Dorchester Infill and Small Developments

2.1.25

734 Dudley Street

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Dot Crossing--checked out the new bookstore in the ground floor (Just Book-ish)

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*2-8 Bowdoin street approved

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“The proposed project sits on a single lot with a total area of 4,380 square feet. The site is located at 2-8 Bowdoin Street, on the prominent corner at the intersection of Bowdoin Street, Washington Street, and Harvard Street in the Four Corners neighborhood of Dorchester. The project entails the construction of a seven-story building comprising 22 residential units, 2,400 square feet of commercial/restaurant space, and 1,500 square feet of shared tenant amenities, including bike parking, storage space, and an accessible roof deck for all building residents. Residents and restaurant visitors will access the proposed building from Bowdoin Street, while the trash room and bike storage access will be located off Bowdoin Avenue. This project is located within a ten-minute walk (0.4 mile) of the Four Corners/Geneva MBTA Commuter Rail Station, is adjacent to bus route 23 along Washington St and within a 15-minute walk to the Fields Corner Red Line T Stop. The proponent aims to revitalize the square and attract businesses back to the immediate area. The proposed ground floor is set back from the property line to create a continuous overhang, illuminating the immediate sidewalk and adjacent areas to foster a safer environment for local residents at night. These public realm improvements, coupled with sidewalk upgrades and planted street trees, are intended to enhance vibrancy and attract local visitors to the area.”

https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/2-8-bowdoin-street

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Existing corner:
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https://bpda.app.box.com/s/jn7xzueow0rdj0h4si12pjk18lb7eau9
 
The setback makes for an inviting front door. That is a lost art
 
*2-8 Bowdoin street approved

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“The proposed project sits on a single lot with a total area of 4,380 square feet. The site is located at 2-8 Bowdoin Street, on the prominent corner at the intersection of Bowdoin Street, Washington Street, and Harvard Street in the Four Corners neighborhood of Dorchester. The project entails the construction of a seven-story building comprising 22 residential units, 2,400 square feet of commercial/restaurant space, and 1,500 square feet of shared tenant amenities, including bike parking, storage space, and an accessible roof deck for all building residents. Residents and restaurant visitors will access the proposed building from Bowdoin Street, while the trash room and bike storage access will be located off Bowdoin Avenue. This project is located within a ten-minute walk (0.4 mile) of the Four Corners/Geneva MBTA Commuter Rail Station, is adjacent to bus route 23 along Washington St and within a 15-minute walk to the Fields Corner Red Line T Stop. The proponent aims to revitalize the square and attract businesses back to the immediate area. The proposed ground floor is set back from the property line to create a continuous overhang, illuminating the immediate sidewalk and adjacent areas to foster a safer environment for local residents at night. These public realm improvements, coupled with sidewalk upgrades and planted street trees, are intended to enhance vibrancy and attract local visitors to the area.”

https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/2-8-bowdoin-street

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Existing corner:
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https://bpda.app.box.com/s/jn7xzueow0rdj0h4si12pjk18lb7eau9
This is really a huge win for this neighborhood. It’s one of the most scrappy parts of Boston and this will give this major intersection a big facelift. Hopefully will help the rest of Harvard St which is still pretty rough.
 
One thing I was confused about is how that ends up looking like the render. I looked on gooogle earth though and its clear thats looking at the back of the building. Def a win for the area.
 

Dozen affordable apartments approved on Nottingham Street in Dorchester​

By adamg on Tue, 02/25/2025 - 10:45am
Rendering of proposed four-story 23 Nottingham St.


“The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved plans for a three-story, 12-unit apartment building on what are now city-owned vacant lots at 23 Nottingham St. in Dorchester.
Developer KZ Builders - named for owners Senam Kumahia and former City Councilor Josh Zakim - won the right to build on the land from the Mayor's Office of Housing with a promise to rent the apartments to people making between 80% and 100% of the Boston-area median income.
The building will have eight parking spaces….”

https://www.universalhub.com/2025/dozen-affordable-apartments-approved-nottingham
 

New apartments lock up approval next to Fortress self-storage building in South Bay​

Proposed apartment building


“The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved plans for a six-story, 59-unit apartment building on what is now a parking lot next to the Fortress self-story building off I-93 in Dorchester, once famous for its giant inflatable lock.
Cobalt Development's plans for 101-109 Boston St. include eight affordableapartments and a total of ten parking spaces.
The plans also call for a ground-floor cafe. The company's lawyer, Joseph Hanley, said the cafe would be a complement to its neighboring businesses at the mall, not competition, and would help "activate" what is now a fairly desolate stretch between the mall and the expressway - as will new street trees and widened sidewalks.
The new building will have two roof decks, once atop part of the first floor, the other at the top of the building……..”

https://www.universalhub.com/2025/new-apartments-lock-approval-next-fortress-self
 
What do you guys think about 120-122 hancock street? I walk by it all the time and something about it I like. It looks like an actual good looking modern take on the triple decker compared to some of the abominations you see in southie. The massing makes it easily blend in to the built environment and instantly recognizable as a “boston triple decker” compared to the 5 over 1’s that have spread across every city in America. It seems like so many modern reinterpretations these days go too far with weird colors and angles and dont stay with the “spirit” of the original style, but this works. The colors look good as well cant go wrong with blues blacks and whites. The one bad part is the obviously horrible street level, but I think the building above came out surprisingly nice. Id love to see a bunch more of these built around the neighborhood. This is 100% affordable units too so pretty crazy that the affordable stuff now is as good or better than some of the luxury stuff.

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https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hayn...ablehousing-activity-7293713940885229568-qzD1
 
What do you guys think about 120-122 hancock street? I walk by it all the time and something about it I like. It looks like an actual good looking modern take on the triple decker compared to some of the abominations you see in southie. The massing makes it easily blend in to the built environment and instantly recognizable as a “boston triple decker” compared to the 5 over 1’s that have spread across every city in America. It seems like so many modern reinterpretations these days go too far with weird colors and angles and dont stay with the “spirit” of the original style, but this works. The colors look good as well cant go wrong with blues blacks and whites. The one bad part is the obviously horrible street level, but I think the building above came out surprisingly nice. Id love to see a bunch more of these built around the neighborhood. This is 100% affordable units too so pretty crazy that the affordable stuff now is as good or better than some of the luxury stuff.

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https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hayn...ablehousing-activity-7293713940885229568-qzD1
I think it looks nice, I like that it seems to cover the entire lot, that's already a 2x improvement over most triple deckers without mentioning the additional floor they squeezed in.
 
I like the look but the garages are not great.

BTW The way a three decker sits in a lot is a feature not a flaw. They were built so you have a front and back porch, and a shared yard. They are spaced so you get light and air in every window. Quite the luxury for people who once packed cold water flats. They were a suburb, but they were clearly not suburban, at one point sporting a population density of at least 15,00 per sq mile
 
I like the look but the garages are not great.

BTW The way a three decker sits in a lot is a feature not a flaw. They were built so you have a front and back porch, and a shared yard. They are spaced so you get light and air in every window. Quite the luxury for people who once packed cold water flats. They were a suburb, but they were clearly not suburban, at one point sporting a population density of at least 15,00 per sq mile
Thanks for the historical context to the design choices. I personally just never found the form appealing when I used to live in Somerville.
 
Thanks for the historical context to the design choices. I personally just never found the form appealing when I used to live in Somerville.
I agree, I like the way east boston is built, where it has the same style of buildings as the rest of boston for the most part but every building is touching the building next door. If dorchester and other neighborhoods had built this way I cant even imagine how much more housing would have been built on the same amount of land. Each building around me has probably close to a half building of width on each side. Some places are smaller but some spots have almost an entire buildings width next to them. This means with a very rough estimate the neighborhood probably could have probably been 25-50% denser.

-Actually looking at quick google population density numbers eastie is 32,502 people per square mile and dorchester is 20,36 so that actually is 50% denser. I would be nice maybe if the adu law or something could help fill some of this unused space.
 
Thanks for the historical context to the design choices. I personally just never found the form appealing when I used to live in Somerville.
I am sorry you had to move to such an awful place
 
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