More Boston parking lots slated for redevelopment, including affordable housing

Two more Boston parking lots look likely to be replaced with new developments, one as part of a hotel expansion and the other as part of an affordable housing complex.

First, in the Roxbury-South End borderlands, developers Transom Real Estate and Harbor Run Development are seeking city permission to redevelop a 9,586-square-foot parking lot on Northampton Street between the Southwest Corridor Park and the Newcastle Court building.

The development at 597-599 Columbus Avenue would run to five and a half stories and include 47 income-restricted units, either rental or ownership. The project is accepting public comments until October 7 (it’s rendered above).

Now, to downtown, where an affiliate of Boylston Properties, the developer that bought the Onyx Hotel in in early June, has filed initial plans to expand that inn by more than 77 rooms as well as ground-level retail and restaurant space. The expansion would replace a 5,499-square-foot surface parking lot at 155 Portland Street.

For now, there’s no timeline on the project and it has yet to be approved. Boylston is focused on the approval process and working with the city and surrounding community, a rep said. The company acquired the hotel and the lot for more than $46.75 million.

These two parking lot projects join four others pending or in progress around Boston in Fort Point, Dorchester, Bay Village, and Back Bay. Given the ongoing changes in conventional Boston parking—and the push for more micromobility and safety for such—expect more surface lots to have similar second acts. Stay tuned.