A rendering shows a proposed new apartment building along Dorchester Avenue on the campus of The Boston Home. Image courtesy TBH

The Boston Home, which provides specialized clinical care and residential services for adults with progressive neurological diseases, primarily advanced multiple sclerosis (MS), wants to build an apartment building on its property at the intersection of Dorchester Avenue and Gallivan Boulevard that will serve a separate purpose: accommodate people with MS and other neurological disabilities and their families in transition from nursing facilities or in need of specialized housing.

The proposed development, comprising 39 units over 3 floors and named the Harmon Apartments, would feature 29 highly accessible apartments on a section of Boston Home’s six-acre property off Galty Avenue that would have its own parking lot with 23 spaces.

“This is not an extension of the Boston Home,” said its president and CEO, Marva Serotkin in an interview with The Reporter. “These are people living independently. We want to provide choices for people.” Serotkin said the main issue for people suffering from multiple sclerosis is isolation – a living situation in which the person is reliant on a personal care provider and the use of a wheelchair. The new residence, Serotkin said, would bring its residents together to create a sense of community. “This is our opportunity to do something really special.” The parcel’s proximity to transit options at Ashmont Station is a significant factor in the planning.

The Boston Home has taken the first steps to vet the proposal with abutters, who had “mixed reactions,” said Serotkin in noting that some have expressed concerns about the building’s shadow, traffic issues, and who would be using the building.

“This is a mission-driven project,” Serotkin said. “We are not real estate developers. If this is not possible then we will not pursue it.” There is no specific timeline in place, Sertotkin said, adding that backers have had initial meetings about the proposal with the Boston Redevelopment Authority and are beginning to seek out funding possibilities for the project.

The Boston Home itself is “the only place like this between Canada and Philadelphia that serves midlife patients between the ages of 20 and 40,” said Serotkin. “The people who live here are Dorchester residents, they vote here, and take pride in being from here. They are as active as can be,” adding that unlike residents of nursing homes, where the average stay is 18 months, residents at the Boston Home stay for two, three years, or more.

The Harmon Apartments development is expected to cost some $17 million with The Boston Home administration managing the property. The building will be specially designed to meet the needs of wheelchair users, including hallways wide enough to accommodate two passing wheelchairs, doors that open automatically, and other tweaks that will create flexibility and space.

“Harmon Apartments is being developed in response to the tremendous need identified in the MS community. It is the missing piece in the continuum of services for the targeted population who have limited options,” according to The Boston Home. “The development will keep people as independent and active as possible,” said Serotkin.

Of the new units, 29 will be marketed to renters with annual individual incomes at or below $41,500, and another four to those whose annual income is at or below $20,750. The remaining six units will be rented at market rate. Planners anticipate units will be consist of one, two, and three bedrooms, in an attempt to keep families together,” Serotkin said. The first floor of the building will be largely open and common space for residents, while the top two floors will be apartments.