Photo by Paige McWhorter Photography | Courtesy of Urban Edge
What: Betty Greene Apartments
Where: 1599 Columbus Ave., Boston
Owner: Urban Edge
Built: 2022-2025
Boston-based nonprofit developer Urban Edge completed its latest affordable housing project in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood, the Betty Greene Apartments.
Designed by Boston-based Utile and constructed by Bald Hill Builders of Walpole, the project includes 65 apartments available to households earning 30 to 60 percent of area median income.
The building is named after the late Betty Greene, a Roxbury housing advocate and Urban Edge board chair, who was involved in the successful campaign to block the extension of Interstate 95 through the neighborhood.
The project received funding from the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Mayor’s Office of Housing, Neighborhood Housing Trust, Community Economic Development Assistance Corp, MassHousing, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp., First Citizens Bank, Eastern Bank and The Life Initiative.
Urban Edge has completed 1,495 apartments and over 60,000 square feet of commercial space since its founding in the 1970s.
They Said It:
“Boston is facing a severe housing shortage, with demand for affordable units far outpacing supply. There are thousands of households on waitlists for affordable housing, and nearly half of Boston renters are considered rent burdened, putting enormous strain on working families, and individuals, including seniors, with fixed incomes. Betty Greene Apartments is a direct response to this crisis – providing 65 stable, high-quality homes for low- to moderate-income families in a vibrant, well-connected neighborhood.”
— Emilio Dorcely, CEO, Urban Edge
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu addressed attendees at a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 16 in Jackson Square for the Betty Greene Apartments. Photo by Paige McWhorter Photography | Courtesy of Urban Edge
A view of a completed unit at the Betty Greene Apartments. Photo by Paige McWhorter Photography | Courtesy of Urban Edge
