Frank Glynn
Title: chairman of the board, Charlesview Inc.; pastor at St. Anthony’s Church Builders
Age: 68
Experience: 43 years
Jo-Ann Barbour
Title: executive director, Charlesview Inc.
Age: 58
Experience: 25 years
Beverly Bates
Title: senior vice president, The Community Builders
Age: 57
Experience: 30 years
The 213-unit Charlesview apartments at 51 Stadium Way in Boston’s Allston neighborhood are slated for demolition next year. That’s because a development team of The Community Builders and Charlesview Inc., an interdenominational nonprofit comprised of local religious leaders that operate the apartments, have started construction up the road at the old Brighton Mills strip mall along Western Avenue on 240 rental units and 100 units that will be owned by residents to replace the current apartments. Each and every resident will be relocated to the new apartments, to be called the Charlesview Residences once they are finished, likely in mid-2014.
Q: What was the catalyst for the recreating the apartments like this?
Bates: We are doing this in partnership with Charlesview Inc. to develop the new residences. That board had to think about what to do with the property 10 years ago when we started working together. Its mortgage was nearly matured. There were lots of deferred maintenance needs. So we were hired as a consultant looking at the different options of rehab. Meanwhile, Harvard University was nipping at their heels again about buying the property. So we put those thoughts together … and proposed a land swap with Harvard. So the land on which the new Charlesview is going was owned by Harvard. We told them we needed the land and the effective replacement costs for the old Charlesview units because we’re replacing them one for one. You can imagine how long those negotiations took with Harvard. So now we have roughly seven acres of land. Harvard has had an interest in this site forever. Their athletic facilities are here, their business school is here. They own more real estate in Boston than they do in Cambridge at this point. So Harvard will own this property. too.
Barbour: And they will tear it down. It’s slated for mixed institutional use, but for the next several years it will be a parking lot as they build out the nearby Harvard science center and a new residential/retail development [at Barry’s Corner].
Q: How is this going to affect the residents and the tone, the feeling of the place they call home?
Glynn: The community has been isolated all these years. It’s been surrounded by Harvard, so it really hasn’t had a role in or access to the community. Now that it’s going to be farther away from Harvard, it’ll be much more a part of the community. With the community center we’ve included it will be both contributing to and receiving from the neighborhood around it.
Barbour: All of the residents here are moving to the new Charlesview, and I can tell you that every single family is really excited about the move. They’re chomping at the bit to see the new units and to know when they’re going to move. The new units represent an amazing change from what they have currently in terms of amenities in the apartments. They’re light-filled with beautiful kitchens and lots of closets, nice flooring. There will also be a large community center that we’re planning to open to the entire Allston-Brighton area. And there’s going to be about 14,000 square feet of retail, so there will be jobs for people.
Top Improvements For Charlesview Residents
- Community center with wireless Internet access and a computer center outfitted by Google. The center will be open to any Allston-Brighton resident.
- New streets that tie the new residences to the existing neighborhood.
- Energy saving appliances.
- Dishwasher, washer and dryer in all units.
- Ceiling light fixtures in each room (not something currently available at the current Charlesview).
