Brian J. Honan (BJH) Apartments is a townhouse-style complex consisting of nine buildings with 50 units of affordable housing ranging from one to three bedrooms. These buildings were developed in part thanks to help from the late City Councilor Brian J. Honan. Brian Honan served the Allston Brighton community for more than seven years as District City Councilor. Even more than that, he was a lifelong advocate for the neighborhood, and he worked tirelessly to promote affordable housing. He served as a member of the Neighborhood Housing Trust and as cochair of the Boston City Council’s Committee on Housing.

In 2002, after months of work, ABCDC purchased the former Legal Sea Foods Company Headquarters and Warehouse on 33 Everett Street in Allston. The purchase of this property allowed for the development of nine new buildings that provided 50 affordable homes for local households. ABCDC organized a groundbreaking event at the site which featured Representative Kevin Honan along with an array of local officials, ABCDC Board Members, and supportive neighbors. Thanks to his advocacy and his help, ABCDC wanted to honor Brian J. Honan by naming this housing in his memory.

BJH was constructed from 2005-2007 and is currently home to 107 residents. Residents represent a diverse community of individuals and families, students, professionals, retirees, veterans, and people with disabilities. All 50 of these apartments are deed restricted affordable and will remain so, serving households earning up to and below 60% of Area Median Income (AMI).

To improve address the required envelope repairs at the development and the energy efficiency of the property, as well as the health and safety of residents, ABCDC is currently planning a Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) at site. This DER will reduce energy usage by 62% and carbon emissions by 51%!

This project will be designed to meet the Passive House standard and seek certification. Key components of the project include the following:

• New super insulated envelope and roof and replacement of all windows
• Complete decarbonization (switching from gas to all electric)
• Installation of high-efficiency VRF air source heat pumps to provide heating and cooling
• Addition of energy recovery ventilators (ERVS) to provide fresh air to the units
• On-site renewable energy source via rooftop photovoltaic solar panels

This is a groundbreaking, shovel-ready rehab project that has already secured support from the City of Boston, Department of Energy Resources (DOER), Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). This project was the very first recipient of the city’s new decarbonization fund, securing $1,500,000 from the City of Boston in January 2023. In July 2024, DOER awarded a $2,000,000 grant to the project, announcing it with a press event held on site. In addition, the project has the backing of RMI, which confirmed the property’s suitability for a DER and admitted the project into its REALIZE-MA 1000 Apartments Challenge. LISC Massachusetts awarded the project with a technical assistance grant to cover 100% of the costs of energy consulting services by New Ecology and in February of 2025 the State of Massachusetts awarded ABCDC access to Low Income Housing Tax Credits and other soft debt that will help make this project possible.

The DER at BJH is one of the most ambitious, 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 later this year!