By Michael Coughlin Jr.
During its meeting last Thursday, the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) Board approved two projects in the neighborhood — one at 9 McKay Place and the other at 1141 Bennington Street.
The 9 McKay Place project encompasses six parcels on the corner of Maverick Street and McKay Place, and as part of the project, four buildings will be demolished at the site.
The demolition will allow for the erection of a five-story, 41-unit residential building. During last Thursday’s meeting, Attorney Derric Small indicated that the project will have 36 parking spaces and 44 enclosed bike spaces.
Some other aspects of the project to note are the creation of a publicly accessible pocket park, a new bus stop, the addition of at least seven new trees in the area, a meeting room, and a gym.
The proponents have also committed to donating $25,000 to the Donald McKay School — an abutter — to improve the school’s playground and teaching garden.
However, a significant topic discussed recently concerning the project is its Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) units.
Per a document dated August 17 found on the project’s webpage on the BPDA’s website, the project proposes to have seven IDP units out of the 41 total. Further, of those seven IDP units, four will be at 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), and three will be at 100 percent AMI.
Recently, the Gove Street Citizens Association (GSCA) held discussions about requesting that the proponents add more affordable units or deepen the affordability of those units.
The association actually had a vote in which 14 of 22 respondents favored a GSCA suggestion to deepen the affordability of the IDP units and have six at 70 percent AMI. This result was communicated via a letter — dated August 15 — to a Senior Project Manager at the BPDA.
Moreover, Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta wrote a letter in opposition to the project citing that the proponents “ignored” the requests of both herself and the GSCA “to explore other subsidies readily available to them to create housing that is inclusive of existing residents.”
Other concerns penned in the GSCA’s aforementioned letter to the BPDA, which were broached over three meetings the association had with the project team between last November and this July, included how close the project is to the McKay School and how it might impact things like safety and the displacement of those who live in the buildings that will be demolished.
Yet, even with the problems some in the neighborhood had with the affordable unit makeup and the concerns mentioned above, the GSCA actually voted to support the project by a vote of 14-8, which was also enclosed in the August 15 letter, just days before the BPDA Board approved the project.
The BPDA Board was not done in East Boston after it approved the 9 McKay Place project, as it also approved a development proposal at 1141 Bennington Street — the site of the old New England Casket Company, which was destroyed by a fire in 2019.
As part of this proposal, there would be demolition of “the remaining site features,” per a document dated August 17 found on the project’s webpage on the BPDA’s website, to create a transit-oriented residential development.
The project would include 220 units, a little over 1,100 square feet of ground-floor retail space, 121 parking spaces, and a total of 289 bike parking spaces, including 222 covered resident and employee spaces, 48 visitor spaces, and 19 Blue Bike Docks.
Other aspects of the project, coined “Mitigation & Community Benefits,” are also included in the aforementioned BPDA document, which touches on things like public realm enhancements, transportation improvements, and more.
Moreover, regarding unit affordability, there will be 31 IDP units as part of this project. Lizbeth Bello, a member of the project team with Redgate — the developer — indicated at the meeting that more of the affordable square footage would go toward larger two and three-bedroom units.
Similarly to the 9 McKay project, this proposal also went before a neighborhood group multiple times — the Orient Heights Neighborhood Council (OHNC).
Back in April, the OHNC voiced concerns about the massing and height of the development, the amount of parking, and the traffic impacts it might cause. Further, the project team also presented in June to discuss mitigation tactics for parking, traffic, and more.
Another big issue some residents had with the project, which was brought up at the June OHNC meeting, was the unit makeup and the amount of one-bedroom units.
While the project team seemed to do its best to quell some concerns with the mitigation tactics presented, it was not enough to win support from the OHNC as it opposed the project in a vote of 25-14 at the end of the June meeting.
While an OHNC majority opposed the project, Coletta wrote a letter in non-opposition to the project with some provisos. Per a release from her office, the letter “cited outstanding provisions of her neutrality contingent on increased affordability, climate resilience and preservation of Belle Isle Marsh, as well as local preference for ground-floor commercial space.”
In the end, even with concerns from the OHNC and a majority opposition, it was not enough for the BPDA’s Board to deny the project.
If you want to learn more about each project, you can visit the webpage for both on the BPDA’s website at the links below.
9 McKay Place: https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/9-mckay-place
1141 Bennington Street: https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/1141-bennington-street
Further, the full recording of the BPDA Board meeting can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z_aKfme28U&ab_channel=BostonCityTV.
Coletta Opposes 9 McKay Place, Non-Opposition for 1141 Bennington
Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta provided two letters to the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) board last week for their Thursday, August 15 meeting. The BPDA Board reviewed both 9 McKay Place in the Gove Street neighborhood of East Boston as well as 1141 Bennington Street in Orient Heights. The BPDA board ultimately approved both projects despite the Councilors opposition to McKay Place and non-opposition with provisos for Bennington Street.
In a letter regarding 9 McKay Place, Councilor Coletta staunchly opposed the project citing the developers apathy to providing affordable units that are truly affordable for residents of East Boston. She stated that “After months of encouragement, the proponents were unwilling to increase [affordability] and … They ignored my requests and those of the Gove Street Citizens Association to explore other subsidies readily available to them to create housing that is inclusive of existing residents.”
Coletta added, “I understand the delicate balance required to spur growth while building intentionally for those at the margins here in Boston. It is vital that developers looking to make a profit are willing to compromise where they can. In this instance, it was clearly not a priority for some members of the project team.” The project was ultimately unanimously approved by BPDA Board members without questions or comments.
Additionally, she wrote a letter of non-opposition to 1141 Bennington Street but cited outstanding provisions of her neutrality contingent on increased affordability, climate resilience and preservation of Belle Isle Marsh, as well as local preference for ground-floor commercial space.
Coletta outlines the need for protection against the projected 2030 1% storm flood pathway and ongoing discussions especially given the pending Conservation Commission review. She requested biannual conversations with DCR, the MBTA, Climate Ready East Boston representatives, Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, and local electeds to continuously review resilience strategies in coming years.
She also called for the developer to continue working with the Boston Housing Authority to increase their affordability levels from 60% AMI to 30% AMI by pursuing project-based vouchers. This would guarantee a large portion of low-income East Bostonians threatened with displacement a way to stay in their own neighborhood. Additionally, she puts on record that the proponent promised to ensure the ground floor retail space will be affordable for locally-owned business enterprises. The BPDA board unanimously voted to approve 1141 Bennington Street without questions or comments from board members.
For additional information, including how to testify, please contact the Office of Councilor Gabriela Coletta by phone at (617) 635-3200 or by email at [email protected].
Opposition to 9 McKay Place letter to the Boston Planning and Development Board
Dear Board Members,
I am writing to express my opposition to the proposal at 9 McKay Place in East Boston. After months of encouragement, the proponents were unwilling to increase the overall number of deed-restricted units or lower AMI levels below the proposed 80-100% to reflect existing income-levels in East Boston. They ignored my requests and those of the Gove Street Citizens Association to explore other subsidies readily available to them to create housing that is inclusive of existing residents.
As you know, the City of Boston is in a dire affordability crisis with East Boston as the epicenter of gentrification and displacement. Everyday, I hear from families who are struggling to afford to stay here with homeownership opportunities increasingly out of reach.
I understand the delicate balance required to spur growth while building intentionally for those at the margins here in Boston. It is vital that developers looking to make a profit are willing to compromise where they can. In this instance, it was clearly not a priority for some members of the project team.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected] and (617) 635-3200.
Sincerely,
Gabriela Coletta
Boston City Councilor
Non-Opposition to 1141 Bennington Street with Affordability and Climate Resilience Provisos letter to the Boston Planning and Development Board
Dear Board Members,
I am writing to express my non-opposition to the proposal at 1141 Bennington Street in East Boston. The proponent, 1141 Bennington Street, LLC., has made significant progress to ensure this site conserves portions of the Belle Isle Marsh Reservation, furthers our climate resilience goals, improves the surrounding public realm, and provides sufficient levels of affordability for a community in crisis. There are a few outstanding matters included in this letter that I would like the proponent to agree to on the record.
My understanding is that the proponent has engaged in ongoing collaboration with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), and Climate Ready East Boston representatives. They will provide district-scale flood protection with elevation and permeability strategies that will mitigate a projected 2030 1% storm flood pathway into East Boston. Ongoing conversations with these agencies and the City of Boston are necessary following a pending Conservation Commission review, especially as it relates to future enhancement of the upland area adjacent to Belle Isle Marsh and catch basins to capture stormwater runoff. I’m requesting biannual conversations with the aforementioned agencies, Friends of the Belle Isle Marsh Reservation, and my office to ensure promises made are being kept and review opportunities for additional resilience strategies if needed.
As it relates to housing affordability, I am partially pleased with the overall spread of AMI’s from 60-100% for units included as part of Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) and the inclusion of family units in order to meet Affirmatively Fair Housing Asseessment standards. I would like the proponents to commit to seeking guidance from the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) to increase their affordability for rental units by including project-based vouchers from the City of Boston Voucher Program (CBVP). The inclusion of CBVP will make income-restricted housing affordable to low-income and extremely low-income renters in Boston and ensure new tenants pay no more than 30% of their income. This is in line with Mayor Michelle Wu’s vision for a reformed IDP where 3% of the total rental units will be subsidized by the BHA’s CBVP.
Lastly, the proponents legal representative has agreed to ensure the ground floor retail space will be affordable for local business enterprises. They have also agreed to work with the City of Boston to seek subsidies or grants to assist with keeping rental prices low in order to attract a business owner currently without a brick and mortar. This site is located in a food desert and so I’ve requested serious consideration to provide affordable food market options that are easily accessible by walking or public transit.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected] and (617) 635-3200.
Sincerely,
Gabriela Coletta
Boston City Councilor
District One