The project involves constructing two new five-story buildings and renovating the existing Bates Arts Resource Center, providing a total of 54 condominium units that will allow for residential and/or artist live/work space, plus two ground floor commercial spaces for gallery, workshop and community space. Additionally, the project includes an affordable component with 32 units designated for households earning up to 80% of median income.

"Not only will the project address the city's overall housing goals, but it will address the very specific and unique needs of the artist community," says BRA director Mark Maloney. "As we all know, artists play an important role in the health and vitality of our city by enlivening our neighborhoods and adding to the city's creative capital." He said the site will be home to a "vibrant community of artists who will be able to live affordably while producing artwork that will bolster our local economy. Additionally, the project will secure real artist work space for those artists who currently have space in the Bates building."

The BRA says its request for proposal was heavily informed by a survey of nearly 10,000 artists launched by Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 2002 to formally study and quantify local artists' housing needs and financial status. The request for proposal was released in May of 2003, outlining the development concept for the old Joshua Bates Elementary School Building along with two adjacent parcels that the city says aims to provide affordable artist live, live/work, studio, and cultural space for the city's arts community.