A conceptual rendering shows Center Court Partners' proposed 35-75 Morrissey Blvd. project in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. Image courtesy of Stantec
A year-old development company is seeking to buck the tide pressing against housing production as it pursues projects in Boston, Brockton and Somerville.
Copper Mill, founded in 2023 by former Scape North America CEO Andrew Flynn, has floated plans that could total approximately 2,000 units at notable properties including the former Channel 56 headquarters, the Brockton Fairgrounds and a Davis Square block that includes the Burren Pub.
Copper Mill is seeking to jumpstart construction of a master-planned project approved for nearly 1.6 million square feet of development on Morrissey Boulevard, beginning with 750 apartments in two buildings on the former WLVI-TV headquarters.
“The capital markets, particularly on the financing side, have been really frozen,” Flynn said in an interview this week. “Our focus is having our heads down and working through the [permitting] process, and we hope to be in the ground within 12 to 18 months on that site.”
Multifamily construction in Greater Boston hit a decade-long low in 2024, pushing rents further upward. Developers are increasingly focusing on suburban sites, which offer lower land and construction costs.
A growing backlog of approved projects have stalled ahead of groundbreakings, and the pipeline of new proposals has slowed. In 2024, the Boston Planning & Development Agency board approved 3,390 housing units, down from 7,389 in 2023.
As the Federal Reserve contemplates additional interest rate cuts in 2025, financing for projects that have been delayed could become feasible.
Flynn founded the Boston-based Copper Mill in 2023 after overseeing Scape’s developments in the Fenway, including the Bon apartments which opened in 2023 at 1260 Boylston St.
Copper Mill capitalizes its projects individually, with investments from various limited partners, Flynn said, and specializes in multifamily projects with a mixed-use component.
Through an off-market transaction, it acquired an ownership interest in the 35-75 Morrissey Boulevard project, which is approved for nearly 1.6 million square feet of development. The first phase, set to begin the permitting process this winter, would include 750 apartments in two buildings at 75 Morrissey Blvd., the former WLVI-TV headquarters.
Copper Mill replaced Centre Court Partners as the local partner with Chicago-based POB Capital on the development, Flynn said.
Copper Mill already has had discussions with construction lenders about financing, Flynn said, and is optimistic about conditions improving by the end of 2025.
“Hopefully with interest rates coming down, our hope is that the capital markets will resolve at the end of the year,” he said.
The master plan approved in December 2023 also includes 919,095 square feet of office-lab space as part of the seven-building development, which includes the Star Market property.
In Somerville, Copper MIll acquired the ground lease from Scape in 2023 for an approved lab development site in Davis Square. It’s preparing to seek a zone change that would enable it to pursue a multifamily tower at the corner of Elm and Grove streets.
With lab vacancies soaring in Somerville and large new projects in Assembly Square sitting vacant, Copper Mill has been meeting with community groups as it prepares to submit a rezoning petition.
“The lab market is acutely dislocated and housing is supply-constrained,” Flynn said. “Our thought was that housing may make sense here.”
In Brockton, Copper Mill submitted last summer submitted a rezoning plan for a redevelopment of the former Brockton Fairgrounds property in partnership with the Carney family, its longtime owners. The City Council’s ordinance committee is set to review the plan Wednesday. The overlay zoning would enable construction of 1,200 housing units and 600,000 square feet of commercial space, according to a presentation last summer.
The firm also is participating in Boston’s office to residential conversion program, with a proposed 57-unit project at 123 North Washington St.
During a presentation to the Columbia Savin Hill Civic Association on Monday, Flynn emphasized his local ties as a Boston College High School graduate and Boston resident. Flynn said the firm is focusing on the first two buildings before looking at subsequent phases.
“Our plan is to do 75 Morrissey Boulevard, catch our breath and evolve,” he said.
