BOSTON — DiMella Shaffer, a Boston-based architecture firm, has completed design work on Grace Apartments, an affordable seniors housing development located in East Boston, and construction of the project has begun.
Developed by the East Boston Community Development Corporation (EBCDC) and Affirmative Investments, Grace Apartments will feature 42 residential units for low-income seniors within a new seven-story structure in Maverick Square. Like many cities across the nation, Boston is facing an increasingly acute housing crisis with soaring rents and slender supply, leaving the city’s seniors with limited options, according to DiMella Shaffer.
Grace Apartments will feature one- and two-bedroom units ranging from 496 to 722 square feet. Six units will be handicap accessible. A Blue Line train station is across the street from the property.
The new residences will be built adjacent to the historic Woodbury Apartments, whose residents will be given the option to move into Grace Apartments upon construction completion. As part of a long-term plan, the completion of Grace Apartments will allow for future renovations to the Woodbury Building for workforce housing.
Grace Apartments is scheduled for completion in spring 2022.