Boston Housing Authority Breaks Ground on Final 123-Unit Phase at Orient Heights

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston Housing Authority breaks ground on the third and final phase of the Orient Heights redevelopment in East Boston, adding 123 apartments. Mayor Kim Janey cited an $18 million city investment in the project, which will bring the fully rebuilt community to 331 units and make Orient Heights the largest public housing development in East Boston. Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Keneally used his remarks to press the legislature to approve Governor Baker's proposal to spend approximately $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds on housing, split between homeownership and affordable rental production, noting that the state had already invested $1.4 billion over the prior six years to create 20,000 affordable units. Senator Joe Boncore cited a $1.8 billion state housing bond bill he helped pass as "the largest investment in housing not just as states has ever made, but across the entire country." The ceremony also inaugurated the Carol R. Johnson Community Room, named for the late Orient Heights tenant organization president whose advocacy helped shape all three phases of the redevelopment.