2024
Restoring residential use to a 3.87-acre site formerly occupied by Newbury College, Balfour at Brookline will create a new senior living community, with a main building composed as a series of smaller volumes that step down with the natural topography and in relation to neighboring houses, along with a repurposed historic house. The new building will create two courtyards facing Holland Road and Fisher Avenue, preserving mature street trees. At the center of the project's northern courtyard, the existing Mitton House will be restored to provide independent living units with access from the central piazza and weather-protected parking. Surface parking, landscaped buffer zones, and the eastern courtyard will maximize separation from neighbors on the eastern and southern edges of the project.
Together the new building and the repurposed Mitton House will provide approximately 190,000 square feet for 160 residential units: approximately 80 independent living, 40 assisted living, and 40 memory care. Services for each unit type will include dining, housekeeping, and structured activities, each at different levels commensurate with the needs of the residents. Amenities will include, a lounge, a salon, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a library, an upper-floor sky bar, and a large central dining room with an adjacent great room.
The new building's massing and architectural expression draw on the rich architectural traditions of the surrounding residential neighborhood. In addition to varied building heights, gambrel and hipped roofs reduce the new building's apparent size; one- and two-story porches create pedestrian scale as the building meets the ground. Symmetrical window groupings mark the center of the facades while vertical bays give a midscale reading. Landscape amenities will include stone walls, bioswales, a contemplative garden, native plantings, and the preservation of existing mature trees along the streets. The landscape will mitigate stormwater runoff and reduce water usage from irrigation. The project will focus on sustainability, employing both Passive House and WELL strategies and targeting LEED-Gold certification.
