Developer Plans Gay/Lesbian Retirement Project in Fenway Area

BOSTON-A local developer expects to break ground next year on the city's first retirement community designed specifically for gays and lesbians. David M. Aronstein, head of Stonewall Communities, tells GlobeSt.com that the project will be done in partnership with Abbot Real Estate Development. It will bring 66 one- andtwo-bedroom condominium units along with a wellness and fitness center, community dining room, and 54 parking spaces to a parcel of land near Fenway Park within the next year.

If all goes according to plan, the multimillion-dollar Miner Street project, could become one of the first such developments in the Northeast and only the third in the country. A similar project is expected to get under way later this year in Easthampton, where adevelopment team is planning to convert a four-story 1800s mill building into 100 condominium units targeting the gay, lesbian and transgender communities.

Aronstein says the Stonewall project will be different, however, because it will be the first urban development designed to handle the needs of aging gay and lesbian baby boomers. "What's striking to me is this is a really groundbreaking kind of thing for Boston. There is no other urban condominium development targeted to older gay and lesbians anywhere in the US. As in many things, Boston is leading the way."

Aronstein says the concept grew out of a feasibility study conducted several years ago which showed that gays and lesbians felt more comfortable in an urban setting with easy transportation access to city amenities. The Stonewall development is located a short distance from the MBTA Greenline, the Longwood Medical Center area and nearby shopping. Although no cost on the condominium units have yet been set, 15 buyers have already put deposits down. He expects the first residents will move into the building in the spring of 2008.