Category Archives: SoWa

46 Wareham Street South End

According to the Boston Courant, a new plan has been filed for 46 Wareham, a building in the South End that the Holland Companies would like to renovate and develop.  This past summer the Holland Companies suggested modernizing the under utilized structure to create a 6-story, 42 residential unit building that would include ground floor space for a commercial unit.  Opposition from some community activists who did not want to lose the commercial space and pointed to zoning laws that supported their arguments forced the developers to go back to the drawing board.

The Holland Companies hopes their revised proposal addresses the zoning concerns by reducing the number of residential units to 36 and increasing the commercial space by making the first two levels of the building available for commercial use (some 20,000 square feet). The developers feel that the long term viability of this project hinges on it being a mixed use development.

It appears as if Whole Foods at the Ink Block in the South End will be open for business starting Friday, January 9th at 10:00 AM.  Local chefs will be making appearances the opening weekend including the likes of Joanne Chang-Myers.

Parking is available at the new grocery store and tours are even available this week to get a sneak peek at the newest (and largest) Whole Foods to open in Boston. You can follow them on Twitter for more updates @WFM_SouthEnd. 

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to meet and talk to Ted Tye, Managing Partner at National Development, the firm behind the South End’s Ink Block.   In their temporary office across from the Ink Block, he showed me their plans for the new development and hinted at more news to share after the new year.

Ink 1 & 2 will open Feb 1, 2015 and are offering 1 month free rent for all 1 year leases and 6 weeks free rent for all 18 month leases. 

Whole Foods is scheduled to open in just a few weeks but Ted was mum about giving an exact opening date in January.  Don’t worry about the bad weather since 100+ parking spots are reserved for the store.  In addition the Ink Block will offer cool amenities including: underground connectivity to Whole Foods so one needn’t go outside in bad weather; a new gym; pool and outdoor function space to enjoy and host parties.  Also look for a new Hubway station and parking for a couple of ZipCars.

When speaking to the team at National Development they were keen to impress upon me their desire to leverage their commercial space for new restaurants (non-chains) that can provide more affordable dining options.  They want restaurants because they would like to have tenants that will be open after normal business hours to avoid having the block go dark and to encourage more pedestrian traffic.

The South End’s newest apartment complex, Troy Boston, is offering two months free rent if you move-in starting this January.  The new development located at 276 Albany Street has two towers and when fully open will include 376 apartments, rooftop terraces, rooftop lounge, outdoor swimming pool, fitness facilities, and outdoor pet-friendly space.

You can find out more if interested by visiting their website, troyboston.com.

Source: Boston Redevelopment Authority

This summer I wrote about a new residential project proposed by The Holland Companies that would convert the underutilized and decrepit 46 Wareham Street building into a residential space with The Society of Arts and Crafts (currently on Newbury Street) on the ground floor.

However the plan to redevelop this space has hit a snag according to Zack Huffman’s article in the most recent Boston Courant.  The building is zoned for light industrial work (not residential).  It is unclear if this means the original plans need to be scrapped or if a middle ground will be found, but the developers are now working on a new plan that would not violate the zoning restrictions. I have no idea what that means, but I do know that the building as it currently stands is an eye-sore and is not serving either the business community nor residents and this neighborhood needs more usable space for both small businesses and residents.  I snapped a photo of how 46 Wareham currently looks; we can do better.

46 Wareham Street South End

My previous blog post about Jordan Lofts on Harrison Avenue in the South End got a lot of attention so I asked a friend to introduce me to the developer, John Holland, from Holland Development, LLC.

John Holland told me that Jordan Lofts would be a mix of condominiums and rentals; condos on fourth and fifth floors and rentals on first, second and third floors.

Don’t be deceived by the use of “lofts” since there are varying floor plans. The commercial space is approximately 4,700 square feet and they are working with a local daycare provider, but the space is zoned general commercial so it could be an office, retail, restaurant or gallery. My preference would be for retail, restaurant or gallery.

The building is scheduled to open at the end of next summer.  Pricing for the rentals and sales are still being determined – the website will be updated when that information is available.

Below are images that John was nice enough to share.

Jordan Lofts on Harrison Avenue was pitched as a new residential development to the BRA a couple years ago.  Last year the project received board approval to create 18 condominium units and 20 parking spaces. Construction has been underway since the spring.

Unlike other projects in the neighborhood there is virtually no news about Jordan Lofts. Their website still promises a 2012 opening; let’s hope the developer, Holland Construction, pays more attention to detail on the condominiums than they’ve shown their website.

Does anyone know what is happening with Jordan Lofts? When the condominiums are expected to come on the market and their price range? A commercial space appears on the ground floor and any information about that would also be of interest to me.