The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) this month voted to approve mitigation funding to several local non-profits as part of the development project at 99 Sumner St., also known as the Hodge Boiler Works project.
The BPDA board approved $49,000 at its February meeting that will be split between 13 local organizations including the Salesian Boys & Girls Club, East Boston Social Centers and the Veronica Robles Cultural Center.
The funds will be disbursed from the 99 Sumner Street Project Community Benefits fund maintained by the BPDA from contributions made by the developer.
In 2017 the BPDA approved a ‘Notice of Project Change’ for the Hodge Boiler Works waterfront development project.
When the site was owned by the DeNormandie Companies a few years ago, the group pitched a scaled down version of their original plan to build an eight-story, 119 unit residential complex. DeNormandie decided to build a five-story, 95 units building that is 80,000 sq. ft. less than the original design.
The Davis Companies scooped up the property and reverted back to the original plan of building 119 condo units. The Davis Companies will also pay into the BPDA’s fund to create affordable housing units off site to the tune of $2.19 million.
According to the Davis Companies the project that is under construction will result in a six story, 125,678 sq. ft.. mixed-use development.
Last year the BPDA announced the application process for $49,000 in community benefits funding, which was secured through the Article 80 process for the Hodge Boiler Works project. According to the BPDA Funding was prioritized for applicants whose services benefit local residents, with an emphasis on residents of East Boston. To be eligible for this community benefit funding, the applicant had to be a non-profit operating in Massachusetts and/or an organization that has identified a local non-profit as its fiscal agent.
The BPDA worked with local elected officials and the Mayor’s Office to notify various
community organizations about the availability of the mitigation funds.
The BPDA, along with the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, notified organizations and publicized the availability of the fund.
Twenty-one organizations applied for the mitigation funds in this first round of funding. At the BPDA board meeting it was stated that a variety of factors were used by the review committee when scoring applications including organizational background, experience in the neighborhood,
And expected outcomes of the program or project. BPDA staff has reviewed the applications of various community organizations and identified the following recipients of the 99 Sumner Street Project Community Benefits Fund:
• East Boston Social Centers, Inc. $5,000
• Young Men’s Christian Association of Greater Boston, Inc.$3,500
• Eureka Ensemble Corporation $3,500
• Greater Boston Legal Services, Inc. $3,500
• Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers, Inc.$3,500
• Partners for Youth with Disabilities, Inc. $3,500
• Salesian Boys and Girls Club, Inc. $5,000
• The Salvation Army $2,500
• Steppingstone Foundation, Inc. $3,500
• Speak for the Trees, Inc. $3,500
• Union Capital Boston, Inc. $3,500
• Veronica Robles Cultural Center Corp. $3,500
• Youth Connect (Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston as fiscal agent) $5,000
Aside from the 119 condo units there will be a 7,200 sq. ft. public facility as part of the project. The project also calls for 83 off-street parking spaces, 119 bicycle storage spaces within the building for residents and 28 exterior bicycle storage spaces to be made available for the general public, visitors, and residents.
Approximately 35,750 square feet of the project site will be used as public open space that will include one of the last links missing from the East Boston Harborwalk. This missing link will finally connect the Charlton Wharf site with Lopresti Park. With Clippership Wharf, Portside at Pier One and the Boston East Site completed, the Harborwalk will be one continuous path that extends from the Hyatt Logan Airport Hotel all the way to the Boston East Site on Border Street.