Image courtesy of ICON Architecture
Cottage-style housing is a central component for the latest in a series of recent development proposals for a 30-acre site in Braintree.
In recent years, developers have floated proposals for a TV and movie sound stages, biomanufacturing and industrial buildings at the 60 Columbian St. property.
Owner Banner Park Campus LLC, managed by Hingham developer Christopher Reale, now is seeking approval for 220 multifamily housing units including a 3-story apartment building, 57 townhouses and 44 2-bedroom units in duplex-style cottages.
As Massachusetts voters prepare to decide the fate of the Starter Homes ballot question in November, developers say the Braintree project would provide “attainable price points” in a mixture of building styles.
Designed by ICON Architecture, the project includes three distinct residential zones, including a 3-story apartment building near the entrance to the site and townhouses lining the perimeter.
The center of the site would include the cottage-style duplexes, which would be designed with front porches, separate entries and patios.
“These elements reinforce individual identity while contributing to a pedestrian friendly village character,” the application states.
According to a submission to the Braintree Planning Board, the range of housing styles reflects a “topography-driven planning strategy” to minimize earthwork and the use of retaining walls, and preserve mature tree stands.
The project would reserve 10 percent of the units for households earning a maximum 80 percent of area median income.
According to a May 5 memo from Braintree Assistant Planning Director Anita Guo, the development would generate an annual positive net fiscal impact of $118,700 to $390,000.
The project requires modification of the 2022 approval by the Braintree Planning Board of a 272,550 square-foot tech and industrial project on the site.
The property already contains a 20,550 square-foot office building, which leased 14,000 square feet to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles in 2025.
Banner Park Campus LLC acquired the property in 2022. In 2024, it donated a nearly 39-acre portion of the property to the New England Wildlife Center in 2024 for a nature preserve and educational programs.
Image courtesy of ICON Architecture
