The EBNHC Should Prioritize Wellness Over Profit
To the Editor,
I am a long time resident of East Boston. I love this community and plan on always living here. The rich diversity and the neighborhood feel make it special and unique in Boston. I am very concerned over the direction of the development and especially the proposed one by the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center on Gove/Orleans/Bremen Streets. I am not against development but believe that it should be done in accordance with the needs of the community.
If a needs assessment were done prior to the planning, it would clearly show the need is not for more luxury housing. It is for mixed, low, moderate, and truly affordable housing with some 3 bedroom units to accommodate families. Additional luxury units will only further the displacement of long time residents, many who are patients at the health center. One of the primary determinants of health is adequate and affordable housing. In fact, without it, all other health measures suffer.
An update to the proposal increases the “affordable” unit ration to 25%. I applaud this. However the proposed EBCDC building is for rental units only. In order to create intergenerational wealth there also needs to be ownership opportunities for lower and middle income families.
The EBNHC has a unique opportunity to build a development that meets the needs of the existing community, serves as a model for sustainable development, and also contributes fiscally to the health center. Why not build a development that is 75% mixed income and only 25% “unaffordable” instead of the other way around? I fear that what we have accepted as the norm is destroying the very fabric of this community.
Due to the timing of this development (coming after numerous oversized luxury complexes were pushed through the zoning process over the objection of community groups) and the size of this project, it is serving as a lightning rod and is mobilizing numerous community groups in opposition.
EBNHC has long had a stellar reputation, and building a development with so much opposition from the community stands to tarnish this irreparably. This does not need to be the case. This development could be done in true partnership with the community and serve as a model for the nation and the city. People would be excited to see it happen instead of protesting it at every step.
In addition to lack of affordable housing, East Boston suffers from high asthma and other respiratory ailments due to the pollution from the airport, tunnel and other access roads. By creating a sustainable, reasonably sized development, you could have a positive impact rather than a negative one on the health of East Boston. Solar panels, eclectic vehicle charging, increased green space, and community gardens, would all contribute positively to the health of our community.
Lastly, it is my opinion that if you decrease the density and stagger the height so that it is lower closer to the Greenway and existing structures, and increases as it moves towards the overpass, you may receive less resistance from the community.
This development could be a win-win rather than messy protracted fight. Prioritizing wellness over profit is in line with the mission of the health center. I urge EBNHC to listen to the voices of the community and change the scale and focus of the project.
Rick Cresta
Rick Cresta is a clinical social worker and a lecturer at the Boston University School of Social Work. (As a resident of the Gumball Factory I am a direct abutter to this project. Although I am a member of several community groups, I am writing only as an individual.)