Scape Fenway
A 278-bed co-living development in Allston and 451-unit private student-oriented housing complex in the Fenway moved a step closer to groundbreaking Thursday night.
Boston Planning & Development Agency directors approved the plans for British student housing developer Scape’s 226,700-square-foot complex at 1252-1257 Boylston St., including 68 income-restricted units and a black box theater and community space operated by Fenway-based Theater Offensive.
Developers partnered with the LGBTQ theater troupe to compensate for the displacement of the Machine LGBTQ-themed nightclub, one of the tenants in the existing building which faces demolition.
Some neighborhood residents objected to Scape’s private student housing model because of the major off-campus presence in the Fenway, and Scape said it will seek to lease a maximum 25 percent of units to undergraduates. The requirement is not binding and could be dropped because of “economic necessity,” according to a BPDA document.
The Boylston Street project is one of three development sites that Scape is pursuing in the Fenway, including a 220-unit all-affordable housing tower at 2 Charlesgate West and a 495-unit complex at 819 Beacon St. The firm also acquired a key parcel in Somerville’s Davis Square last summer.
The project still needs zoning board of appeals approvals of variances including height, FAR and parking requirements. No on-site parking is included.
In Allston, Boston-based developers Boylston Properties and ARX Urban are partnering on the city’s second coliving complex, Common Allbright. The 6-story, 125,175-square-foot complex at 525 Lincoln St. would include 70 coliving suites with three or four bedrooms and shared kitchens and living rooms, along with 10 conventional studios. All-inclusive rents would include utilities, internet and laundry service.
To comply with Boston’s inclusionary development policy, 37 bedrooms will be reserved for people earning a maximum 70 percent of the area median income. Affordable units rents would start at $844 in the three-bedroom shared suites and $1,012 in the studio units.
The project will need to obtain variances for use, dimensions, off-street parking and off-street loading.
The complex would be operated by New York-based Common Living Inc., which has a presence in seven U.S. metros and announced a $300 million expansion in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and San Diego.
