It's on. The plans are in for the first major phase of turning Columbia Point in Dorchester from what one local pol called a "wasteland" into a thriving mixed-use area between I-93 and the waterfront. David Greaney told the Boston Redevelopment Authority he wants to build 278 studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms expected to range in rent from $1,200 to just over $2,000 a month (there will even be some lofts thrown in, whatever those are).
Greaney's two-building, $60 million project on an old, weed-covered lot near Shaw's Supermarket comes at a propitious time for Columbia Point. The city really wants it to become that mixed-use success story, and are emphasizing not only the need for ground-floor retail to amp up daily activity in the area, but towers as high as 17 stories crammed with apartments (Greaney's buildings, though, are not expected to exceed six stories). There will also be improvements to the area surrounding the JFK/UMass T stop, and even a new damn street from Morrissey Boulevard to Mount Vernon Street.
The whole shebang just might work, as another 200 or so apartments are planned for the area beyond Greaney's project (time to update the Rental Heatmap again!) and UMass is undergoing a major expansion there. For Columbia Point, it's either these or a fake island.
· Construction May Bring a New Vitality to Columbia Point [Boston.com]
· Game-Changing Dot Spot Aims to Fill In 'Wasteland' [Curbed Boston]
· The Lessons of Boston's Deserted Island Neighborhood [Curbed Boston]
· Did Somebody Say 'Loft'? In Boston, Probably [Curbed Boston]
· Our Updated Rental Heatmap: Where the Hub's New Apts. Are [Curbed Boston]