Photo courtesy of the 249 A St. Artists Cooperative

Remnants of Fort Point’s arts community survive in a trio of artists’ co-op loft buildings that contrast with the high-rise luxury towers on the South Boston waterfront. 

As cultural venues throughout Boston are threatened by redevelopment into higher-income uses, community and cultural advocates want developer Related Beal’s 1.1 million-square-foot Channelside development to become a model for slowing artist displacement. 

“What the developer would have happen is more of a repeat of the Seaport District,” said Domingo-Martin Barrers, president of the 249 A St. Artists’ Cooperative board. “The Seaport District has its benefits, but we already have one of those.” 

Related Beal bought the Gillette Co. parking lot on A Street in 2019 for $218 million. Its development proposal has been in permitting through three Boston mayoral administrations, and seeks approval for three buildings containing office, labs and 340 apartments on the 6.5-acre site bordering Fort Point Channel. 

Members of the project’s impact advisory group that advises the Boston Planning & Development Agency say they’re awaiting word on whether Channelside will come up for a vote this spring, or if Related Beal will sweeten the community benefits package. Many of the comments have focused on appropriate levels of affordable and artist housing, under a new mayoral administration that has stated commitments to both priorities. 

 Arts Chief Not Satisfied with Housing Plan 

Related Beal already has made some changes to the proposed residential building by increasing the income-restricted component from 13 to 17.5 percent in January, and creating a dedicated second floor containing 25 units of artist housing. The increase in affordability represents a loss of $750,000 a year in net operating income from the property, Related Beal Executive Vice President Stephen Faber said at the last public meeting on the project, held in February. 

But the mayor’s office of arts and culture is pressing for a firm commitment that at least 45 artist live-work units be included on-site, comprising 22 percent of the project’s residential square-footage. In a BPDA comment letter, Chief of Arts & Culture Kara Elliott-Ortega acknowledged developers’ increasing responsiveness to the arts and creative industry in the plans, while seeking the additional commitments.

A joint comment letter signed by 54 local arts and cultural organizations requested that the developer underwrite a fund that pays up to $3.1 million annually for arts programs at the property including those at a waterfront amphitheater. 

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration is pressing for a firm commitment that at least 45 artist live-work units be included on-site at Related Beal’s Channelside project.
Image courtesy of KPF

The minimum percentage of income-restricted housing also has prompted debate among stakeholders, as Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration considers a new minimum threshold for all multifamily projects. Wu campaigned on a pledge to increase income-restricted units to 20 percent in new developments, and appointed an advisory committee in April to recommend changes to the existing inclusionary development policy. 

Noting that many recently-approved developments have voluntarily exceeded the current 13 percent minimum, the 249 A St. Artists’ Cooperative said in a comment letter that Channelside as a large development with 340 units currently proposed should include 25 percent income-restricted units. 

In a statement issued this week, Related Beal said it’s “continuing to work closely with the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, the BPDA and the Department of Neighborhood Development on the details” of the artist housing component. 

 Co-Op Units Sold Through Word of Mouth 

Three artist live-work communities occupy former industrial buildings in the neighborhood, including the 89-unit Midway Studios apartments at 15 Channel St., and the artist live-work cooperatives at 249 A St. and 300 Summer St. 

Units often are bought and sold through word of mouth within the artist community, said Jim Souza, a Realtor for Donnelly & Co. in Back Bay. When one does hit the multiple listing service, it generates intense interest because of the asking price, such as a 1,449-square-foot unit at 300 Summer St. that was listed recently at $256,000. 

But many potential buyers aren’t aware of the requirement that buyers be certified as artists by the Office of Arts and Culture, or that the price is low partly because of resale restrictions under the terms of a limited equity co-op. Since February, Souza fielded approximately 30 legitimate inquiries from artists and recently placed the unit under agreement. 

Dozens of local arts and cultural organizations are asking developer Related Beal to contribute up to $3.1 million a year toward operations and programming at its proposed Channelside development in Fort Point, including a waterfront amphitheater. Image courtesy of Halvorson Design Partnership

“People see there’s a 1,200-square-foot loft in Fort Point for under $300,000. Just think about that for a minute,” Souza said. “But these units are outside of the normal real estate market, and can’t really be compared to it.” 

By contrast, the artist live-work housing at Channelside would operate under a traditional rental model, in which the BPDA and developer agree upon how many units will be income-restricted, and at what tiers of income qualification per household. 

 Arts Debate Extends to Public Realm  

Stakeholders also are weighing in on decisions shaping plans for public and commercial space on the ground floors of the Channelside buildings, including arts and cultural venues. The residential building was redesigned with artist workspace to complement the second-floor housing units, according to a presentation to the IAG group, including galleries facing Fort Point Channel and the development’s park spaces.  

The proposal includes 15,000 square feet of civic and cultural space provided at free base rent, with the tenants determined following a joint selection process by developers, the city and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. 

Tom Ready, a member of the Channelside impact advisory group and Fort Point Neighborhood Association representative, said the developers should hold a public process on selection of the operators of the civic and cultural spaces before the project is approved. The civic and cultural space is required in waterfront buildings by the state’s Chapter 91 public waterfront act. 

“The IAG feels there hasn’t been enough discussion on the ground-floor uses and community benefits,” Ready said. “We’ve been asking them to run a public process on that

Steve Adams

through an RFP, and what we’ve seen in the past is that hasn’t consistently been done [in other waterfront developments].” 

The role of public arts venues is coming into focus amid preliminary plans for a public amphitheater. Related Beal is offering $2.2 million over 10 years in community benefits for arts installations, performances and other cultural attractions at the site. 

A joint comment letter signed by 54 local arts and cultural organizations requested that the developer underwrite a fund that pays up to $3.1 million annually for arts programs at the property including those at the amphitheater. 

The Boston Lyric Opera says it’s willing to operate and program the facility. 

“Arts and cultural activity have a unique ability to build community across cultures; I am confident a well-run, well-planned facility can bring a wide variety of citizens and visitors to the waterfront,” Acting General and Artistic Director Bradley Vernatter wrote.