Tenant Group Eyed to Get $150K in Neighborhood Council Deal

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Richard Heath

Construction is well underway at 161 So Huntington Avenue one year after groundbreaking.

Construction is well underway at 161 So Huntington Avenue one year after groundbreaking.

Richard Heath

Construction is well underway at 161 So Huntington Avenue one year after groundbreaking.

Boston Residential Group has completed the exterior of its enormous housing development on the western edge of Jamaica Plain overlooking Leverett Pond. Marketing of the 196 mostly luxury apartments is well underway with slogans like "Where Cattails Meet Concierge " and "Where Pondside Meets Poolside."

The developers of what's now called Olmsted Place Apartments had originally offered to build at their expense a public walkway connector from the 3.5 acre site to the Jamaicaway as a means of settling a zoning lawsuit brought by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council.

The site is the former Home for Little Wanderers. At the February meeting member Ben Day reported that the Architectural Access Board did not give a waiver for construction.

That denial kicked in a clause from the lawsuit settlement that the money that would have gone to the walkway would instead be distributed to the community by the Neighborhood Council.

Council member Dave Baron suggested that a working group be formed to determine criteria for distribution of the $150,000 the developers had set aside for the walk. The matter was assigned to the Executive Committee and Ben Day would chair the working group.

Boston Residential Group has began marketing of its luxury apartments at 161 So Huntington Avenue

Richard Heath

Boston Residential Group has began marketing of its luxury apartments at 161 So Huntington Avenue

At the March 23 Neighborhood Council meeting Kevin Moloney reported that Day had recommended BGR had proposed to underwrite a public walkway connecting their 3.5 acre site to the Jamaicaway but permission was denied by the Architectural Access Board. BGR had proposed to underwrite a public walkway connecting their 3.5 acre site to the Jamaicaway but permission was denied by the Architectural Access Board.[/caption]

The grant partially would fund the salaries of two existing staff members who would lead this two-year effort.

There was no status report on the working group. Since Day was not present and no other applicants had been recommended, Moloney moved the decision to the April neighborhood Council meeting.

The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council is an elected advisory board that makes recommendations to City Hall on a range of JP issues, including housing, planning, business openings and park space.

The Luxury apartments overlooking Leverett Pond as seen from the Jamaicaway. Luxury apartments overlooking Leverett Pond as seen from the Jamaicaway.[/caption]

[Editor's note: We've added context about how the $150,000 came to be in play.]

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