Three Jamaica Plain Projects Receiving Funding for Income-Restricted Units

Mayor Michelle Wu joined the Hyde Square Task Force in Jamaica Plain at the site of the former Blessed Sacrament Church to announce $67 million in new recommended funding to create and preserve more than 800 income-restricted units of housing in eight Boston neighborhoods. Three of the 17 projects selected to receive funding are located in Jamaica Plain. All of the proposed projects meet the city's standards for zero-emissions buildings and represent transit-oriented, green development. The three JP projects include:

Pennrose Development and the Hyde Square Task Force will redevelop the former Blessed Sacrament Church with $6,250,000 in funding. The development team will create 55 mixed-income units of rental housing and a new performance space for the Hyde Square Task Force Creative Arts Program.

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Hyde Square Task Force to Sell Blessed Sacrament to Developer for Income-Restricted Units, Community Space

The Hyde Square Task Force has chosen developer Pennrose to sell the Blessed Sacrament Church, which will turn it into affordable housing, community space, and more. A letter signed by HSTF Executive Director Celina Miranda and Board leadership was sent to local stakeholders, elected officials, and community leaders that outlined some of the benefits Pennrose is committed to providing. “We recognize that this is the beginning of a partnership with Pennrose,” said Miranda. “The HSTF Board believes that Pennrose has the highest likelihood of a great outcome for the community and for our organization.”

Pennrose proposed income-restricted housing with at a minimum:
● <30% AMI: 8 units (15%)
● <50% AMI: 8 units (15%)
● <60% AMI: 16 units (30%)
● <120% AMI: 20 units (40%)

Pennrose has also committed to providing community space for 200+ people in which the HSTF would remain the operator of this space for the long term. Pennrose has also committed to outdoor community space in front, converting the baptistery to an open-air performance gazebo, and to respecting the existing outdoor green space to the west of the church, said the letter.

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Opinion: Boston Needs Stable Housing That is Both Affordable and Accessible

I began my career in housing first working with individuals facing homelessness in California at Sacramento Loaves and Fishes and then as a housing advocate for the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance in Boston. The work showed me that housing is about more than finding a place to live. Stable housing plays a role in creating a solid foundation for improving someone’s health and their ability to receive support for mental health issues, recovery and addiction, and trauma. Reliable housing can also enable connections to transportation, education, and work opportunities. COVID-19 has only made the work of providing housing more difficult and important.

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Renters Rising Block Party and Music Fest for Rent Control

Join us as we rock out to the sounds of Oompa, Zili Misik, JahRiffe & Jah-N-I Roots Movement, The Group Activity, and dance in the streets with Metamovements Latin Dance Company. This event is free and open to our entire community. Indoors in the Brewery complex, local artists affiliated with City Life/Vida Urbana will display and sell hand-died textiles and paintings as part of JP Open Studios. Bring your friends and neighbors! Are you tired of neighbors, friends and family getting displaced from their homes and communities?

Fair Housing Open House

On Saturday, April 13th, 2019, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, at the Dewitt Center in Roxbury, the Mayor's Office of Fair Housing and Equity will host The Boston Fair Housing Open House. The Open House event is an opportunity for individuals to learn about the Boston Fair Housing Commission, which investigates complaints of housing discrimination within the City.  Constituents will also have the opportunity to connect with other City services and partners who will provide information about affordable housing options for renters and buyers, as well as other related housing resources. 

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh

Mayor Walsh: How We’re Creating More Affordable Housing

Boston is going through a period of historic growth -- the kind our city hasn’t seen in decades. More people are choosing to put down roots and start families here. More businesses are choosing to open their doors here. Students from all over the world come to attend our universities and colleges each year. As Boston grows, we must keep our focus on the families and communities that make our our city the diverse, welcoming and world-class place it is.

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You’re Invited: Community Preservation Act Forum in JP on April 3

Boston has an additional $20 million this year to fund affordable housing, parks, open space and historic preservation thanks to the Community Preservation Act. On April 3rd, the Jamaica Plain community is invited to a public forum to share their ideas on how to spend that money. The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) organized and will lead the forum with a host of elected officials sponsoring the event and local organizations as co-sponsors. Boston adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA) by voting in support of it in November 2016. More than 170 Massachusetts municipalities have adopted the CPA, according to the Community Preservation Coalition.

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Overall site plan

Where Will 300 Car Commuters Go as Forest Hills Parking Lot Becomes Apartments?

Forest Hills residents peppered a would-be developer with questions about where hundreds of car commuters will go if the LAZ Parking lot becomes a mixed-use development. There were other issues raised during a community meeting Wednesday about "The Residences at Forest Hills," but much of the discussion revolved around parking. The three-building, six-story development would add 252 apartments and townhouses plus 5,500 square feet of retail to Forest Hills' burgeoning stock of mid-rise transit-oriented developments. The meeting was held in the fellowship hall at St. Andrew Church, just up Orchardhill Road from the proposed development.

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Bromley Heath Homes Renamed for Longtime Housing Leader Mildred Hailey

On a sun-flooded morning, hundreds of families from Bromley Heath apartments sat in overflow chairs in a crowded tent to listen as Mayor Marty Walsh and Boston Housing Authority William McGonagle renamed the development Mildred C. Hailey Apartments. Joining them was Anna Mae Cole, a friend and comrade in arms for over 60 years and former chair of the Bromley Heath Tenant Management Corporation that Mrs. Hailey  (and yes she was always Mrs. Hailey) directed for 40 years. Mrs. Hailey died of cancer at the age of 82 on Nov. 18, 2015 . Walsh remembered her memorial service: "At the end Billy [McGonagle] came up to me and said, "I've never asked you for anything but I'd like to ask you to name Bromley Heath after Mildred Hailey."

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Affordable Housing Advocates Call For 3-Month Delay in Massive Rezoning Plan

Plan B went into full effect at the 6th Plan JP/Rox workshop last Wednesday as 50 protesters marched into the room clapping. Just as the emcee, Senior Planner Marie Mercurio, was concluding  her opening remarks, the protesters grabbed what they called "the people's mic" to "fight not for profit but for the community." For over an hour, "Keep it 100% for Egleston," a well-organized and well-rehearsed group, listed its demands to stop the Boston Redevelopment Authority-sponsored Plan JP/Rox for three months. Plan JP/Rox is a once-in-a-generation rezoning process for the whole Washington Street and Columbus Avenue corridors in Jamaica Plain and Roxbury. The protest group, which is comprised both young people as well as adults, alternated speakers using a call-and-response format.

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