About Us
The Boston Redevelopment Authority has recently approved future construction on a massive new dorm building that will eventually be home to 490 Boston College students.
Screenshot via BC Student Housing Plan.
Located at 2150 Commonwealth Avenue on Lower Campus, the new building will be six stories tall and will consist of four- and six-man suites, open outdoor areas and a health services facility. Construction on the project is set to begin in the spring of 2014 and the dorm is planned to open in 2016. For current freshmen, this is an especially relevant and exciting prospect.
As of now, BC provides 85% of undergraduate student housing, which is the highest percentage of any college or university in the city of Boston. With the construction of the new dorm building, however, BC will be able to house 96 percent of its students on campus—a huge advancement for the university.
Students agree that additional, brand-spanking-new housing will be extremely beneficial to the BC community as a whole as well as the neighborhood of Brighton, which will house less students in off-campus apartments as they begin to live predominantly on campus.
“People usually have fun living off campus, but it definitely isn’t the most convenient thing,” said Annie Tenzinger, A&S ‘17. “More campus housing will be a really big improvement.”
Marty Walsh
Image via Marty Walsh/Facebook.
Although the BRA approved the project almost unanimously last week, the board’s deliberations have been slow going, as far as BC has been concerned, with Thomas Menino as mayor of Boston. The new mayoral elections, however, could potentially be game changing to the city’s relations with BC.
Mayoral candidate Marty Walsh, BC class of 2009, is expected to be an asset to the university if he is elected mayor in November. As an alumnus, he could be amenable when helping BC move toward achieving the goals of its long-term expansion and redevelopment plans. The goals include construction of new residence halls, as well as new athletic facilities. Anyone who has ever been to the Plex knows that new facilities are a must.
John Connolly
Image via John R Connolly/Facebook.
Thomas Keady, BC’s current associate vice president for government and community relations, has expressed enthusiasm for the new building projects.
“We’re very excited. This is a big step forward for us,” Keady told the Boston Globe last week.
John Connolly, a BC Law grad (’01) and Marty Walsh’s opposing mayoral candidate, has also expressed interest in improving the BRA.
Featured image via Amanda C. Ikard/Gavel Media.
Update: Walsh has not officially supported BC's expansion.
Native Massachusetts girl with an addiction to coffee in all its glorious forms. In love with cities she’s not yet visited & shamelessly obsessed with anything J. Crew. Proudly owning the term ‘basic.'
