The City of Boston, Fenway CDC, and Residents Celebrate Grand Opening of Burbank Terrace

27 new income-restricted apartments created in East Fens neighborhood

The City of Boston, joined by the Fenway Community Development Corporation (CDC), local elected officials, and residents, to celebrate the opening of Burbank Terrace Apartments. The project created 27 new income-restricted apartments in the East Fens neighborhood.

"Fenway is a great neighborhood, and ensuring affordable housing keeps it strong," said Sheila Dillon, Chief of Housing. "These affordable homes stabilize the community and create long-term opportunities for residents. Fenway CDC seized this chance to make a meaningful difference, and the City was proud to support the effort."

In 2021, with support from the City, State, and other key partners, Fenway CDC purchased the 72 Burbank Street property from a private developer. Pre-approved zoning helped shorten the development timeline by more than a year, allowing the team to deliver 27 new homes more quickly.

"Making Burbank Terrace a reality required collaboration among City, State, and private partners," said Steven Farrell, Executive Director of Fenway CDC. "Families living here now have guaranteed affordable homes for years to come thanks to these collective efforts."

Burbank Terrace replaced a 3,500 SF dilapidated parking lot with a seven-story building featuring eight studio apartments, seven one-bedroom apartments, and twelve two-bedroom apartments. Homes are affordable for residents earning between 30% and 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

The apartments are designed for comfort and convenience, with premium finishes, a community room, a kitchen, a lounge area, workspaces, and on-site emergency maintenance. The building is within walking distance of Fenway Park and easily accessible by MBTA.

"Community Preservation Act funds are critical to creating and preserving affordable housing," said Thadine Brown, Director of Community Preservation. "Burbank Terrace exemplifies community-driven, sustainable development that strengthens neighborhoods for the long term."

The project was made possible through a partnership of public, quasi-public, private, and nonprofit entities. Funding included support from the Mayor's Office of Housing, the State's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC), and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP). The Life Initiative (TLI) provided acquisition and predevelopment loans, Eastern Bank supplied the construction loan, and WNC contributed tax credit equity.

Burbank Terrace builds on Mayor Wu's work to make Boston a home for everyone. In the first three years of her administration, more than 17,000 housing units have been created, nearly one-third of which are income-restricted-the highest level of affordable housing in over two decades. An additional 12,000 units are in the development pipeline.

To advance affordable housing development, Mayor Wu issued an executive order to accelerate approval and permitting of these projects, cutting review time by more than 25 percent. In addition, Mayor Wu has provided unprecedented financial resources from the City to build new mixed-income affordable housing. Additionally, the Mayor commissioned a public land audit to maximize the use of City-owned land for this purpose, and incentivized a pipeline for Office to Residential housing in Boston's downtown core. All while making a concerted effort to focus on working with new development teams, creating opportunities for women and minority-owned businesses (MWBEs) to succeed. New housing developments, including innovative buildings combining housing with public assets like libraries are moving forward in Chinatown, Charlestown, Mattapan, Roxbury, East Boston, and Brighton. Additionally, the City has implemented changes to policies such as Linkage and Inclusionary Zoning that are increasing affordable housing through private market activity.

About the Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH)

The Mission of the Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH) is to foster healthy, vibrant, and welcoming communities for all by ensuring stable, green, accessible housing and sustainable use of land. MOH achieves this by creating and preserving income-restricted housing, supporting residents to buy and maintain their homes, and developing housing policies that promote access and long-term stability. MOH also works to prevent evictions, implements housing solutions for people experiencing homelessness, and works to make Boston's housing stock healthy, resilient, and environmentally sustainable. For more information, please visit the MOH website.

About Fenway Community Development Corporation

Fenway CDC is a 52-year-old organization that works to preserve the Fenway as a vibrant and diverse neighborhood by developing affordable housing, providing programs that enrich lives, and ensuring that community voices shape decisions about the neighborhood. Fenway CDC helps community members not only find affordable housing, jobs, and educational opportunities but also access fresh food, financial coaching, social connections, and wellness programs. The CDC's community planning and organizing efforts advocate for policies that address housing insecurity and the affordable housing shortage across the city.

• Published by: Housing