25 Sixth Street Chelsea
LOCATION: Chelsea, MA
SIZE:62 units
COMPLETED: 2022
ARCHITECT / DESIGNER: Utile
CPHC: Jeff Geisinger
Located near the heart of downtown Chelsea, 25 Sixth Street is a 62-unit, transit-oriented project for The Neighborhood Developers that will be built on a previously developed site adjacent to the newly constructed MBTA Silver Line station near Bellingham Square. Residents will also have easy access to Route 1, the Newburyport/ Rockport Commuter Rail, and local buses. The project will provide 56 one, two, and three bedroom rental apartments from 30-100% AMI, which will be dedicated to meeting the housing needs of current Chelsea residents and workers. Additionally, the project will include six owner-occupied, two-story, condominiums at 80-120% AMI, each with a distinct entrance along Sixth St.
The project enhances the neighborhood through resilient design tactics, key site improvements, and public engagement. Strategically placed planting beds create buffers that screen raised condominium entry stoops on Sixth Street. Meanwhile, a walkway along the east edge of the site promotes pedestrian connections between Bellingham Square and the Silver Line. In addition, bicycle and pedestrian plazas in the northeast and northwest corners open the site up to the public. The project includes storage for 62 bicycles and 40 off-street parking spaces tucked below a generous occupiable roof deck courtyard, creating an opportunity for residents and the community to gather outdoors.
25 Sixth Street is pursuing certification under the PHIUS+ 2018 Passive House standard as well as the Mass Save Multifamily Passive House Incentive Program. The design process involves integrated energy modeling to facilitate a robust thermal envelope, uninterrupted air barrier, and high performance glazing that works to minimize energy loss and better control heating and cooling loads. The building’s mechanical equipment includes centralized energy recovery ventilation and cold-climate VRF heat pump systems. Additionally, the building will be made solar ready for future inclusion of photovoltaic arrays to cover a portion of the building’s electrical load.
