Roxbury Crossing Senior Building Limited Partnership, an affordable senior housing project sponsored by Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., will build a 40-unit rental housing facility for seniors 62 and older with an $8.5 million MassDevelopment bond. RBS Citizens purchased the bond.

The Roxbury Crossing Senior Building will be a four-story building with one-bedroom units averaging 530 square feet. All residential units will be affordable, with 20 units reserved for households earning no more than 30 percent of the area median income and 19 for 50 percent of the area median income. Social amenities at the building will include a large community space at ground level with handicap-accessible bathrooms and kitchen.

MassDevelopment assisted the Department of Housing and Community Development with the approval of federal low-income housing tax credits, which provided $5.4 million in equity for the project.

"Mission Hill NHS is thrilled to see the Roxbury Crossing Senior Building moving forward into construction," Maria Sanchez, president of the board of directors at Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., said in a statement. "With the addition of MassDevelopment tax-exempt bond financing, this project is a go. Affordable housing for low-income seniors is desperately needed and was identified as a priority use during the community’s multi-year planning process. Seniors will lead the way in the rebirth of the Roxbury Crossing gateway to Mission Hill as a place to live, work and shop."

Development of the site of the Senior Building is the first phase of Mission Hill Neighborhood Services’ plan to revitalize the area. The parcel is across from MBTA Parcel 25, a two-acre vacant plot at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Tremont Street. Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services’ vision for Parcel 25 includes eight to 12 new neighborhood retail stores and restaurants, housing restoration along Gurney Street and retail on Tremont Street.