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New Residential Development Underway at 780 Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester
With the demolition of existing buildings underway as of October 2021, progress continues on a new residential housing development at 780 Morrissey Boulevard in Boston’s sprawling Dorchester neighborhood. The parcel in question, which measures approximately 1.81 acres, was the longtime site of two Phillips family establishments: The Old Colony House and Freeport Tavern. Both restaurants closed in January 2017 after operating for more than 30 years. The site was listed for sale in May 2017 and acquired by Michaels Development out of New Jersey. The Phillips family continues to hold a stake in the development as well.
Michaels Development, which recently developed new residential buildings in Brighton and Cambridge, filed a Letter of Intent with Boston in November 2019, announcing plans to develop a six-story, 179,435-square-foot residential building. Initially, plans called for 207 apartments across two wings – one standing five stories, the other standing six stories – along with 14,500 square feet of public space and 18,345 square feet of open space for residents. Plans also called for a ground-floor parking garage with 130 off-street parking spaces along with a surface lot with six off-street parking spaces for visitors.
The Boston Planning and Development Agency approved the developers’ plans in January 2021, and a demolition permit was filed for existing structures on the site in March of that year. Demolition of those structures, including the restaurants and parking garages, began in October 2021. Located near the Neponset River and Dorchester Shores Reservation, a dog-friendly park on a tiny island in the river, the new residential building is being marketed to a population that’s less dependent on cars. To encourage this, the development is slated to include a bicycle plaza with 44 exterior bike parking spaces. A pedestrian-bicycle corridor connecting Morrissey Boulevard to a future public path that will run along the waterfront side of the new building, further encouraging bicycles instead of cars.
Thus far, plans call for the new residential building to include the following mix of units:
- 110 studio apartments offering 466 square feet of space
- 88 one-bedroom apartments offering 659 square feet of space
- 28 two-bedroom apartments offering 1,012 square feet of space
Per local statutes, the new development at 780 Morrissey will include 29 income-restricted apartments. To accommodate future rising sea levels, raised residential entrances are already included in site plans. Plans also call for a public pop-up park that would host events and features like food trucks, farmer’s markets and live music. Envoy, the car-sharing service, is expected to be offered on the premises. More than likely, a shuttle service to Logan Airport, the JFK MBTA stop and various retail corridors will be available as well.
Amenities being proposed for the site include a dog park, a rooftop deck, a swimming pool, a dog spa, an interactive art walk and a community art wall. The grounds may also include co-working spaces. Specific information about the apartments themselves has not been released, so stay tuned to Boston City Properties for more information about this new Dorchester luxury apartment development in the future.