The New Residential Conversion Thread

[bigpicture7]

Relatedly, but I don't think the conversion program would have been as successful if Roche Bros hadn't taken over the Filene's Basement space in 2015. Downtown is less appealing if it's a food desert. The next closest option is Trader Joes in Seaport.

And I think, similarly, the big Star Market recently added to North Station helps with the viability of residential in the Bulfinch Triangle area...both the existing/recent apartment buildings, and the current Residential Conversion proposals there through the city program

 

[stick n move]

Very true.

 

[stick n move]

-Now that the office leases have expired 123 washington is officially up for residential conversion.

123 North Washington Street​

North End

“The proposed project at 123 North Washington Street is part of the Office to Residential Conversion Program. The Proponent (Copper Mill North End, LLC) is proposing to convert the existing five story office building to residential use. The proposed building will have 45 units and ground floor retail.”

https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/123-n-washington-street

 

[JS38]

We often critizce a lot of city initiatives here but this one at least seems to have been a growing success already...

 

[curcuas]

Often in surprising ways, though, such as these most recent proposals.

 

[JumboBuc]

The vast majority of these proposals boil down to “quirky pre-war buildings with character are better suited to residential than office,” which is something I fully support. Let office tenants use the more modern large floor-plate boxes and towers built with their needs in mind.

 

[stick n move]

16-18 Hawley Street​

“Office to Residential conversion of an existing 11-story office condominium at the Project Site (“Unit 2”) from a commercial/office/business use to residential apartments in accordance with the Downtown Office to Residential Conversion Pilot Program (the “Pilot Program”), with Unit 2 consisting of approximately 86,730 square feet of Gross Floor Area (“GFA”) and approximately and 95,037 Gross Square Feet (“GSF”) (the “Project”). The Project will provide one hundred and ten (110) residential rental apartments floors two (2) to eleven (11) and associated amenities in the building’s mezzanine and basement. The existing Retail Use on the first floor (Unit 1, separately owned and leased to the US Postal Service for a Post Office) will remain unchanged, as will the exterior of the building. The unit mix will be comprised of twenty (20) studio apartments, seventy-two (72) one-bedroom apartments, and eighteen (18) two-bedroom apartments.”
https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/16-18-hawley-street

 

[Justbuildit]

Looks like this is the same 31 Milk Street proposal from a few weeks/months ago. But since most of the ground floor will remain commercial with the commercial entry on Milk, they're branding this as 16-18 Hawley. Floorplan for the ground floor below with the Milk St front door highlighted. In any case, looks like real forward progress on yet another conversion.

Also, yet another plug for anyone reading this to go write into the public comments section if you support this project. It's a small ask, but it's only ever the NIMBYs who write in to these things to oppose new developments.

 

[DBM]

Also, yet another plug for anyone reading this to go write into the public comments section if you support this project. It's a small ask, but it's only ever the NIMBYs who write in to these things to oppose new developments.

Normally--and sadly, of course--you'd be right. But for a variety of what in hindsight seem to be fairly obvious reasons, it's turned out that these Downtown office-to-resi conversions have, unless I'm mistaken, required absolutely zero support in the manner you describe. Think about it:

1.) They're all renovations, and not new construction. Thus they are not altering the skyline, nor (warning: pearl clutching incoming) adding any of the dreaded net new shadow.
2.) Given their Financial District locales, how many of these have preexisting abutting residential complexes to raise a fuss, in the first place? I'd guess none, or not many.

Anyway, I just checked, and, the following 4 conversions have, by the usual Planning Dept. standards, absolutely blitzed through the development review process. Consider:

15 Court Sq.: 105 days
85 Devonshire: 51 days
129 Portland: 71 days
281 Franklin: 85 days

That's a 78-day development approval process average. Miraculous. Why can't they all be like that, obviously!

(P.S. note I didn't bother to check their comment letter archives, maybe some actually do have a stray cranky opposition letter, but I'd be surprised if that was the case!)

 

[617]

Wow 80 units at 15 court sq…I think this one will be transformative for the area. PI alley feels really sketchy even during the day without foot traffic. 15 court sq

 

[Justbuildit]

Normally--and sadly, of course--you'd be right. But for a variety of what in hindsight seem to be fairly obvious reasons, it's turned out that these Downtown office-to-resi conversions have, unless I'm mistaken, required absolutely zero support in the manner you describe. Think about it:

1.) They're all renovations, and not new construction. Thus they are not altering the skyline, nor (warning: pearl clutching incoming) adding any of the dreaded net new shadow.
2.) Given their Financial District locales, how many of these have preexisting abutting residential complexes to raise a fuss, in the first place? I'd guess none, or not many.

Anyway, I just checked, and, the following 4 conversions have, by the usual Planning Dept. standards, absolutely blitzed through the development review process. Consider:

15 Court Sq.: 105 days
85 Devonshire: 51 days
129 Portland: 71 days
281 Franklin: 85 days

That's a 78-day development approval process average. Miraculous. Why can't they all be like that, obviously!

(P.S. note I didn't bother to check their comment letter archives, maybe some actually do have a stray cranky opposition letter, but I'd be surprised if that was the case!)

Totally agree with the substance of your post and I'm thrilled these are going through so quickly. They made a special process for these conversions, so glad that they're going through without many delays. More than anything I just think it's important that even soft supporters take the time to routinely write in about projects we like. It's becoming muscle memory for me, and while these are the easy ones, there are some seemingly obvious ones (Washington St upzone in DTX) that are lopsided by a factor of 50:1 against. Always write in! Go to neighborhood meetings! Shame the multimillion dollar high rise residents who don't want to lose their views!

 

[BronsonShore]

Wow 80 units at 15 court sq…I think this one will be transformative for the area. PI alley feels really sketchy even during the day without foot traffic. 15 court sq

If propertly activated, Pi Alley, Court Square, and City Hall Avenue could make for an incredible little pocket of alleys. Pack it with small scale retail and restaurants and kick the cars out of Court Square and you could make something totally unique to America, more akin to what you see in Istanbul or Japan:

This is what we were supposed to get with Quaker Lane.

 

[617]

Agree this would be really cool…just need to relocate the pigeons.

 

[commuter guy]

If propertly activated, Pi Alley, Court Square, and City Hall Avenue could make for an incredible little pocket of alleys. Pack it with small scale retail and restaurants and kick the cars out of Court Square and you could make something totally unique to America, more akin to what you see in Istanbul or Japan:

This is what we were supposed to get with Quaker Lane.

This is probably not going to happen for a very long time due to the liquor license situation. In the push to expand the number licenses the city is mostly focused on distributing new licenses to outlying neighborhoods to jump start economic activity, a worthwhile endeavor. However, I think it's somewhat overlooked that downtown crossing, the financial district etc. have also sustained a loss of bars/liquor licenses to more trendy areas like the Seaport and Back Bay. The city could target these areas for geographically restricted licenses as well to encourage operators with less deep pockets to open bars and restaurants in the core downtown area.

 

[Justbuildit]

The city should badger the state to give it home rule on how many liquor licenses the city has, since it's the only jurisdiction in the state with a firm cap that doesn't increase with population. But yes, that's the major issue with so much of the dining/night life scene in Boston. City Hall Avenue could be such a cool passageway.

 

[stick n move]

$8.3M Secured for South End Office to Resi Conversion​

“An $8,300,000 mortgage has been secured through Leader Bank for 615 Albany Street in the South End. Plans approved in September 2024 call for the conversion of the office building to 24 residential units. As part of the project, a 6th floor will be added to the existing structure.”

https://www.bldup.com/posts/8-3m-secured-for-south-end-office-to-resi-conversion

 

[stick n move]

Suffolk's Plan to Convert Downtown Office to Dorm Approved​

“Located Downtown, this project will convert the office building at 101 Tremont Street into 280 units of student housing as part of an amendment to Suffolk University’s IMP. The project will maintain the current ground floor retail/restaurant space, and add amenity space for students……”

https://www.bldup.com/posts/suffolk-s-plan-to-convert-downtown-office-to-dorm-approved

Bond issued,

Suffolk Issues $158M Bond to Convert Downtown Office Building into Student Housing​

“Suffolk University has issued a $158 million bond to support capital improvements, including the $100 million conversion of an office building at 101 Tremont Street into student housing. Approved in January 2025 as part of an amendment to the university’s Institutional Master Plan (IMP), the project will create 280 student units, helping to ease pressure on the city’s multifamily housing stock, especially in East Boston—a popular area for Suffolk undergraduates…..”

“The project, located in downtown Boston, is expected to be completed by fall 2026…”

https://www.bldup.com/posts/suffolk...downtown-office-building-into-student-housing

 

[mssrro]

5/3:

Internal demolition is underway at 615 Albany Street:

 

[stick n move]

12 Post Office Square Office to Residential​

“12 Post Office Square, LLC, proposes the conversion of two adjoining six-story buildings, located at 12 Post Office Square and 10 Liberty Square, from their present occupancies of basement and ground-floor retail and commercial uses, and upper-story offices, to basement and ground-floor retail and commercial uses with seventy (70) new dwelling units on floors two through six, with approximately two thousand square feet of residential amenity space.”

https://www.bostonplans.org/project...s/12-post-office-square-office-to-residential

 

[BronsonShore]

12 Post Office Square Office to Residential​

View attachment 62851

“12 Post Office Square, LLC, proposes the conversion of two adjoining six-story buildings, located at 12 Post Office Square and 10 Liberty Square, from their present occupancies of basement and ground-floor retail and commercial uses, and upper-story offices, to basement and ground-floor retail and commercial uses with seventy (70) new dwelling units on floors two through six, with approximately two thousand square feet of residential amenity space.”

https://www.bostonplans.org/project...s/12-post-office-square-office-to-residential

My god, would I love to live in one of those. If we play this right, Downtown Boston could feel a bit like Chelsea in a decade.