BOSTON – Tuesday, April 28, 2026 - Mayor Michelle Wu today joined the Charlestown Resident Alliance, the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), Leggat McCall Properties, and Joseph J. Corcoran Company to celebrate the start of construction of the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment’s second new apartment building (Building F). The building is a 9-story, 266-unit mixed-income building of 208 market-rate and 58 deeply affordable units located in Boston’s historic Charlestown neighborhood.
The building is a part of the first phase of a large-scale master plan to redevelop the entire Bunker Hill public housing community over the next decade, creating a total of 2,699 units of housing and replacing every existing public housing unit with a deeply-affordable replacement unit while also adding new market-rate homes to the Charlestown neighborhood. In addition to the sponsorship of Leggat McCall Properties and Joseph J. Corcoran Company, the capital required is being provided through the City of Boston’s Housing Accelerator Fund (equity), with a construction loan (debt) from the Cottonwood Group.
“We’re thrilled to use the Housing Accelerator Fund, Boston’s first ever municipal revolving loan fund for housing production, to jumpstart 266 new homes,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “As we work to tackle the housing crisis and strengthen communities, this City-backed partnership to build a mixed-income housing development with majority public ownership will reshape what’s possible in Boston and beyond.”
The Housing Accelerator Fund, created by Mayor Wu is a revolving fund administered by the Boston Housing Authority that will invest in mixed-income housing development by both public and private entities, a pioneering model to address the Commonwealth’s housing crisis. Accelerator equity accepts a below-market return in order to complete financing in today’s difficult capital market environment, but the financial returns on these investments will ultimately revolve back to the fund, thereby allowing the Boston Housing Authority to invest those returns into further future housing development, including deeply affordable replacement units for public housing.
“Housing is essential for our communities. This project proves that the public can take a bold, creative approach to get this essential public good built even under today’s challenging private market conditions,” said Kenzie Bok, Administrator and CEO of the Boston Housing Authority. “Today we’re celebrating breaking ground on a building which will not only provide 266 new homes, 58 of them for our public housing families, but will allow us to re-invest in future homes across the city for years to come. The BHA is grateful to the City, our private partners at Leggat McCall, Corcoran, and Cottonwood, the resident leadership of the Charlestown Resident Alliance, our labor partners at the Trades and the Carpenters, and so many other supporters for launching a new approach to building homes in Boston.”
“Ingenuity will continue to drive our development approach as we question and redefine conventional design, construction, and financing methodologies,” said Adelaide Grady, Executive Director of the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment and Senior Vice President & Partner, Leggat McCall Properties. “This mindset has enabled us to successfully leverage mass timber in our first building to improve the quality and speed of design and construction, while reducing life cycle emissions.”
“Innovative financial structuring is core to how we operate. When the opportunity arose to partner with the City of Boston on a new approach to affordable housing through our Labor & Housing Initiative, we did not hesitate to step in with impact-driven capital that also supports 100 percent union labor and prevailing wage practices,” said Alexander Shing, CEO of Cottonwood Group. “This public-private partnership is a strong example of what is possible when municipal, financial and development partners align to deliver meaningful community impact while upholding high labor standards.”
Utilizing an innovative construction approach of MassTimber/Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and pre-fabricated interior and exterior wall systems, the new Passive-House certified $176.2 million building will be constructed in 18 months. The first phase, including the completed first building of the redevelopment project, the “Stellata”, was enabled by a $30M infrastructure grant from the City. The “Stellata”, an all-affordable building, delivered 102-units in six-stories in January 2025 and is now fully occupied.
“I am thrilled to celebrate the groundbreaking of the second building in the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment in Charlestown. This is a momentous milestone for Boston, helping ensure residents have access to safe, dignified, and affordable housing while expanding our city’s housing stock,” said City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata. “I want to thank BHA residents and the Charlestown Resident Alliance, whose years of advocacy have been instrumental in moving this project forward. Thank you to Mayor Wu for her leadership and commitment to this critical investment.”
“I’m happy to be here today as we break ground on this historic second phase of the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment,” said State Representative Daniel Ryan. “This state of the art building will continue our neighborhood vision of providing modern mixed income living space on public lands. While the world is scratching their heads trying to address the high costs of living, here in Charlestown, we are working together to innovate and create new opportunities to address the national housing crisis for our current resident and this future resident who choose to make our neighborhood their home. Thank you to Mayor Wu, The BHA and Resident Alliance as well as The Corcoran Company and Leggat-McCall for your vision and perseverance.”
"It is great to see the groundbreaking for this second Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment building that will create beautiful homes for hundreds of families looking for affordable and market rate housing," said State Senator Sal DiDomenico. "I am proud to support this transformative development that will preserve existing public housing, create mixed income housing, and build a new community of people who will get to enjoy our vibrant neighborhoods together."
The public housing tenant organization, the Charlestown Resident Alliance (CRA), has been at the center of planning and implementation for this project over the course of the last decade, with the CRA, BHA, and Leggat McCall sharing decision-making authority in a contractual “tri-party” arrangement.
“We are excited to see this reimagined community moving forward for all our Bunker Hill residents,” said Karla Wert, President of the Charlestown Resident Alliance. “New homes will bring a fresh start and outlook to many families and benefit Charlestown for generations to come.”
Over the course of the project, the redevelopment is expected to create approximately 1,785 jobs, including 185 permanent retail and property management jobs. The tri-party team, in partnership with YouthBuild Boston, will continue a paid summer internship program for high school students to explore careers in real estate, architecture, and construction. The project will also continue to support Building Pathways, a longstanding pre-apprenticeship partnership of the BHA with the Boston Building Trades.
Site preparation has been ongoing with foundation completion and vertical construction to move quickly in the coming weeks. Leggat McCall Properties will lead permitting and oversight of the construction effort with Suffolk Construction of Boston serving as general contractor and Stantec as architect of the project. The construction will also proceed under a Project Labor Agreement in partnership with the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and the Boston Metro Building Trades Council, with significant goals for participation from low-income residents and Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs).
About the Boston Housing Authority
Boston Housing Authority provides quality affordable housing for low-income families and individuals through the public housing and Section 8 rental assistance programs. BHA fosters vital communities that are essential to Boston’s economic diversity and way of life. As the largest housing provider in Boston, BHA brings stability, opportunity, and peace of mind not only to the thousands of low-income families it supports, but to the city as a whole. Learn more at www.bostonhousing.org.
About the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment Project
Built in 1940 as federal public housing, the Bunker Hill redevelopment project brings new investment and revitalization to the community. Through a public-private partnership between the Boston Housing Authority, Leggat McCall Properties, Joseph J. Corcoran Company, and Declaration Partners, over the next decade the existing 42 buildings will be replaced with 15 new residential buildings, retail and community space, as well as green spaces and connections to the surrounding community. All 1,110 existing public housing units will be replaced with deeply affordable units, with 1,010 units built onsite and 100 to be built offsite in Charlestown in partnership with BHA and the City of Boston. All Charlestown families who are relocated will have the right to return to a new affordable unit on site. The redevelopment of the Bunker Hill public housing community is the result of a resident-driven process over the course of the last ten years.