Developer fleshes out plan for Shawmut St. apartments
Long-planned complex in Dorchester gets public airing
Trinity Financial Inc. this week gave neighborhood residents a detailed look at the apartment building it wants to build near the Red Line’s Shawmut Station in Dorchester.
The project, which the Boston developer first discussed with neighbors in late 2016, would fill most of the two-thirds of an acre that has been home to the Fitzpatrick Brothers vehicle repair shop since 1894. Located between Centre and Sharp streets, catty-corner to T station, the fourstory complex would have 74 units, down from Trinity’s initial plan for 96.
Trinity is facing stiff opposition from abutters, who say even the smaller building would be too big for the site and not fit with the character and scale of a neighborhood known for its Victorian homes and sturdy three-deckers. Opponents have said a cap of 27 units would be more than appropriate since the four-parcel property is zoned for two units each, or eight overall.
In an expanded filing with the city that included new renderings, Trinity said the project addresses Boston’s need for more housing, especially affordable housing, and to mitigate climate change by building near mass transit.
The building would include mostly one- and two-bedroom units, and about a dozen studios. Forty-five units would be reserved for tenants with incomes ranging from $25,000 to $111,000 a year. There would be a below-grade garage containing with about 39 parking spaces and storage for 74 bicycles.
Trinity is familiar with Dorchester. It built the 116-unit Carruth and 83-unit Treadmark buildings that are one stop down the Red Line at Ashmont Station. That location, along busy Dorchester Avenue, differs from Shawmut, which is tucked in among much quieter residential streets.