Kaplan Completes Affordable Senior Housing Development in Boston

BOSTON – September 10, 2024 – Kaplan Construction, a WBE general contractor and construction management firm providing comprehensive building programs across Greater Boston, announced today the completion of Leyland Community, a 41,335 SF affordable senior housing development at 9 Leyland Street, Dorchester, Mass. on behalf of a partnership between Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation and Hebrew SeniorLife. Designed and built to meet Passive House and LEED Silver standards, Leyland Community features 43 units of affordable rental supportive housing and enriched services for seniors to promote healthy aging and a high quality of life.

Hebrew SeniorLife is pleased to be returning to Dorchester – the place where we began more than 100 years ago. Older adults are in serious need of affordable housing so they can age in the neighborhoods where they spent decades building lives, businesses, and families. We are honored to partner with Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation and Kaplan Construction to provide this energy-efficient, service-rich affordable housing complex to the community.
Kim BrooksExecutive vice president of senior livingHebrew SeniorLife

The new five-story development includes 41 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units, and five units are accessible to persons with mobility, hearing, and visual impairments. The building offers two multipurpose rooms for residents and community members with outdoor green space, a bike room accommodating up to 26 bikes, two laundry facilities, and a roof terrace on the fifth floor. Nine surface parking spaces, including two accessible parking spaces, and connections to surrounding amenities such as playgrounds and gardens were built for residents.

Dorchester Bay EDC is committed to developing quality affordable housing to ensure that members of our community can remain, grow, and thrive despite the current housing crisis. Through collaboration with Kaplan and Hebrew SeniorLife, we are proud to create the first senior affordable housing community in Upham's Corner, helping to ensure that seniors in our community can age in place. We were also proud of our work with Kaplan to ensure that 9 Leyland achieves Passive House certification, which will maximize energy efficiency and further efforts around environmental sustainability in a community that has been disproportionately impacted by climate change and health disparities.
Kimberly R. LyleChief executive officerDorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation

The Kaplan team worked closely with Davis Square Architects, Passive House consultant Building Evolution Corporation, and verifier CLEAResult to construct the building per the strict guidelines of Passive House. Through incremental inspection, pressurization testing, and adjustments, the building passed critical compartmentalization and airtightness testing.

Passive House is a voluntary international building standard developed by the Passive House Institute (PHI), originally in 1990 and by the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) in 2007. The Passive House Standard is composed of several strict performance requirements for new building construction. The resulting performance produces approximately a 90% reduction in heating and cooling energy usage and up to a 75% reduction in primary energy usage compared to homes built to conventional building codes. Passive House significantly reduces the carbon footprint while making a comfortable, healthy, and affordable environment.

Leyland Community will provide seniors with an energy-efficient and amenity-rich residence at an equitable cost. We are very proud of this project and the impact it will have on senior residents in the community, as well as the environment.
Nathan PeckPresidentKaplan Construction

The project reflected Kaplan’s lifelong commitment to affordable housing as well as its dedication to social causes, and they subcontracted with 30% Minority Business Enterprises (MBE) and 13% Women Business Enterprises (WBE). The team also worked to meet various hiring goals set by the City of Boston, achieving 80% minority worker hours.

The project team members for Leyland Community include:

Developer: Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation
Management Agent: Hebrew SeniorLife
Owner’s Representative: HTP-CS2C/NE
Construction Manager: Kaplan Construction
Architect: Davis Square Architects
MEP/FP Engineer: Petersen Engineering
Civil Engineer: Meridian Associates
Structural Engineer: RSE Associates
Landscape Architect: Deborah Myers Landscape Architects

11:32 am , October 14, 2024