In the near future, two 18-story residential skyscrapers will be added to the Dorchester skyline.
According to planning records submitted to the city, the development project at 75 Morrissey Blvd., which is estimated to cost around $450 million, will add 754 new units to the neighborhood. At its monthly meeting last week, the Boston Planning and Development Agency Board gave its approval to the request.
A abandoned, one-story commercial structure that was built in the 1950s and had housed the Channel 56 television studio now occupies the 2.24-acre property.
Each building will have a community area and retail space on the ground floor. However, the project’s backers, Boston-based Copper Mill Development, have not yet decided which companies or services will use these spaces.
There will be 363 studios, 237 one-bedroom apartments, 119 two-bedroom apartments, and 35 three-bedroom apartments among the 754 total flats. In accordance with the city’s inclusionary development strategy, about 151, or 20%, will be set aside for affordable housing.
In addition, a 23,900-square-foot public park, a new road to service the buildings, and 414 subterranean parking spots are all part of the project.
According to planning papers, construction is anticipated to start in 2026 and be finished in 2029.
The two buildings are part of a bigger planned development for the region that was submitted by Center Court, a different development team, and authorized in late 2023. The master design also includes two nearby parcels of property, which are now used as offices, a liquor shop, and a Star Market grocery store, for a total of over 9 acres.
CEO Andrew Flynn told the Boston Globe that after Copper Mill took control, the company determined that housing was the most pressing need in the neighborhood, despite the initial intention for 75 Morrissey Blvd. being for lab facilities.
Another, much bigger development is also being planned nearby. It is anticipated that the 36-acre Columbia Point property, which will eventually be named as Dorchester Bay City, will eventually house close to 2,000 houses.
