Housing development proposed next to Fenway’s Orthodox Cathedral

Transom Real Estate and Harbor Run Development have proposed a 115-unit condo and apartment development abutting the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.The Architectural Team Inc.

Real estate development firms Transom Real Estate and Harbor Run Development are moving forward with a proposal to build a 115-unit housing project behind the Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood.

The proposed project includes two seven-story buildings, with 48 income-restricted condominiums and 67 market-rate apartments, at 165 Park Dr. across from the Back Bay Fens.

Holy Trinity will continue to operate at its current location, with the seven-story buildings arranged in a U-shape behind the facility “to allow the Cathedral to maintain its iconic stature,” according to a December filing to the Boston Planning & Development Agency. A virtual public meeting for the proposed project is scheduled for Jan. 12, and the public comment period ends Jan. 20.

The cathedral is allowing the developers to use a portion of its property for affordable housing. The overall project is “subsidized by a major contribution from Samuels & Associates,” according to a release, as part of the developer’s mitigation for its proposed 553,000-square-foot laboratory at the site of the nearby Star Market grocery store at 1400 Boylston St. (The Star Market is relocating to the base of an under-construction lab at 401 Park, a facility Samuels and Alexandria Real Estate Equities are jointly building.)

“While affordable homeownership units are very important to the community, they are particularly challenging to finance because of the gap between development costs and affordable sale prices,” the BPDA filing states.

If approved, the 48 condos will range in size from studios to three-bedroom units, with some affordable to residents earning 80 percent of the area median income — currently $112,150 for a family of four. Construction is expected to begin in early 2024 and wrap up by the end of 2025.

“Fenway is our parish home, and providing significant affordable housing opportunities in the Fenway neighborhood has become part of the core of Holy Trinity’s mission. I am excited to continue the work started by Father Robert Arida, our past Cathedral Dean, and other members of the parish,” said Rev. Theophan Whitfield, acting dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, in a statement.