BOSTON-BASED LEGGAT MC-CALL Properties is giving new meaning to the expression “home sweet home.” That's because the developer is transforming a former candy factory into One First, a mixed-used project with condos as well as commercial and retail space.
“The prior use was [the New England Confectionery Co.] candy factory,” says senior project manager John Soininen. The company decided to close two separate factories and relocate to one facility in the northern part of the state, he says.
Covering almost an entire city block, phase one of the project will include five buildings clustered around a gated courtyard with one level of parking below grade. It will include 196 residential condos and four commercial condos ranging in size from 700 square feet to 2,500 square feet and priced from $400,000 to $1.5 million.
The company says that the project will blend adaptive reuse with new construction. The plan calls for the developer to gut and rebuild two existing structures with the addition of two new buildings and a fifth structure consisting of old and new elements. The developer will recycle one of the factory's chocolate mixers as a water feature in the courtyard.
“We are also offering residents the opportunity to prove their greenness,” Soininen says. “The project will have a [60,000-watt] photovoltaic system on the roof. So buyers can choose to purchase shares in the solar array.” One share in the system equals 400 watts of electrical production and will reduce condo fees by $70 per year. Buyers may purchase more than one share.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Boston, MA.
