Lexington Small Developments

Since April, Lexington has received four proposals for apartment and condo buildings in MBTA zones, for a total of 285 new units. Another is expected as soon as this week, Lexington Planning Director Abby McCabe said, and the town is in talks with real estate developers that could result in still more applications this fall.
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From south to north:
  • ~200-unit CC&F project that I think someone else may have posted elsewhere on ArchBoston (the render in the article looks familiar) is the southern-most dot on this map
  • 46 units next to it
  • 48 planned-but-not-proposed units in the middle on the site of a small retail strip
  • 32 units near Stop & Shop
  • 9 units furthest to the north.

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BXP Planning 300+ Unit Multifamily in Lexington​

“BXP has filed plans to redevelop 17 Hartwell Avenue in Lexington, the current site of a one-story R&D building constructed in the 1970s. Plans now call for the demolition of the commercial building and construction of a 312-unit multifamily property with a standalone 2,100 SF retail building and a 360+ space parking garage. The development would offer a mix of 1 through 3 bedrooms along with numerous amenity areas including 2 courtyards.”

17 hartwell


https://www.bldup.com/posts/bxp-planning-300-unit-multifamily-in-lexington
 
I hope what we're seeing is the teeth biting into the effects of lab building oversupply. If you're a biotech or med tech company (like the one that used to occupy this building) and there's massive oversupply throughout the entire region, why go to Hartwell Ave in a 50 year old building with no amenities around? Lexington doesn't have any public transit, 95 is miserable during rush hour, and there are dozens of other options that for the savvy tenant to use as bargaining chips to drive prices down at much better locations.

BXP has a huge portfolio of over 50 million rentable square feet per Wikipedia. If they're seeing softness in their subprime life science space and also seeing residential rents continue to rise, seems like a savvy move to be the first/only residential on this stretch, offering a bunch of amenities and new build comfort. Now, what's odd to me is I think of BXP as a commercial developer. I don't think they have many residential properties at all, so maybe this is a bit of diversification with the global weakness of the office market.

Really hoping we see more of this, especially developers who have empty lots but have stalled building their lab buildings. Quick pivot to apartments could put them back into an underbuilt market.
 
Another mixed-use building was just proposed in East Lexington

"North Shore Residential Development, Inc. (NSRD) proposes to construct a new 46-unit 5 story mixed use / residential condominium, building with residential parking for forty-six (46) cars (40 interior and 6 exterior resident parking spaces) as well as an additional 8 (3 visitor / 5 retail) exterior parking spaces. The project is to be located on the northside of Massachusetts Avenue in East Lexington on four separate parcels between 217-241 Massachusetts Avenue. The properties currently consist of a mix of residential and commercial uses which include a small office building, two multifamily homes, a contractor’s yard and a small bakery/coffee shop."

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They're also planning to add connections to the bike path at the back of the project, which is nice
 
Justbuildit said:
I hope what we're seeing is the teeth biting into the effects of lab building oversupply. If you're a biotech or med tech company (like the one that used to occupy this building) and there's massive oversupply throughout the entire region, why go to Hartwell Ave in a 50 year old building with no amenities around? Lexington doesn't have any public transit, 95 is miserable during rush hour, and there are dozens of other options that for the savvy tenant to use as bargaining chips to drive prices down at much better locations.

BXP has a huge portfolio of over 50 million rentable square feet per Wikipedia. If they're seeing softness in their subprime life science space and also seeing residential rents continue to rise, seems like a savvy move to be the first/only residential on this stretch, offering a bunch of amenities and new build comfort. Now, what's odd to me is I think of BXP as a commercial developer. I don't think they have many residential properties at all, so maybe this is a bit of diversification with the global weakness of the office market.

Really hoping we see more of this, especially developers who have empty lots but have stalled building their lab buildings. Quick pivot to apartments could put them back into an underbuilt market.
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Not sure if it has already happened, but the Town wants to upzone everything on Hartwell Ave so expect to see more proposals like this coming in the next several years
 

Condo Project Approved in Lexington​

“The Lexington Planning Board has approved plans for a 3-story condo project at 89 Bedford Street. The development will offer 30 units in total with on-site parking and new landscaping. The project will relocate the historic house to the front right corner of the lot.”

89n bedford


https://www.bldup.com/posts/condo-project-approved-in-lexington
 
Seems like there's a lot of redevelopment going on in Lexington. I hope this building cycle continues until the population density alone is enough to merit an eventual Red Line extension to 128 via Lexington.
 
Lexington deserves major props for its sincere efforts to promote more multi-family housing. To its great credit, Lexington re-zoned many more areas of the community than was required under the MBTA Communities law. Not only that, but Lexington conducted an economic feasibility study to ensure that its affordability requirements were financially reasonable. The law required a minimum area of 50 acres be rezoned, but Lexington rezoned 227 acres. The Planning Board report recommending the rezoning noted that “Zoning to the minimum state compliance will not create more housing nor vibrant business districts due to land and construction costs.”

It’s informative to compare Lexington’s efforts at meeting the spirit of the MBTA Communities law with those in Brookline. The major rezoning in Brookline concerned the upzoning of one corridor to allow for a maximum building height of 4 stories. Lexington’s rezoning created three new sub-districts where building height is capped at 52-feet, 40-60 feet, or 70-115-feet (more height allowed if ground-floor retail provided).

Lexington currently has six projects pending in its new multifamily zoning districts (itemized below) that if approved would create 641 new housing units. Brookline, by comparison, has zero projects pending. Brookline opted for a mostly paper compliance model allowing it to meet the requirements of the MBTA Communities law in a way that would not lead to the construction of new housing units. The one concession that the pro-housing community got in Brookline was a rezoning of Harvard Street to allow for buildings to be a maximum of four stories. The Brookline Planning Dept estimates this could, if the stars perfectly align, someday create up to 800 new housing units. But this is the best case scenario and it is probably not realistic. The reality is that Lexington probably has more housing units in the pipeline today from its MBTA rezoning efforts than Brookline will ever have in perpetuity.

Pending Lexington projects in multi-family sub-districts:

5-7 Piper Road: 46 housing units
89 Bedford Street: 30 housing units
231 Bedford Street: 7 housing units
331 Concord Avenue: 200 dwelling units
17 Hartwell Avenue: 312 housing units
217-241 Massachusetts Avenue: 46 housing units
 
Smuttynose said:
Lexington deserves major props for its sincere efforts to promote more multi-family housing. To its great credit, Lexington re-zoned many more areas of the community than was required under the MBTA Communities law. Not only that, but Lexington conducted an economic feasibility study to ensure that its affordability requirements were financially reasonable. The law required a minimum area of 50 acres be rezoned, but Lexington rezoned 227 acres. The Planning Board report recommending the rezoning noted that “Zoning to the minimum state compliance will not create more housing nor vibrant business districts due to land and construction costs.”

It’s informative to compare Lexington’s efforts at meeting the spirit of the MBTA Communities law with those in Brookline. The major rezoning in Brookline concerned the upzoning of one corridor to allow for a maximum building height of 4 stories. Lexington’s rezoning created three new sub-districts where building height is capped at 52-feet, 40-60 feet, or 70-115-feet (more height allowed if ground-floor retail provided).

Lexington currently has six projects pending in its new multifamily zoning districts (itemized below) that if approved would create 641 new housing units. Brookline, by comparison, has zero projects pending. Brookline opted for a mostly paper compliance model allowing it to meet the requirements of the MBTA Communities law in a way that would not lead to the construction of new housing units. The one concession that the pro-housing community got in Brookline was a rezoning of Harvard Street to allow for buildings to be a maximum of four stories. The Brookline Planning Dept estimates this could, if the stars perfectly align, someday create up to 800 new housing units. But this is the best case scenario and it is probably not realistic. The reality is that Lexington probably has more housing units in the pipeline today from its MBTA rezoning efforts than Brookline will ever have in perpetuity.

Pending Lexington projects in multi-family sub-districts:

5-7 Piper Road: 46 housing units
89 Bedford Street: 30 housing units
231 Bedford Street: 7 housing units
331 Concord Avenue: 200 dwelling units
17 Hartwell Avenue: 312 housing units
217-241 Massachusetts Avenue: 46 housing units
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One of the more recent issues of the Boston Business Journal covered Lexington's efforts, and I was very impressed! Really great to them bearing fruit so soon, especially since the town has no rail transit to speak of, unlike Brookline.
 

5-7 Piper Road​

“The Embarc team is working on one of the first projects in the state under the newly adopted MBTA Communities Act signed by former Gov. Charlie Baker. This new legislation addresses our state’s housing crisis by expanding zoning regulations for multi-family housing in commuter-friendly areas.
Upon completion, this project will introduce 59 new residential condominium units, complemented by meticulously designed amenity spaces and expansive landscaped areas, fostering a tranquil atmosphere for all residents. Drawing inspiration from Lexington’s rich history and heritage of mid-century modern design, our architectural choices reflect a seamless integration of contemporary design with the town’s cultural legacy.“

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https://embarcdesign.com/project/5-7-piper-road/#forward
 

Another Large Multifamily Proposed in Lexington​

“SGL Development has proposed a large mixed-use project to replace 3 office buildings located at 3-5 Militia Drive in Lexington. Plans for the 4.5-acre call for 2 buildings and a parking garage to offer 319 multifamily units with roughly 20,000 square feet of commercial space. The Passive House development will also include pedestrian walking paths linking it to neighboring commercial parcels, enhancing accessibility and connectivity……”

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https://www.bldup.com/posts/another-large-multifamily-proposed-in-lexington
 
stick n move said:

Another Large Multifamily Proposed in Lexington​

“SGL Development has proposed a large mixed-use project to replace 3 office buildings located at 3-5 Militia Drive in Lexington. Plans for the 4.5-acre call for 2 buildings and a parking garage to offer 319 multifamily units with roughly 20,000 square feet of commercial space. The Passive House development will also include pedestrian walking paths linking it to neighboring commercial parcels, enhancing accessibility and connectivity……”

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https://www.bldup.com/posts/another-large-multifamily-proposed-in-lexington
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.....so 319 residential units, 472 car parking spaces inthe garage and - judging by that overhead picture - an additional large surface car parking lot fronting it. Are they going to eliminate the surface lots?????
 
shmessy said:
.....so 319 residential units, 472 car parking spaces inthe garage and - judging by that overhead picture - an additional large surface car parking lot fronting it. Are they going to eliminate the surface lots?????
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Essentially they are redeveloping three office lots, all which house individual 1970s-80s era office buildings, and proposing to merge the properties and redevelop into this. The other surface parking serves office buildings further down the road. If you reserve 30 spaces for the commercial uses, this would compute to about 1.4 parking spaces per unit. Decent transit is limited in this area, but it is walkable to Lexington Center. I would prefer they kept the parking count under 400, particularly if they're proposing mostly one bedroom units.
 
Yeah those surface lots are on a different property so not much this developer can do. Perhaps the garage is accounting for their later development as the surrounding property is also in the multifamily overlay district.

On an unrelated note, the property to the north is owned by the Lexington Housing Authority. I wonder if the town would be open to connecting the road in this development that runs north to the property line to the roads in Greeley Village. It may help deal with some of the traffic impacts of this development, especially the difficulty of turning left out of Militia Drive(brought up by a resident in a neighborhood meeting). Also then you can probably get rid of the cul-de-sac that's on the end of Militia Drive right now
 
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