We are seeking development partners for two vacant City-owned parcels of land (379 Geneva Avenue in Dorchester and 569 River Street in Mattapan) to support experimentation with innovative models of infill housing development to address Boston’s unmet need for “missing middle” for-sale housing (6 to 15 units) through the use of innovative design, construction methods, and/or materials. Applicants may apply for one or both of the parcels identified in this RFP.

In exchange for providing a favorable purchase price for the land identified in this RFP, and in the spirit of learning and collaboration, selected development teams will be expected to execute an agreement with the City wherein the development team will agree to provide detailed information about development and materials costs to help inform our understanding of the extent to which advanced/offsite construction methods hold promise in reducing the cost and/or time to construct new housing while delivering a high-quality product. 

The Large Building Green Energy Retrofits Program (“Retrofits Program”) has been created to support Deep Energy Retrofits (DERs), measures that will significantly reduce the energy consumption and the carbon emissions footprint of Boston’s existing affordable housing. The program will help enable the owners of affordable housing buildings across the city to improve health, safety, and comfort for those residents, while also helping to move Boston closer to its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by the year 2050. The Retrofits Program is funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars that were allocated for this purpose under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu and authorized by the City Council in July 2022.

For the purposes of this Request for Proposals, a Deep Energy Retrofit is defined as a scope of work that combines envelope improvements, energy efficiency measures, systems upgrades, and/or the incorporation of on-site renewable energy generation to successfully reduce energy consumption by at least 50% relative to a baseline established prior to any alterations being made. While the elimination of embodied and operational carbon emissions, or decarbonization, is not a requirement of this program, this is a vitally important long-term goal. It is expected that the DER will include improvements to (or the addition of) ventilation systems to ensure appropriate indoor air quality.