Local News

Dorchester couple builds 14 micro-apartments, priced at $750 per month

All 14 units are already reserved.

Elisa and Vivian Girard (right) built 141 Westville Street, a four-story building with 14 affordable units in Dorchester's Fields Corner neighborhood. (Photos courtesy of Vivian Girard)

By Annie Jonas

July 30, 2025

2 minutes to read

One Dorchester couple is taking a different approach to affordable housing, offering new “micro-apartments” for just $750 per month.

Elisa and Vivian Girard are in the final stages of completion on a four-story building located at 141 Westville Street in the Field’s Corner neighborhood. Out of the 14 studio apartments they’ve built, 12 will rent at $750. Two additional units, designated as “affordable” under Boston’s Inclusionary Development Policy, are priced for individuals earning half the area median income.

A furnished model unit at 141 Westville St. *(Photo courtesy of Vivian Girard)*

The Girards, who also co-own the home.stead bakery & cafe in Fields Corner, began construction on the property in 2021 with the goal of affordability, high energy efficiency, and optimal land use.

“I was always very much into making housing as affordable as possible and green as well,” Vivian Girard told Boston.com in an interview. Girard has lived in Dorchester since 2000.

“One way to make things cheaper to some extent is to make them smaller as well,” he added.

Each unit measures around 280 square feet and comes with a private bathroom and kitchenette. The building also includes two ground-level, wheelchair accessible units and shared amenities such as lounges, bike storage, laundry, and a bike repair station. The Girards privately funded the project and intend for it to “remain affordable in perpetuity.”

A lounge at 141 Westville St. in Dorchester. *(Photo courtesy of Vivian Girard)*

Despite lacking on-site parking for cars, Girard noted that neighbors and future tenants were overwhelmingly supportive.

“We are so close to a lot of things such as shopping, restaurants, the library, and most importantly, the Field Corner station on the Red Line gives access to a lot of places. It makes sense to give priority to people who don’t have cars, and also to appease the neighbors regarding the street parking,” he said.

The couple had previously renovated other buildings in the area, but this was their first time “building something from scratch.”

“I just learned by doing,” Girard said.

Their project is one of only a handful to emerge from the city’s Compact Living Pilot program, which launched in 2018 with the aim of addressing the housing crisis through smaller, more affordable units. Since its inception, 17 projects have been approved. Of those, just 12 received building permits and only eight have been completed so far.

The Girards are now awaiting the city’s final inspection before welcoming tenants by September 1. All 14 units are already reserved.

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