Photo by Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff
Construction is ramping up for the first in a series of developments that could add nearly 1,100 apartments near Wellington Circle.
The Clayborn, designed by architects Cube 3, will include 289 apartments at 970 Fellsway in Medford. The Davis Companies held a ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday to mark the early stages of the project, which received an $86.9 million construction loan led by Eastern Bank along with Salem Five Bank and First Citizens Bank.
Demolition work on the industrial site took place over the summer, and construction crews from general contractor Plumb House now are excavating the site and installing utilities.
The “Clayborn” name is a nod to the former brickworks factory that occupied the site for over a century.
“It takes a lot to bring these projects to fruition. This particular project is one that has had a very long period of time from conception to today,” Davis Companies Vice President Pat Noone said.
Completion is scheduled for 2027, following a drawn-out permitting process that illustrated the hurdles that multifamily developers often face in the Boston suburbs.
The project was rejected by the Medford Zoning Board of Appeals in 2020, prompting The Davis Companies to challenge the board’s contention that the city had attained “safe harbor” status and was exempt from Chapter 40B. The state Housing Appeals Committee ruled in favor of the Boston developer in 2023.
No Medford elected officials spoke at Thursday’s ceremony, although Director of Planning, Development and Sustainability Alicia Hunt was in attendance.
But opportunities for multifamily development now are expanding in the neighborhood following the Medford City Council’s rezoning of the Wellington Circle area under the MBTA Communities law in 2023.
This summer, Transom Real Estate proposed 248 apartments at the Kappy’s Fine Wines & Spirits property at 10 Revere Beach Parkway.
Criterion Development Partners also submitted plans this year for a 276-unit apartment complex at 97-99 Revere Beach Parkway.
In another project previously approved under Chapter 40B, Mill Creek Residential received $97.6 million in construction financing in September for a 380-unit apartment complex at 4000 Mystic Valley Parkway. Demolition is underway to prepare the site.
The Davis Companies is also pursuing approval of a Waltham housing project under Chapter 40B: the 315-apartment redevelopment of the former Home Suites Inn at 455 Totten Pond Road.
Wellington MBTA Communities overlay district
