Local developer picked to rebuild and dramatically expand South Boston housing project

The BHA has selected WinnDevelopment to completely replace the 1,000-unit Mary Ellen McCormack project and add roughly 2,000 more units to the 27-acre site that will include market-rate rentals and condominiums.

The company - no relation to the casino company - will "rebuild the site into a vibrant mixed-income community with a thoughtful design that embraces the existing residents and connects with the surrounding neighborhood," the mayor's office said in a statement.

Mary Ellen McCormack is the city's oldest public-housing project, built in the 1930s. It currently consists of 27 three- and four-story walk-up buildings.

Current residents will be offered units in other BHA developments or Section 8 vouchers during the reconstruction of the public-housing part of the project - and will be offered first dibs on the new units there.

To pay for the redevelopment of the public-housing units, Winn will build 2,000 additional units ranging from "workforce" units aimed at people making roughly the area median income to market-rate apartments and condos. The city says that all 3,000 units will be "of identical quality and integrated evenly among the newly constructed buildings."

Winn's proposal also includes "a town square, large-scale community center, branch library and neighborhood supermarket."