Housing, retail developments proposed for Roxbury sites
The Wu administration’s efforts to turn city-owned parking lots into affordable housing have attracted developers to corners of the city from Charlestown to Chinatown. Next up: a roughly 4.5-acre swath of asphalt in Roxbury near Boston Medical Center.
This acreage, stretching across five blocks between Washington Street and Harrison Avenue, was once part of a vibrant cityscape where Roxbury meets the South End that was leveled as part of urban renewal efforts in the 1970s. They’re home to parking lots controlled by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, whose main office is located across Harrison Avenue.
Now, the Wu administration wants to knit that part of the city back together, by spurring developers to propose several buildings with affordable housing as well as retail and services on the ground floor, along with open space. It’s one of several projects planned for that part of town, including a new campus for Franklin Cummings Tech just across Melnea Cass Boulevard that celebrated its groundbreaking last week.
Two development teams submitted bids in time for a late February deadline. Both proposals will be discussed at a virtual public meeting on Tuesday night.
Madison Park Development Corp., Beacon Communities, and JGE Development proposed at least 72 income-restricted condos and more than 300 income-restricted rental apartments, including nearly 80 for seniors, for a total of 400,000 square feet across the five blocks. Their bid, dubbed “Reed Square,” also features an outdoor green where jazz festivals could be held, an art walk with food trucks, and space for fitness classes, community events, and financial counseling. JGE president Jonathan Garland said the team’s aim is to weave the neighborhood together while providing opportunities to advance homeownership opportunities. The goal, he said, is to ensure the project reflects Roxbury’s rich cultural history and vibrancy.
The other bid comes from a joint venture between development firm Related Beal and DREAM Development, called Harrison Lenox LLC. The venture’s proposal calls for about 400 units: nearly 80 income-restricted condos, and nearly 330 income-restricted rental apartments, roughly 100 of which would be set aside for seniors. As with the Reed Square proposal, the Harrison Lenox plan also calls for open space, community areas, and ground-floor retail. In one building, the ground floor area would include coworking offices and incubator spaces for local businesses, and could include a culinary training space. Representatives for Related and DREAM both declined to comment about their submissions.
The winning bidder would enter into a 99-year ground lease with the Boston Planning & Development Agency, which declined to release detailed financial plans for the
proposals at this time. Both bidding teams said they hope to benefit from subsidies provided by the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The portion of the Related/Dream bid that’s currently public shows a $254 million project cost, while JGE said the other team’s project is expected to cost approximately $290 million.
“We are encouraged to have received two thoughtful submissions, and we are looking forward to a public discussion with the community about the proposals we received and how they intend to meet the goals that the city and community identified together for this site,” BPDA director Arthur Jemison said in a statement. “The RFP process was community-led and informed, and we’re looking forward to building on that collaboration in the next step of the land disposition process.”
Matthew Kiefer, a land-use attorney at Goulston & Storrs who is working on a similar housing project for BPDA-owned lots in Charlestown, said the Boston Water and Sewer lots might be tucked away and often overlooked but they’re still in a great spot, just a few blocks from Massachusetts Avenue and less than a mile from the MBTA’s Ruggles train and bus station.
“I’m glad to see they’re doing it,” Kiefer said. “It certainly has a higher and better use than parking lots.”