Real Estate Today: Controversial Olmsted Place to open in November

Olmstead Place, which is set to open in November.  (Gazette Photo By Peter Shanley)

Olmsted Place, which is set to open in November.
(Gazette Photo By Peter Shanley)

Olmsted Place, a controversial apartment development at 161 S. Huntington Ave., will open its doors to its first tenants in November, according to spokesperson Matt Ellis. Boston Residential Group is now leasing the luxury apartments in the building.

The project was divisive in the neighborhood, with some opponents criticizing the plan to replace the historic former Home for Little Wanderers building with luxury apartments.

Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) launched a lawsuit against the developer, Boston Residential Group, and the City, arguing that the council is crucial to the zoning process as a municipal body and should have been consulted before the project was approved. A judge dismissed the lawsuit, but JPNC appealed and eventually settled.

The settlement from the lawsuit increased the number of affordable housing units from 33 to 37 and required the developer to build a public pedestrian pathway through the site, if feasible. The walkway turned out not to be feasible, triggering a stipulation of the settlement that the developer would donate $150,00 to a local organization of the JPNC choosing. The JPNC voted in April to have $145,000 go to the housing advocacy organization City Life/Vida Urbana and $5,000 to the Fund for Boston Parks.

Olmsted Place contains 196 units ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments ranging from 530 square feet to 1,300 square feet. The building also includes a storage room for bicycles and 156 underground parking spaces.

For more information, visit bostonresidentialgroup.com.

Peter Shanley contributed to this article.

[This article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Olmsted Place.]

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