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Developer Berkeley Investments has taken the first step to transform a vacant warehouse at 176 Lincoln St. in Boston’s Allston neighborhood into a mixed-use development with an artsy vibe.
Berkeley filed a project notification form with the Boston Planning and Development Agency last week seeking approval to build a three-building development it calls an "innovation village.” It is located on 5.2 acres near the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Boston Landing MBTA station.
The company plans to build a 548K SF of lab-ready office space along with 20K SF of retail space, 314 residential units and 2 acres of open space. It is one of Boston’s first developments designed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Innovation requires inspiration, which in a city comes from bringing together people with different skills, backgrounds and interests,” Berkeley President Young Park said in a press release. “At a moment when life sciences are more important than ever, we hope to foster an environment that spurs new ways of thinking, building on the unique attributes of Allston to create a welcoming community for all.”
The 176 Lincoln property was built during the late 1990s for a telecom company that went out of business when the dot-com bubble burst. Harvard University bought the building in 2006 as part of its expansion into Allston, where it controls 358 acres, compared to 215 acres in Cambridge, Bisnow reported in 2017.
Harvard leased the 5.2 acres last year to Berkeley after a proposed land swap with the Boston Skating Club fell apart, The Boston Globe reported.
Berkeley will set aside space at the project for artistic elements, including maker and art spaces. There will also be public art installations along with performing arts programming. Berkeley plans to set aside 10 units for artists to live and work in, creating a “micro-neighborhood of front stoops and gallery storefronts,” the company said.
Other Berkeley projects include the Waltham Watch Factory redevelopment, a new mixed-use project in Malden Center and Channel Center at Four Point.
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