How Boston Missed Its Biggest Chance to Rein in Rents
British developer Scape entered the Boston market with dreams of “solving” Boston’s housing crisis with 2,000 units of student housing. Now they’re dust in the wind.
British developer Scape entered the Boston market with dreams of “solving” Boston’s housing crisis with 2,000 units of student housing. Now they’re dust in the wind.
City officials hoped developers would build more units per acre and pass along the savings to residents. It hasn’t turned out that way, and it’s an open question whether the pilot that permitted around 2,000 units in three years will come back.
When Scape began planning its first residential development in Boston, the city was already grappling with a significant housing shortage. Four years and a pandemic later, that project, “The Bon,” recently opened to prospective tenants.