$30M Project to Turn Charlestown YMCA Building Into 100 Affordable Housing Units

Plans to convert the building occupied by the Charlestown YMCA into 100 units of affordable apartments have been greenlighted by the city.

The YMCA of Greater Boston leases the ground floor of 150 Third Ave. in the Charlestown Navy Yard. The “Independence at Charlestown Navy Yard” project from the Archdiocese of Boston and St. Francis House was approved by the Boston Planning and Development Agency in December 2023. This project involves renovating the structure's 78,000 square feet of the building to convert 147 of the existing hotel-style rooms at the property into 100 permanent affordable units. 

A permit for the project, estimated at $30 million, was issued on July 23, according to records from the city.

According to a Boston.com report, the new apartments — consisting of studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms — will be leased to individuals earning less than 80% of the area's median income. Forty-eight of the apartments will operate on a permanent supportive housing model. This model supports people who have experienced homelessness by giving them not only an affordable unit but also individualized services to help them “live successfully in the community long term.” Project documents indicate the latter plan will focus on helping women and veterans.

Boston.com noted that the YMCA of Greater Boston will continue leasing approximately 17,712 square feet of the building to operate the Charlestown facility with expanded services programming, including child care and a new fitness center. 

Several Charlestown residents filed a lawsuit to stop the project last year, claiming that the project's proposal violated their First Amendment rights and that it could cause “significant adverse harms” if allowed to proceed. The case was dismissed, per records in Suffolk Superior Court.