City Council Approves CPA Funding

Last month Mayor Martin Walsh and the City’s Community Preservation Committee (CPC) recommended that several projects in East Boston and across the city, totaling more than $34 million, be included in the fall funding round for the Community Preservation Act (CPA).

The last hurdle in the process was a vote by the City Council to appropriate the funds and that moment came during last Wednesday’s Council meeting.

The Council voted unanimously last week to release the $34 million in recommended funding to the projects in Eastie and citywide.

“It’s an exciting day in Boston,” said At-Large Councilor Michael Flaherty, who chairs the Council’s CPA Committee. “Whether it is the affordable housing opportunities or the beatification of our parks this round of funding will continue to benefit Boston residents for generations to come. This is why we supported the CPA and now voters and residents are finally seeing these projects come to fruition.”

 In Eastie, $950,000 was approved for the Grace Apartments development, which recently received Boston Planning and Development Agency approval. Developed by the East Boston Community Development Organization (EBCDC), Grace Apartments will be a new, 42-unit residential building serving low-income seniors located on 187 Sumner Street. The project will also renovate 17 income-restricted units on the site’s existing building.

According to plans submitted to the BPDA by the CDC the proposed project involves the construction of a new 39,067 square-foot,  42-unit, seven-story building and the renovation of an existing 26,800 square-foot building currently on the same site in Maverick Square.

The new building will include all low income elderly housing. The existing building, which includes 17 elderly/disabled subsidized units as well as approximately 3,000 square-feet of ground-floor commercial space, will be converted to workforce housing units, including two affordable units.

The property consists of a 16,266-square-foot parcel of land with 26,800-square feet of mixed use, residential and commercial building.

The Council approved $735,200 to the proposed Aileron development to build seven housing units, including four affordable units. Overall the East Boston Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, its architect Eastie based Joy St Design, and the CDC have 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, half workforce and half market, in one building with 33-units occupying a larger building next door. Of the 33 units in the larger building 17 will be set aside for artist work/living space.

NOAH is also proposing two large common spaces, a Gallery and Workbar, that will be available for the other residents in the building.

Eastie will also $600,000 for a new playground at the East Boston Early Education Center. The new playground for ELC includes integrated classrooms for students with disabilities in K0 and first grade.

The Nantucket Lightship, Boston’s only floating museum docked at the Boston Shipyard and Marina on Marginal Street will get $575,000 to restore the historic ship’s rusted hull.

There is $500,000 to create a new park to connect the renovated Boston Housing Authority Orient Heights development to the surrounding neighborhood.

Finally $300,000 will go to building a fully accessible dock and dock house at LoPresti Park. This dock will create access to the waterfront for youth and an adaptive sailing program at LoPresti Park across from the Boston Housing Authority Jeffries Point development for those with handicaps. The program will be collaboration between the Piers Park Sailing Center and the Harborkeepers.

“We are very excited that our $300,000 proposal to build a public floating dock at LoPresti Park has made the final round of CPA funding,” said Harborkeepers founder Magdalena Ayed. “This dock will create more equitable access to the Boston Harbor for all East Bostonians.”

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