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Boston-based Leggat McCall Properties has broken ground on The Smith, which will add 650 residential units in Boston’s South End as part of a continuing multifamily and commercial development boom.
The joint venture with Bentall Kennedy will include nearly 77,000 square feet of office space and nearly 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and cultural space.
Developers acquired the six parcels spanning over 3 acres on Harrison Avenue and Albany East Canton and East Dedham streets from Boston Medical Center in 2015. They originally proposed a pair of 19- and 11-story apartment buildings, but revised the plans by reducing the maximum height to 120 feet and adding a 5-story addition to the existing 575 Albany St. building.
The Boston Planning and Development Agency has approved over 2,700 new residential units in South End since January 2014, more than any neighborhood in the city other than South Boston.
Previously known as the Harrison-Albany block, “The Smith” name reflects the industrial history of the fast-growing portion of South End located across the Massachusetts Turnpike from downtown, according to developers.
“The Smith is in a clear path of growth leading from Boston’s Financial District, and the recent announcements of planned developments in the neighborhood validate our early confidence in this location,” David Antonelli, executive vice president of Bentall Kennedy, said in a statement.
There are currently six projects under construction in South End totaling nearly $500 million, according to BPDA data.
