Boston Water and Sewer Commission Lots RFP’s have been released! We want your thoughts. Read ours.
The Boston Water and Sewer Commission's public lots, or BWSC lots, which were identified as sites for potential affordable housing development in Mayor Wu’s public land for public good land audit, have been under a BPDA-led community planning initiative since April 2023 and last week the draft RFP’s were released!
Reclaim Roxbury has attended each session, hoping to build on our success creating community-informed RFP’s in Plan:Dudley Square. The BPDA has been very responsive to our feedback during BWSC lots listening sessions, and much of what we have demanded in regards to housing affordability, good jobs, eco-friendly development, and diverse development teams has been included in the RFP’s.
The one area that can be improved is the commitment to encouraging more 0-30% AMI housing development. While preference is given to projects requiring 1/3 of total units affordable to households earning up to 50% AMI, 1/3 of total units affordable to households earning 51% to 70% AMI, and 1/3 of total units affordable to households earning above 70% AMI, we know that according to the most recent publicly available data, Roxbury residents make closer to 30% AMI on average, $31,170 for household of 1 or 44,520 for a household of 4. The current 1/3rd breakdown in the RFP does not penalize a developer for not having any 0-30% AMI housing, which is desperately needed throughout the city and especially in Roxbury.
The Mayor's Office of Housing report "Boston Housing Conditions and Real Estate Trends" shows that Roxbury residents are at high risk for displacement and that Roxbury has the second highest number of evictions. With these two facts in mind, it's important that we truly use public land for public good by encouraging housing that our most vulnerable residents can afford, which is housing at 0–30% AMI.
While it is encouraging to see MOH funding for potential developers require 10% of units be for people making 0–30% AMI through your homeless set-aside policy, this RFP could go further to ensure there is development without displacement in Roxbury and that we affirmatively further fair housing.
Assuming that the average median income in Roxbury is 30% AMI, the housing breakdown in the RFP thats encouraged should be:
1/3 of total units affordable to households earning up to 30% AMI
1/3 of total units affordable to households earning 31% to 70% AMI
1/3 of total units affordable to households earning above 70% AMI
We will be submitting a formal recommendation about this as well.
What do you think of our analysis and reflection?
How do you think these RFP’s could be improved?
Submit your thoughts on this google form:
LINK TO FORM: https://forms.gle/Ai7u9WTgEggeK3TK9
Read more about BWSC lots on our blog, and directly on the BPDA website:
RR BLOG:https://www.reclaimroxbury.org/blog/public-land-for-public-good-in-lower-roxbury
BPDA Website:https://www.bostonplans.org/planning/planning-initiatives/boston-water-sewer-commission-parking-lots
-Armani White
Reclaim Roxbury Executive Director
