Developer proposes 36 apartments in three buildings on Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury

A developer has proposed replacing a couple of parking lots and a "dilapidated" former storefront church that was once home to Packy Connors on Blue Hill Avenue at Southwood Street in Roxbury with three four-story apartment buildings.

In a filing with the BPDA yesterday, Joel Rubiera's Edge Real Estate Investments of East Boston says the project will include 18 parking spaces in two smaller lots and help revitalize what it called an "underdeveloped" section of Roxbury, about midway between Grove Hall and Nubian Square.

At least five of the units would be rented as affordable.

Special attention was paid to enlivening the streetscape and improving the pedestrian experience along Blue Hill Ave, Southwood Street and Edgewood Street. Specifically, plantings and individualized unit entries work to make the structures feel more inviting and residential in nature. The Proposed Project also provides a variety of transportation options including ample parking, bike parking, public bike use via the Bluebike Station and access to multiple modes of public transportation, making it convenient for commuting professionals. Along with the access to transportation, this Project provides two distinct open spaces for residents to gather in and make use of.

Edge hopes to begin construction this spring.

191-203 Blue Hill Ave. filings and meeting schedule.