Overlook Terrace at Orient Heights is a Boston Housing Authority multi-family housing development with 331 units in East Boston. Originally built in 1951, the affordable housing development was redeveloped in three phases to include new rowhouses and mid-rise buildings in addition to gut-renovated townhouses. The 15-acre development contains new public space, a community center, and a management office. There is a total of 265 vehicle and 330 bicycle parking spaces. Nitsch provided land surveying, civil engineering, transportation engineering, and structural engineering services for this project.
Our scope included full site development redesign of the private sites and the public roadways. This included roadway reconstruction using complete streets design; redesign of an existing cul-de-sac to meet current standards; realigning of a roadway intersection to provide better pedestrian and vehicular safety; all onsite vehicular parking layout and grading; design of private site stormwater management and infiltration systems; grounding of overhead wiring for electrical and telecommunications systems including removal of utility poles; design of new public sewers, drainage structures, and water mains; design of new street lighting and street trees, and rehabilitation of existing public infrastructure. Nitsch’s design balanced wider streets and wider sidewalks, which are safer for pedestrians and drivers alike, with an overall increase of permeable surfaces, which aids in stormwater management and helps keep the site sustainable.
Nitsch also prepared the Transportation Access Plan Agreement and the Construction Management Plan as required by the Boston Transportation Department and in close coordination with the general contractor.
The third and final phase of construction was completed in 2023.
Key Collaborators
Owner: Boston Housing Authority
Developer: Trinity Financial
Architect: Icon Architecture
