Dorchester, Mass.
Uphams Crossing is the redevelopment of the former St. Kevin's Parish in Dorchester, Mass. Eighty units of affordable workforce housing serve families earning up to 60% of the area median income.
The Boston area is seeing many of its parishes close, merge, or form collaboratives as demographics change. After the St. Kevin's Parish closed, the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, the nonprofit developer associated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, worked to transform the 2.7-acre site. The development team completed an adaptive reuse of the former St. Kevin's Parish school and church building, which added a third floor to the building, and constructed two new buildings.
The LEED Silver development features interior bike storage, a computer room, a fitness center, and a cafe and a lounge area.
More than 3,000 applications were received for the 80 units, which came online between June and September 2015. The waiting lists consists of over 2,000 families and individuals.