Proposed 240-unit residential building wrapped around the Charlestown 99 might eventually be joined by more housing

New England Development has filed its plans for a seven-story, 240-unit residential building that could be the start of a multi-year project to redevelop the six-acre Bunker Hill Mall on Rutherford Avenue.

In a filing with the BPDA for the proposed building, on what is now mostly unused land at the site wrapping around the 99 Restaurant - which will remain in place - the company says:

After completion of the Proposed Project, further redevelopment of the overall approximately 6-acre Bunker Hill Mall site may proceed in the future over several years, only as allowed by long-term leases in place for existing retail tenants and depending on market conditions or other factors. Currently, long-term leases are in place for much of the retail at the Bunker Hill Mall, anchored by Whole Foods and the 99 Restaurant. Beyond the timeframe of the leases, further development of the Bunker Hill Mall site could deliver approximately 250 multifamily residences above newly constructed ground floor retail uses.

Some 20% units in the building - 48 in total - would be marketed as affordable, compared to the 13% required by the city. About 31 of the units would be aimed at people making no more than 70% of the Boston area median income, with the remaining 17 marketed to people making no more than 80% to 120% of that level.

About half the units would be smaller than normally required by Boston zoning, under a city pilot aimed at reducing housing prices by letting developers offer smaller units.

New England Development is proposing 49 parking spaces for the new residential building, located a hop, skip and a pedestrian bridge away from the Community College Orange Line stop, as well as at a Route 92 bus stop. Under the city's compact-unit pilot, developers are also allowed to reduce the amount of parking in a building as a way to decrease costs and so rents or condo sales prices.

The company is promising a total of $4.6 million for improvements to the surrounding neighborhood, including creation of a $1-million "Charlestown Community Fund that could provide funding to upgrade community assets near the Proposed Project and support a diverse group of Charlestown’s non-profits, in coordination with community preferences." The rest of the money would consist of $2 million worth of upgrades to the mall's Main Street frontage, $1 million for the Austin-Main Plaza that would include new shade trees and $600,000 to renovate adjoining sewer lines.

New England Development says it hopes to have the building ready for occupancy in 2023.

240 Rutherford Ave. project notification form (332M PDF).
Other filings, meeting notices for the project.