World War II, the project incorporates critical transitional services for veterans, including clinical, wellness, and behavioral health services, according to WinnDevelopment, which partnered with Brighton Marine, a nonprofit veterans organization, to develop the new community.
The effort to create Residences at Brighton Marine began in 2013 and prioritized quality multifamily housing that would be inclusive to all veterans, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or income. The community engagement included numerous meetings with veteran services officials, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and local advocates fighting homelessness. Veteran homelessness had begun to peak in Boston at the time the project was proposed.
The project’s design is inspired by the neighborhood’s historic architecture, particularly the animated bay fronts that characterize nearby streets. The building facades are composed of residential-scale windows and large sawtooth-style bays that are capped by a striking cornice that mirrors the angular shape of the bays, enhancing the building’s character and identity.
The building sits on top of an underground parking garage and includes 8,600 square feet of amenity space. The property features outdoor relaxation space, remote-work and meeting rooms, a computer lab, a theater room, a fitness center, a room for wellness appointments, electric vehicle charging stations, bicycle storage, and secure package delivery.
Last December, the development enrolled in a community solar project that will reduce its electric expenses by approximately $7,000 per year through a purchasing agreement that will transfer solar electricity credits, each month, from an off-site solar facility to the property.
