NOAH Receives Community Support for Condor Street Project

The Eagle Hill Civic Association (EHCA) voted 26 to 7 in favor of the East Boston Neighborhood of Affordable Housing’s (NOAH) project to address the need for artist preferred housing in the neighborhood.

NOAH was recently picked by Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) as the designated developer of a city-owned parcel on Condor Street across from the Hess site.

NOAH submitted a plan that included a substantial amount of units for artist’s living and workspace.

At last week’s meeting, NOAH’s attorney, Matt Eckel, said his group has put together an exciting team that has listened to the community and came up with a proposal that will really address the need for artist preferred housing.

The result has been the creation of an attractive, accessible yet practical layout which will accommodate the needs of artists-and non-artists alike.

NOAH, NOAH’s architect, Eastie based Joy St Design, and East Boston Community Development Corporation (CDC) has joined forces to create a 41-unit project that includes a mixed-use,mixed-income, ownership/rental housing and gallery spaces for Eastie artist community and community at­ large.

NOAH’s project, dubbed ‘Aileron’ will include eight ownership units in one building with 33-units occupying a second larger building next door. The eight unit building will be a mix of workforce and market rate housing. Of the 33 units in the larger building 17 will be set aside for artist work/living space.

NOAH named the project Aileron because it will help the area take flight economically and culturally.

NOAH is also proposing two large common spaces, a Gallery and Workbar, that will be available for the other residents in the building. These are communal spaces and are not be strictly artist workspace. Eckel said the ‘workbar’ space will be on the ground floor of the 33-unit rental building.

The Gallery space will  have wireless internet access, mirrored walls and perhaps a gas-fed fireplace. NOAH envisions a comfortable, neatly appointed space where there can be conversion, communication and community for artists. Eckel said neighborhood residents who are interested in having a space to work can access this space as well. Also, there will be an open streetscape concept in the rental building that will highlight public studio and gallery spaces on the ground floor.

Following a series of community meetings with the EHCA where DND officials got feedback from residents on what type of project the community would like to see at the site the DND picked NOAH as the designated developer earlier this year.

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