Developers that specialize in rehabbing old buildings look to build new apartments on Lower Roxbury parking lot

Developers are proposing a six-story, 23-unit apartment building on what is now a parking lot on Newcomb St., off Washington Street, in lower Roxbury.

The building, to be called One Newcomb Place, would sit between two older buildings that developers Joseph DiGangi and V. William Avanessian converted into apartments, one a 1904 building at 11 Newcomb, the other a formerly fire-ravaged hulk at 1902 Washington St.

In their filing with the BPDA, DiGangi and Avanessian propose nine 1-bedroom apartments, six 2-bedroom units, six three-bedroom units and two three-bedroom duplexes. Three of the units would be rented as affordable.

Tenants would get a shot at a space in a 20-space lot shared with a neighboring building. The developers say demand for parking will likely be low since the proposed building is just 400 feet from a Silver Line stop and less than a mile from the Ruggles and Massachusetts Avenue stops on the Orange Line.

In their filing, the developers describe some of the building's benefits:

The proposed project will serve to further transform a once sparsely populated and high crime area of the city into a vibrant mixed income neighborhood. Apart from the creation of 23 new residential apartments and one [handicap-accessible] unit, there will be additional site improvements for landscaping, pedestrian walk-ways and lighting along Newcomb Street. Currently the existing street lights along Newcomb Street are utilitarian in design and are powered from electrical supply lines above. We propose to provide power to the lights from below ground when we dig the street and replace the current lights with the ornamental acorn style lights that can be found all along Washington Street. The project will also create or cause to be created three new affordable housing units that will provide 3 families in the neighborhood an opportunity to live in a new construction luxury building at an affordable price.

This addition to the existing building will complete the overall look and massing of Newcomb Street. We feel our proposal for the overall site at six (6) stories is very much in keeping with the current density in the neighborhood. Not only is the scale appropriate, but we feel the building aesthetic, when complete, will add a great deal to the look and feel of the neighborhood. The addition will continue to bring new residents to a portion of the city that can support more people, and most importantly, it will do so without displacing any existing residents. Surrounding businesses will continue to benefit from increased foot traffic and an expanded customer base.

One Newcomb Place small-project review application (36M PDF).