We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded $2.5M through the State Climate Ready Housing Grant to support the Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) at Brian J. Honan Apartments!
This award was one of seven Boston affordable housing projects that received funding to advance electrification and DERs. The Climate Ready Housing Grant is administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Mass Housing. This program supports “affordable housing properties statewide in reducing energy use, improving resilience, and contributing to the Commonwealth’s net-zero emissions goals.”
BJH Apartments is a townhouse-style complex consisting of nine buildings with 50 units of deeply affordable housing ranging from one-to three-bedroom apartments. In 2002, with help from the late City Councilor Brian J. Honan, ABCDC purchased the former Legal Sea Foods Company Headquarters and Warehouse at 33 Everett Street in Allston which became the site for this development. Current1y 109 residents call this property home.
ABCDC is working with project partners and funders to start construction on a DER at this site in December of 2025. This DER will reduce energy usage by 62% and carbon emissions by 51%. This building will be “wrapped” with a new high-performance thermal envelope and will have all existing gas-fired HVAC and domestic hot water systems replaced with new, all-electric systems. This rehab will not only drastically reduce energy usage at the property but will also improve the health and comfortability of all residents.
“We are extremely grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for the commitment to furthering climate-ready, affordable housing,” said ABCDC’s Director of Real Estate, Caitlin Robillad. “Not only does this award allow us to reduce our environmental impact, but more sustainable homes mean healthier homes for our residents. This CRH award is a pivotal piece of support for this groundbreaking, shovel-ready rehab project.”
The DER at BJH is one of the most green, sustainable, and climate-resilient affordable housing preservation projects in the City of Boston and we are looking forward to starting construction at the site by the end of 2025. Stay tuned for more updates and photos once construction begins!
