More residents will flock to the West Fens after The Abbey Group updated its $150 million plan for a building on Boylston Street.
The update will create more residential space in that part of the city. The move comes after the BRA approved the change to the plan, according to a press release.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority approved the 348,235 square foot residential building plan, created by the Abbey Group, in 2011.
But after researching the market, the plan was recently amended by the group to convert 100,000 square feet originally set aside for commercial space into residential space, said Audrey Epstein Reny, director of marketing for The Abbey Group.
“We studied the market over the last year, and we determined that there was greater demand for additional housing in the area than additional office space,” she said.
Reny said the research also revealed that the Fenway neighborhood was looking for “increased homeownership opportunities.”
Reny said the new housing would be built at 1282 Boylston St. not only for students but also for people living and working in the area.
Reny said construction on the building, designed by architect firm Bruner/Cott & Associates, Inc., will start in the first quarter of 2013 and be finished by September 2014 for an opening in September 2015.
Matt Davis, the manager of Upper Crust on Boylston Street, said if officials let the restaurant put menus in the building, he’ll put a menu in every room.
“I hope that it brings more people here and more foot traffic [to Upper Crust],” he said.
Davis, who said the restaurant gets a lot of business from Red Sox games and deliveries to schools like Simmons College, Boston University and Northeastern University, said the residential building will provide customers that are just right down the street.
Native residents of the area said housing is on the more expensive side in Fenway.
Tim Leu, a resident of the area for four years, said people cannot afford the private condos in the area.
“The neighborhood needs more affordable housing,” he said. “Families can’t afford to stay in the city. They wind up moving away, out to the suburbs.”
If there is a one-bedroom apartment in the building, it better be a big room because students will probably share it, Leu said.
The project, which costs $150 million, will create 600 construction jobs and includes 322 units, according to a BRA press release.
The ground floor will include retail space and a community center, according to the press release.
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