Community Corner

$42M Wentworth Student Apartment Building in the Works

A community meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss the development of 525 Huntington Ave.

Wentworth Institute of Technology is looking to build a seven-story student apartment building to house 305 juniors and seniors at 525 Huntington Ave.

Representatives from Wentworth and the Boston Redevelopment Authority held a public talk on Tuesday evening in the Blount Auditorium. Seventy six percent of the  72 apartment units will be single occupancy with kitchens, bathrooms, a dining area and a living area.

“This is the next generation of Wentworth buildings,” Dick Towle of Towle and Associates. “Major policy decisions were made. Sophomores are now required to live on campus. The Dean of Students met with the students and parents and found that the grades were better and safety increased.” Thus, the mission of this project is to encourage students to stay on campus.

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“The residents halls at 610 Huntington Ave. and 555 Huntington Ave. changed Wentworth from a commuter school to a residential campus in 2001,” Dave Wahlstrom, Vice President of Business at Wentworth. “We want to draw off campus students back.”

The site of the project was once a gas station, located in a triangular open space on Huntington Avenue, Louis Prang Street and Vancouver Street. (See the attached photographs.) The project will be committed to the Boston Resident Job Policy by creating an estimated 266 construction jobs. Wentworth is also committed to make 525 Huntington Ave. LEED certified, which requires meeting strit environmental standards.

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During the public comment period, neighbors on Vancouver Street expressed concern over construction interfering with traffic, student safety on the busy streets and snow removal once the building is completed and the sun is blocked out.

This project has a total budget of $42 million with and anticipated completion date of February of 2013. The representatives from Wentworth will meet with the BRA and the city departments next to go over the next phase of this project. 


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