Developer moves forward with three residential buildings next to South Bay Mall

Developer Adam Sarbaugh has filed formal plans with the BPDA for 236 condos and apartments - some of them "compact sized" - in three buildings off Allstate Road in Dorchester that would also include 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and what could be Dorchester's first curbless way designed to be shared by motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The three buildings will sit atop what are now 13 separate lots along Willow, Baker and Fields courts in an industrial area that developers in recent years have begun to transform into a more residential neighborhood. Sarbaugh first proposed the buildings in January, just before the pandemic hit.

Sarbaugh is proposing just 59 parking spaces for his Willow Baker development.

The Proposed Project is uniquely situated to the south of the South Bay Center and within walking distance of numerous public transportation opportunities in the area including Andrew Square Red Line Subway Station and Bus Routes 8, 10, 16, and 17. ... It is expected that due to the availability of public transportation and the walkability of the surrounding neighborhood, the Proposed Project will rely on alternative non-vehicular modes of transportation to access the Site.

Sarbaugh is proposing to turn one of the narrow streets, Baker Court, into a "woonerf" - a curbless way designed to be shared by motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Drop-off lanes would be built for ride-share cars.

The units would include 79 studios, 89 one-bedroom units, 57 two-bedroom units and 11 three-bedroom units. About 70 of the units would fall under the city's "compact living" pilot project, in which developers get to build apartments smaller than normally allowed under city zoning, on the theory that they can be rented for less.

Two of the buildings would be seven stores, the third, four stories.

Sarbaugh says the buildings would bring benefits even for people who don't live in them - in addition to the woonerf, he says he would replace current utility poles with underground conduits, add widened sidewalks, build a small park and plant trees as part of the project.

Willow Baker project notification form (73.3M PDF).