The Boston Redevelopment Authority Board has granted approval for the Charlesview redevelopment project in Allston-Brighton.
Developers are seeking to move Charlesview, a 213-unit apartment complex at the corner of Western and North Harvard Avenues in Allston, to two parcels: the 7.93-acre Brighton Mills site on Western Avenue and a .72-acre parcel on Telford Street.
Through a 2007 land-swap agreement with Harvard University, The Community Builders Inc. of Boston, on behalf of the Charlesview board of directors, submitted a proposal for the Charlesview redevelopment project.
It includes a 470,163-square-foot mixed-use development consisting of residential, community, commercial and open space uses. The project proposes 240 rental units, 213 serving as replacement units, with an additional 27 new rental units and 100 new homeownership units.
The project also includes more than 26,000 square feet of commercial/community space and the creation of four acres of new open space.
"The residents of Charlesview have waited long enough for new housing," Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. "This project will transform the underutilized Brighton Mills site into a thriving mixed-income residential community with neighborhood retail and open space. I’m pleased that in addition to this project, Harvard University has committed to develop homeownership units at the Brookline Machine site."
Relocating the Charlesview Apartment Complex to the Brighton Mills Site will allow the existing residents to stay together as a community, and with the creation of an additional 27 rental units, allow for flexibility for those residents who require different housing types based on family size or income levels, according to the mayor.
Harvard has agreed to develop at least 10 market-rate homeownership units on the site.
In addition to The Community Builders, the development team includes CBT Architects, Rackemann Sawyer & Brewster as the legal counsel, and Howard Stein Hudson as the transportation consultant. The project is expected to create 300 construction jobs as well as 30 permanent jobs upon completion.
The project is still subject to further design review by the BRA’s urban design staff. The project must next seek approval from the Zoning Commission.
