Beacon Communities and the Boston Housing Authority have broken ground on the third phase of the Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony redevelopment project in South Boston, which will replace 250 dilapidated public housing units with 305 brand new affordable apartments.
The third phase of the project continues The Architectural Team’s involvement with the Old Colony redevelopment as architect and designer. Phase One provided 116 new LEED Platinum Certified affordable units and a 10,000 square foot LEED Gold Certified learning center in 2011, and Phase Two, completed in 2015, added an additional 169 units.
Much like the first two phases, the firm will replace the remainder of the site’s 75-year-old superblocks with modern, attractive mid-rise buildings that work well with the context of the surrounding neighborhood. New streets will provide sidewalks and incorporate open spaces, as well as views of the adjacent park and waterfront.
The new units will range from one- to four-bedrooms in size. The community’s buildings will be built to meet “healthy home” standards, and will feature landscaped central courtyards and private patio space for many of the units.
“The ongoing redevelopment of The Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony exemplifies the positive and lasting impacts of creative approaches to affordable housing,” says TAT Associate Jay Szymanski, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP. “We’re proud to collaborate with the City of Boston and with a development team committed to creating high-quality, healthy, and attractive homes that will help transform the community and offer a national model for revitalization."
The community’s development will be divided into three sub phases. Phases 3A and 3B will replace the existing units with 135 and 115 apartments across two buildings, while Phase 3C will add 55 new units, reserved for seniors and people with disabilities. Construction is expected to last for the next 18 months. The site’s former residents have been relocated, and will have the right to return when construction is complete.
“Beacon is excited about not only replacing the outdated remaining buildings in Old Colony with beautiful new buildings but also adding an additional 55 affordable apartments that will endure as quality housing resources long in to the future,” says Dara Kovel, CEO of Beacon Communities. “We are proud of our long partnership with the Boston Housing Authority and grateful to the many city, state and federal agencies and other partners who made this transformation possible.”
