New 710-Unit Residential Complex Planned for South End

CBT Architects

The development wave cresting on Boston’s South End has been primarily concentrated on the area near Herald Square bordering the submerged MassPike and Silver Line route. A new development plan from Leggat McCall Properties filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority shows the development wave is moving closer to the Boston Medical Center area.

Leggat McCall is proposing the construction of 11-story and 19-story residential buildings on a mostly vacant parcel that consists mostly of a surface parking lot located between Harrison Ave and Albany Street. When fully built out, the new development will include 710 housing units for a total of 656,300 square feet of residential space, 40,100 square feet of new office space, and 14,100 square feet of ground floor retail space. A majority of the new units will be market rate apartments, but some of them will be made affordable and others will be made available for artists who apply through a lottery.

The project will include a 745-space underground parking garage and 41,449 square feet of street level green space, including the creation of a new courtyard. Leggat McCall’s filing documents indicate they will pursue the possibility of installing car sharing spaces in the new underground garage.

According to the filing, the Harrison Albany Block project is projected to generate $3.2 million in annual property tax revenues for the city. Leggat McCall purchased the property in 2014 from Boston Medical Center.

Before the project gets underway, three nondescript building on Dedham and Canton Street will need to be demolished. A 45,500-square foot office building constructed in 1904 will undergo a thorough renovation as part of the development.

Construction is expected to begin in the winter of 2017. If all goes according to plan, Harrison Albany Block will be fully built out by the summer of 2022.

The Harrison Albany Block is directly across from the Boston Flower Exchange, a major 5.6 acre space that was recently sold and is expected to begin a massive transformation in the near future.