From Car Wash to Community: 247 Hancock Brings New Homes to Dorchester

In Dorchester’s Glover’s Corner, an old car wash is making way for something much bigger. At 247 Hancock Street, developers Arx Urban and Boston Communities, with RODE Architects and H+O Structural Engineering, are bringing to life a six-story, 47 home multifamily community mixing affordability, design quality, and sustainability. For architects, developers, and contractors, this is the kind of project demonstrating how smart collaboration can change a neighborhood.

Financing the Future of Affordable Housing

Every project needs a solid foundation—and not just in concrete. This summer, the team closed on a $44.8 million financing package with M&T Bank and M&T RCC. It’s the type of whole-capital-stack solution making complicated projects possible:

• $6.34M Freddie Mac Loan – led by Matt Newton at M&T RCC
• $19.17M Construction Loan – led by Daniel Feyock at M&T Bank
• $19.29M Tax Credit Equity – structured by Robert Nichols at M&T Bank

With the funding secured and demolition complete, crews are now putting shovels in the ground.

What 47 New Homes Will Offer

The program includes 47 apartments, and 35 are affordable homes, with 15 supported by project-based vouchers. Units range from studios to three-bedrooms, serving households between 30% and 100% AMI. This is a big win for housing advocates and for the neighborhood.

Designers and builders will appreciate the details: a fitness room, resident lounge, rooftop deck, landscaped open space, plus a balance of 18 parking spaces and 57 bike spaces. For a transit-oriented site near the Savin Hill MBTA station, that’s a smart mobility mix.

Building Green, Living Smart

247 Hancock isn’t just another set of apartments—it’s built for the future. The project will meet Enterprise Green certification, is solar-ready, and targets net-zero emissions. The high-performance envelope and all-electric systems mean lower energy bills for residents and a lighter load on the grid. For developers and contractors, it’s proof sustainable design is no longer an add-on; it’s the baseline.

From Car Wash to Community Asset

The project reflects the city’s push for more affordable housing while giving Meetinghouse Hill and Jones Hill a community anchor. Instead of a site for cars, it’s a site for people—and for architects and builders, it’s a reminder of how thoughtful infill can completely shift the story of a block.

What’s Next on the Timeline

Construction is already moving forward, with financing secured and demolition wrapped up in the summer of 2025. Over the course of 2026, the building will take shape as the structure rises, the exterior comes together, and the amenities are built out. By early 2027, the vision becomes reality as families move in and Boston welcomes 47 new homes.

Have an affordable housing development in design? Try H+O’s risk-free peer review of the structure costs behind your building’s design. You owe $0 unless we help you save $100,000 or more. We’ve helped customers just like you identify $500k, $800k and even $2M in cost saving opportunities. Contact us today.

Stay tuned as 247 Hancock rises— more sustainable housing is just around the corner.