Wu, others celebrate new Harvard mixed-use project underway in Allston

City officials and developers grabbed silver shovels and took part in a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday to celebrate Harvard University’s new Enterprise Research Campus in Allston.

The project, which actually broke ground in June, is slated to convert the sprawling 14 acres of pavement along Western Avenue into a mix of housing, commercial, hotel and lab spaces. A greenway will connect a nearby library to the waterfront.

About a quarter of the 343 residential units will be set aside as affordable housing, almost double the requirement under the city's inclusionary development policy. That's a record high percentage for any market-rate project in Boston, according to Mayor Michelle Wu.

“That will allow people from a breadth of socioeconomic backgrounds to participate in this neighborhood in a way that’s really different from every other project,” said Harvard Allston Land Company CEO Carl Rodrigues.

As part of the developer’s agreement with the Boston Planning and Development Agency, the project's investors include “150 Black and Latinx individuals into the project’s ownership,” a commitment worth roughly $30 million. The builders also committed to set aside 25% of the retail activity, 15% of the pre-construction contracts and 15% of construction contracts for minority-owned and women-owned businesses, according to project documents.

Construction started in June on the first phase of the development and is slated to finish by the start of 2026.