It might just be a pile of dirt right now, but work has officially begun on a new, 19-story residential building in Boston’s Chinatown.
Amid an ongoing affordable housing shortage in Boston, St. Francis House (SFH) has partnered with the Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA) to begin construction on an affordable housing building at 41 LaGrange Street, adjacent to SFH’s administrative building in downtown Boston. The new building will comprise 126 mixed-income rental units. The plan includes a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom units, along with management offices, amenity spaces, laundry facilities, and indoor bike storage racks.
“As the CEO of our city’s largest day shelter, every day I witness firsthand the realities of Boston’s housing crisis,” said Karen LaFrazia, SFH’s president and CEO. “The surge in homelessness in our region is a consequence of multiple compounding factors, including soaring rents and a severe shortage of affordable housing. St. Francis House is pleased to be partnering with POUA to alleviate some of the strain by providing much-needed affordable housing in downtown Boston.”
The unit mix will consist of 68 studios, 21 one-bedroom units and 37 two-bedroom units. Seventy units will be restricted to occupants making less than 30% of area median income (“AMI”); two units will be leased at less than 50% AMI; 19 units will be leased at less than 60% AMI; and 35 units will be leased at less than 80% AMI.
Stay tuned for more updates!
