The Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) has slightly shrunk its proposed dorm at 525 Huntington Ave.
The revised dorm tower would still be seven stories tall, but would have less square-footage and more sidewalk space around the building by as much as four feet, the university announced during a Sept. 1 community task force meeting. The dorm is currently proposed to stand 84 feet high and house 305 beds.
“We’re committed to housing as many of our students as possible,” WIT Dean of Students Annamaria Wenner said.
This dorm, planned for a triangular plot between Huntington Avenue and Louis Prang and Vancouver streets, is targeted at third- through fifth-year students, who are not required to live on-campus, IMP consultant Dick Towle said. The plot is currently a small temporary park owned by WIT.
WIT wants to be able to house 97 percent of students that would seek local housing, Towle added.
Most of the rooms in the 72 units would be singles, with only 26 percent being double-occupancy. Most of the four-bedrooms would be around 1,000 square feet, and all would have two bathrooms and a kitchen.
The dorm is expected to be priced 20 to 25 percent lower than market-rate housing in the neighborhood, creating further incentives for upper-classmen and their parents to favor on-campus housing.
The dorm is also expected to have bicycle storage on the ground floor. Students would move in and out through the rear access on Vancouver Street.
The primary complaint came from three neighbors on Vancouver Street, who said they feel the height of the building would block too much light from reaching the street.
The project update has been filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). The comment period is open through Nov. 12. Comments can be submitted to BRA project manager Katelyn Sullivan at 617-918-4425 or [email protected].