A New Chapter Begins For Boston's Oldest Public Housing Development

BOSTON, MA — The Mary Ellen McCormack public housing complex was built during the Great Depression and opened in 1938, serving as Boston’s first public housing development and one of the oldest in the United States.

During a recent groundbreaking ceremony, local and state officials marked the beginning of the development's latest chapter.

The June 30 event served as the start of WinnCompanies’ effort to redevelop the community, breaking ground on the first phase of construction for the 3,300-unit mixed-income and mixed-use project.

Currently, the complex consists of 1,016 "deeply subsidized" apartments across 35 buildings.

This new redevelopment effort triggered provisions for the Mary Ellen McCormack Task Force to gain an ownership stake in all 1,016 affordable housing apartments planned for the 30-acre site. The project also features the first-ever underground geothermal heating and cooling system installed by WinnCompanies and the Boston Housing Authority, officials said.

"This is a proud moment for our partnership with Winn, the Boston Housing Authority and our elected representatives," said Carol Sullivan, executive director of the Mary Ellen McCormack Task Force. "The Task Force and the residents of this community have been preparing for this day for a long, long time. We have shaped every aspect of this first project from the playground equipment in Veterans Park to the layout of the apartments and the interior finishes. We cannot wait to see the smiles on residents’ faces when they move into their new, affordable homes."

The first apartment building of the project, known as Building A, will provide 94 "modern" apartments in a 112,000-square-foot structure for low-income families currently living at the Mary Ellen McCormack community when it is ready for occupancy in the fall of 2026, officials said.

In addition to the $62 million apartment building, construction of Building A features $8 million in public infrastructure improvements designed to strengthen climate resiliency and connect the community to surrounding South Boston neighborhoods, officials said.

It will include a new Veterans Park with an accessible tot lot and splash pad, a two-way, separated bike lane, reconfigured public streets and associated intersections with pedestrian enhancements, new street trees, planting areas and pedestrian zones.

Eventually, the redevelopment will replace all 1,106 public housing units on the site.

Officials said "all current residents in good standing have a right to return."

Existing buildings will be demolished in phases in a "complex relocation strategy choreographed to maximize existing households moving directly into new apartments," officials said.

The tenant-paid portion of the rent will not change. WinnCompanies will pay for basic utilities for affordable households. The Boston Housing Authority will retain ownership of the land to "preserve permanent affordability for low-income families" while management, ownership and maintenance of the buildings will be provided by WinnCompanies.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the project gives residents who've long been a part of the community the chance to shape its future.

"Mary Ellen McCormack has long been a cornerstone of housing equity in South Boston – a community that has anchored generations of families and helped define what public housing means in our City," said Wu. "Today, we celebrate not just the start of construction, but a historic and sustainable transformation led by and for the residents themselves."

More on Building A

Building A will be constructed to meet Passive House certification standards. In addition, the building will be 100 percent electric with a geothermal system for heating and cooling, officials said.

A network of 22 closed-loop wells, installed 800 feet beneath the building site in the last few months, will connect heat pumps in apartments and common areas. The geothermal system, combined with the building’s Passive House envelope, will achieve energy savings of 25 percent compared to the performance of typical new construction buildings.

Work on Building A is expected to create 300 construction jobs.

It will be performed under a Project Labor Agreement with significant goals for participation from local residents, low-income residents (known as Section 3 labor), and Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs).

Targets are set to direct 40 percent of construction work hours to people of color, 25 percent of work hours for Section 3 laborers and 12 percent of hours for women.

There are goals for Minority Business Enterprises to 25 percent construction contract value and Women Business Enterprises 15 percent. The project has a goal to direct 51 percent of construction work hours to City of Boston residents.

What Happens After That

Once Building A is completed, financing will be secured for, and construction will begin on, Building B, which will offer 300 mixed-income apartments, and Building C, which will offer 196 mixed-income apartments, with 172 units reserved for seniors who are 62 or older with on-site resident services and programming, officials said.

In all, eight new residential buildings will be built over the course of a decade during Phase One of the redevelopment. There will be 1,310 apartments built, replacing 529 aging public housing apartments for BHA households and creating 781 additional apartment homes for middle-income and market-rate renters.

Phase One construction will redevelop the northern 18 acres of the property, increasing open space by 73 percent with new pedestrian walking paths, bike infrastructure and gathering spaces.

In addition, 33,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space will be created for local small businesses, including a possible grocery retailer. Twenty-five percent of retail space will be offered at below-market leases.

The new community will also include a new Community Center named after former BHA Administrator Bill McGonagle and operated in partnership with the Greater Boston YMCA.

Because the site is susceptible to current and future flooding from nearby Boston Harbor, construction work will raise the grades of the property by 5 to 7 feet. All new buildings will be constructed above the 2070 projected flooding scenario projected by Climate Ready Boston.

WinnCompanies expects to begin seeking permits for Phase Two in 2026 so that the remaining 2,000 apartments and open spaces can be developed as soon as Phase One is completed, officials said.

When the entire project is completed, the Mary Ellen McCormack property will offer 1,016 units of low-income and affordable housing and 2,284 units of workforce and market-rate housing.