BPDA Approves 2 Shawsheen Road in Eastie

2 Shawsheen Road project will bring all-affordable housing to East Boston

Live: 57 income-restricted units, 22 income-restricted homeownership units, 35 income-restricted rental units
Work: About 74 construction jobs
Connect: Close proximity to the Orient Heights MBTA Station
Sustain: 100% electric, Passive House Certified

Two residential buildings will be constructed at 2 Shawsheen Road, creating a total of 57 residential units. One building will contain 22 income-restricted homeownership units with indoor bike parking. The second building will contain 35 residential units with a bike room located off the entrance lobby. The project significantly advances high-level planning goals outlined in the ongoing planning initiative PLAN: East Boston, including expanding access to housing options that are affordable, stable, and able to meet households’ needs as they change over time, and the production of publicly accessible open spaces that are active and connected.

There will be open space between the two buildings reserved for the future implementation of the Winthrop Greenway, a shared-use path that will connect the Orient Heights Station, the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway, and the town of Winthrop. In the meantime, the open space will provide a lawn, pedestrian path and benches for residents. The project will involve several improvements to the surrounding streets including new sidewalks, street trees, bike racks and a dedicated passenger loading area. This is a transit-oriented development, as the site is close to the MBTA Blue Line’s Orient Heights Station and several bus routes are nearby. In support of the city’s resilience goals, the project is designed to be all electric.