Resiliency and Sustainability
Throughout the Project, public open space and other design elements serve dual purposes and enhance the resiliency of the Project site and the surrounding community, address the risk of sea level rise and reduce heat island effects.
By raising the Project Site to an elevation of 21.5-feet± BCB and creating a raised ridge at 22.7- feet BCB extending from the southern boundary of the site northward to Day Boulevard, these resiliency improvements both assure that the Project can withstand future sea level rise and protect the surrounding neighborhood from potential flooding events.
With $5,000,000 in funding for a flood protection on DCR Land adjacent to the Harbor Point Apartments as specified in the Climate Ready Dorchester Plan (provided during Phase One to DCR), the Project also carefully considers the needs of our neighbors and the community beyond our site boundaries. This includes completing an evaluation of the connection between the Project, DCR's Dorchester Shores Reservation behind Carson Beach, and the future Moakley Park flood protection systems. In total, approximately $18.5 million will be invested in off-site resiliency efforts.
The Project employs sustainable design principles to reduce the project’s carbon footprint and contribute to the state and city’s 2050 carbon-free goals by converting 36 acres of asphalt park lots into urban mix-use developments near transit with various open and green spaces, a new stormwater management system. These new open spaces with approximately 1,000 new trees will prevent the urban heat island effect while contributing to the city’s Urban Forest Plan and Heat Resilience Solutions for Boston Plan initiatives.
The Project’s site-level and building-level sustainability design principles will reduce energy demand generated by buildings and GHG emissions. At a site level, the developers committed to SITES Certification and LEED ND Gold Certification design standards. Building level commitments include all residential buildings to be designed at a minimum of LEED Gold and 25% of Commercial buildings (except ground floor retail) to be designed at LEED Platinum, and 75% of Commercial buildings to be designed at minimum LEED Gold design standards.
Additionally, the project will include approximately 3,700 indoor bicycle parking spaces for buildings and 476 outdoor public parking spaces to further encourage people to use sustainable transportation modes.
Economic Opportunity
Accordia Partners, a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) will ensure that unprecedented levels of participation by local residents, minority and women partners in investment and inclusive businesses and jobs/job training are achieved. The three-part strategy for maximizing opportunity includes diverse and inclusive contracting, employment opportunities, and venues; infrastructure improvement to bolster neighborhoods with limited access to jobs, transportation and amenities; and housing inclusion and wealth creation. The scale of the project, along with a likely construction timeframe of 15-20 years, assures that this model will benefit a broader array of diverse individuals and businesses than any project in the region’s history.
Diverse contracting, employment, training, and education opportunities supporting the design, development, construction, operation and tenancy of DBC.
Infrastructure improvement to bolster the surrounding neighborhoods, improving access to jobs, public transportation, and amenities.
Housing equity and inclusion in affordable rental and home-ownership opportunities created by DBC
Over $18 million will be dedicated to economic development related programs, including:
Supporting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Project Employment Goals and Encouraging Opportunities for MBE & WBE’s by supporting building trades pre-apprentice programs (such as Building Pathways).
Education and Training programs that open the possibility of new job paths and careers for city residents, including neighbors of the Project Site, connecting them to the innovation jobs in robotics, life sciences and information technology that are planned for the Project. Of the nearly $8 million in jobs linkage funding associated with the project, up to $3.9 million will be dedicated to training people for specific employment at DBC.
A Learning and Innovation Center, a space of approximately 8,000 square feet that could include a laboratory/workspace space for programs focused on expanding training opportunities and career services, particularly for neighborhood and Boston residents, to help ensure access to employment in the growing construction, IT, robotics and/or life sciences industries.
Support for Locally Operated Restaurants, Retail Establishments and Affordable Retail Spaces, by partnering with programs that offer strategic advice to entrepreneurs to help them remain competitive and healthy.
Ensuring a Diverse Retail Mix at the Project by consulting with prominent local minority entrepreneurs to identify that foster retail/restaurant spaces that operated by independent entrepreneurs that include those owned by women and by people of color. In addition, the plan sets aside 25,000 square feet of retail space for affordable, locally-owned retail.
Foundation for Business Equity will connect the proponents with potential minority-owned businesses to participate as contractors during construction and as tenants in the Project when built out.
Additional Project Benefits:
Transportation Improvements: With nearly $36.8 million of offsite transportation contributions associated with the project, the DBC project will catalyze a number of multi-modal infrastructure projects prioritized by the community. The project team continues to partner with the relevant city and state agencies to invest in “shovel-ready” off-site transportation improvements. In addition, the proponents will invest invests over $170million in publicly accessible onsite infrastructure to activate the site and create a new street network built to Complete Streets Guidelines, featuring wide sidewalks, separated bike lanes, and planting and furnishing zones that promote bike and pedestrian site access. The Project will also contribute $1.7 million for the city’s Bluebikes bike share program and will include three Bluebike stations at the project sites.
New affordable housing: The project includes 20% onsite affordable housing at 70% of AMI (391 units), $53.7 million in housing exaction payments and a $10 million in funding for the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance’s (MAHA) STASH Program
Financial support for UMass: DBC’s lease agreement with the University of Massachusetts Building authority provides up to $235 million, with a minimum of $192 million, in funds exclusively to support UMass Boston and its education mission as the third most diverse university in the U.S. and Boston's only public research institution contributing to the state’s life science, healthcare, and innovation economy industries. Many of these professions will be represented in companies that will come to DBC, creating opportunities to collaborate with UMass Boston to train students and offer UMass Boston students paid internships and pathways to employment in the jobs and innovation connected to these new jobs located on Columbia Point.
Construction jobs: Up to 25,000 construction-related jobs, with a focus on maximizing participation by local and diverse individuals to the greatest degree possible. The team has begun to establish long-term relationships with several community-based partners who will be part of this “job access eco-system”.
Permanent jobs: The project is expected to create between 13,000 to 17,000 long-term employment opportunities, as well as training and other programs that will help create bridges between long-term tenants at the project and the local, diverse workforces of Dorchester and Boston. This effort is focused on the “life cycle” of preparation required to help close the generational and racial wealth gap, and will include many community-based partners.