Which affordable housing development proposal is best? Let us know your thoughts
Happy Almost Spring!
We have been following the progress of efforts by Mayor Wu’s administration to reform the BPDA and transform the way development happens. Mayor Wu committed to abolishing the BPDA in her run for mayor, and has initiatied a number of efforts towards that goal. We have posted about these efforts in the past here on our blog, so be sure to check them out. We will be posting more about Square and Streets and Article 80 reform soon, which are part of the plan to “Abolish the BPDA”, however we want to first make sure people stay up-to-date and do not miss the announcement that two developers have submitted proposals for the Boston Water and Sewer Committee publicly owned land. We’ve been spreading the word about the BWSC lots since last year when the announcement was made that community informed RFP’s were to be crafted at a fast-pace to meet American Rescue Plan funding from President Joe Biden.
Read the proposals here:
In case you missed it, In Mayor Wu’s public land audit, tracks of vacant publicly owned land have been identified throughout the city for development, including in Roxbury. Reclaim Roxbury did outreach to our community and showed up to the city’s planning meetings for the RFP’s where we advocated for the inclusion of requirements similar to those we won in Plan:Nubian Square. An added focus of this effort was to create more senior-specific housing.
In July of 2023 these RFP’s were finalized and now 2 development teams have submitted proposals. Our executive director is on the Project Review committee with other community members, which is formed to help select a development team. We would love your help in reviewing the proposals, and sharing your questions, comments, and preferences via this google form: https://forms.gle/w3dgxAmLbsyvqhUR7
Read more about the proposals on the BPDA website & check out these graphics:
BPDA website: https://www.bostonplans.org/planning/planning-initiatives/boston-water-sewer-commission-parking-lots
& don’t forget to share your comments with us via this form: https://forms.gle/w3dgxAmLbsyvqhUR7
