Rendering by Arrowstreet.
Redgate and the New England Casket Co. have filed plans for a two-building, 220-unit apartment complex at 1141 Bennington St., where the company made caskets until an eight-alarm fire in 2019.
In the filing, the developers say the 1.86-acre proposal would also have a cafe, deck and plaza overlooking the neighboring Belle Isle Marsh, along with new pedestrian and bicycle paths. It would also have a fenced dog run for residents, in part to try to keep their pets from running amok in the ecologically sensitive marsh, which they say is the last salt-water marsh in Boston.
Some 31 of the units would be rented as affordable, with 29 rented to people making no more than 70% of the Boston area median income and two to people making no more than 100% of them.
The buildings would have just two natural-gas hookups, one for the proposed cafe and another for a possible emergency generator; otherwise, all the units will be heated and cooled through electric-based systems and will have all-electric appliances. The roof would have room for solar panels.
Some 121 parking spaces will be built.
The filing describes the external design:
The undulation of the building façade incorporates private terraces, porches and balconies for residents, another nod to the surrounding residential context. Throughout the afternoon, the changes in depth of the elevation provide a dynamic play of shadow and light, visible from the neighborhood of Orient Heights, across Bennington Street. To add another level of dimension and play, projected metal fins will cast shadows across the façade to mimic birds in flight. The multiple scales of shadow play will also appear differently dependent on perspective and speed of travel. Views of the Bennington Street building elevation are visible not only from the neighboring homes on the hill of Orient Heights, but also from cars passing by on Bennington, pedestrians on street level and passengers on the MBTA Blue Line. The Proponent envisions a unique experience for each user through their individual lenses.