Development

Commercial - 68 Room Hotel Site

     88 North Washington Street is an approved 14-story, 68-room hotel site in Boston’s West End. BREC purchased the site from the previous owner in May of 2021 with the goal of aligning the project with the City's Green Building and Climate Change Resiliency Initiative. Monte French Design Studio was brought in to modify the design to a 12-story, 31 suite mass timber hotel built using state-of-the-art passive house building practices to drastically reduce environmental impact. 

     The Project's passive building features, in concert with the use of cross-laminated mass timber, will allow for unique, high-quality interior spaces that require 75% less energy to operate than standard construction. Total room count is being reduced from 68 micro hotel rooms to 31 suites in order to embrace the open layouts that mass timber construction affords while responding to increased traveler demand for larger, more flexible rooms.

Under-construction: Residential - 34 rental apartments

     11 E. Lenox Street is the 5th building BREC has developed on the block between Newcomb Street and East Lenox Street, and the first to pursue passive house certification. The new building will be situated on an infill lot and feature 34 residential apartments, including four onsite income-restricted units. The project abandons standard podium-style construction and carbon-intensive building materials through its use of cross-laminated-timber (CLT) structural members and floor assemblies. The result is an environmentally conscious, highly efficient building that takes less time to build, with units that are more attractive and safer.  

     The project received approval from the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards in September 2020 and was approved by the Boston Planning and Development Agency on December 17th, 2020. It was also approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals on January 26, 2021. Construction began June 2021, with completion slated for Late Summer/Fall 2022.

Proposed: Co-Living Residential and Mixed Community Commercial

     1127 Harrison Avenue, once home to the Berwick Cake Company, was purchased in January of 2019. Due to the property’s prominent central location along the Washington Street Corridor and its cultural significance, it is an important piece in the continued revitalization and preservation of Nubian Square.

     The property is home to a variety of authentic local merchants and food shops. Understanding the significance of the property to the Nubian Square and the Lower Roxbury community, BREC's vision will create high-quality, mixed-income housing opportunities, and preserve community commercial space. 

     Preliminary project plans have been submitted to the Boston Planning and Development Agency for review.

Residential - 28 Rental Apartments

     BREC Development, in a joint venture with Urban Core Development LLC, purchased and developed the Empire Insurance Lot located at 1065 Tremont Street in September 2014.  Located within a short walk of the Orange Line and Northeastern University, the project was completed in April 2016, delivering 16 new rental units and one commercial space. 

    The addition to the existing mixed-use building consists of 24 market rate, and four income-restricted residential rental units.

     Through extensive coordination by BREC, Haycon and Monte French Design Studio, the development team was able to keep Phase I occupied during the construction of Phase II. The project, totaling approximately 31,500 square feet, was completed Summer 2019.

Residential - 14 Rental Apartments

     BREC Development, in a joint venture with Urban Core Development LLC, purchased and re-developed the 4-story building located at 11 Newcomb Street, formally owned and occupied by Teen Challenge, New England.

     Located along the Washington Street corridor bordering the South End, this brick building consists of nearly 18,000 square feet and has been redeveloped into 14 residential market rate rental units. Construction began in December 2014 and the units were delivered in January 2016. The project contains a mix of 1-3 bedroom units to fit a variety of tenants. There are 15 assigned parking spaces next to the building for residents.  Consistent with BREC Development long term strategy, the project has been successfully retained as a rental project by our principals.

Mixed-use - 7 Apartments, 2 Townhouses and Offices

     BREC, in a joint venture with Urban Core Development LLC, purchased and re-developed 1902-1904 Washington Street, the former home of Suffolk Pawn Brokers.  Located adjacent to our 11 Newcomb Street development, and abandoned for more than 15 years, this corner building was an eyesore for the neighborhood. The building was almost beyond repair; a fire had forced the top story to be removed some 30 years ago and much of the internal structure was compromised.  Working in conjunction with Boston Landmarks and the Massachusetts State Housing Preservation Organization, we went out of our way to retain and restore as much of the historic fabric of the original buildings as possible.

​     Sitting along the gateway that connects the South End to Dudley Square, these buildings are special to us for another reason - they are home to the offices of the BREC family of companies.  In addition to BREC's office space, the buildings have nine residential units containing a mix of 1-4 bedroom units.

Residential

     Join us as Ttoren sets the new standard of living in Allston. We've blended innovative building techniques with naturally inspired design to cultivate a true environmentally friendly living experience. Enjoy amenities designed to make your life easier like accessible bike storage and electric vehicle charging stations. Experience our cost-saving and eco-conscious features that ensure your living space stays quiet, comfortable, and sustainable. Our top-of-the-line units are built to let the light in and keep the air quality fresh. Ttoren. Designed for sustainable living.

Residential - 6 Apartments

     BREC purchased this property in April 2012 after the previous owner, whose family had owned the building since the 1920’s, sought out BREC with an interest in selling the property. Though BREC’s primary focus is multi-family residential, and this property had a commercial component, BREC had a keen interest in acquiring off-market A+ property.

     On a street where building valuations are driven mostly by commercial uses and after early discussions with the seller, BREC realized that in order to meet the value expectations of the seller it needed to assign a higher value to the commercial space, which BREC could only accomplish by bringing on an institutional partner to purchase the retail units. Although BREC seeks outright ownership in its property interests, it had to think outside-the-box to end up with these six highly desirable units on Newbury Street. BREC drew on one of its local relationships with a retail-focused investor to structure a deal that allowed it to acquire what other multi-family focused developers may have written off as too complicated.

     In January 2012, the renovation of the residential units at Newbury Street was completed and six furnished rental units were brought to market.

Residential - 9 Apartments

     94 Charles Street (formerly the Charles Street Inn) hit the market for sale in Spring of 2012. Configured as a hotel, and having been operated that way for 10+ years, the path to get to the highest and best use as a residential apartment building would be complicated and time consuming, and so the property sat on the market for over 5 months. Utilizing its experience navigating the City's entitlement process, BREC was able to take an out-of-the-box approach and reach an agreement with the Sellers that gave them a path to a sale and BREC time to obtain the permits to convert the nine-room hotel to a nine-unit apartment building. BREC worked with the Beacon Hill Civic Association to earn support for the zoning variances it needed to pull permits. Come April 2013, with permits in hand, BREC purchased the property and began a six-month renovation. Upon completion of the renovation in Fall 2013, nine, short-term furnished rentals were delivered to meet the needs of the City's hospitals, businesses and educational institutions.

Commercial - Hotel

     Prentiss House, formerly the Mary Prentiss Inn, boasts a fascinating history dating back to the 1800s and has undergone many transformations over the years leading up to its rebirth in 2022. Occupying a two-story, 13,549 square-foot Greek-revival style mansion built in 1840, the hotel resides in a quiet residential street in the Baldwin neighborhood of central Cambridge, just a short walk to Harvard Square. The hotel was originally a wedding present built and designed by a notable architect, William A. Saunders, as a gift to his son, William, and his wife, Mary Prentiss. The hotel had been a long-time home to the Saunderses and Taylor family, as well as a hostelry and nursing home. In December of 1991, a local artist, Charlotte Forsythe bought the home and began the journey of transforming the home into the Mary Prentiss Inn. BREC LLC, a Boston-based development company, purchased the inn in 2021 to update the property and room layouts to improve the guest experience while maintaining the quaint and private nature of the former inn. To this day, Prentiss House remains on the National Registry of Historic Places and is recognized as a landmark by the Cambridge Historical Commission.