Simultaneous Vietnamese interpretation is being provided for this meeting using the language interpretation function within Zoom. We ask that you please be patient in case of any technical issues. Language interpretation will not be enabled until instructions on how to access interpretation services have been
translated. Once interpretation has been enabled, a globe icon will appear on the bottom of your Zoom screen. Also, as an important reminder to all who are presenting and commenting today, we ask that you please speak slowly for the interpreter. If you're speaking too
fast, I may interrupt you uh so that the interpreter can catch up with your information. So, thank you. To enable interpretation for Vietnamese, please click on the globe icon in the bottom of your screen now and select the language you wish to listen to. You must also mute original audio.
So, we have um uh Carolina who uh will you now please interpret their instructions that I gave into Vietnamese? Um Okay. >> Good evening. >> Uh, wait. No, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. I'm just trying to um uh Anie, will you
now uh please uh turn on the and activate the interpretation. And we're just going to wait uh a second and uh for people to join. Getting that activated. Um, so you can um Yeah. Are we all set? >> Okay, >> we'll double check. >> Okay, we'll we'll double check as we
keep going. So, um, all right. So, if you're having any difficulty activating the interpretation, please call the phone number on the screen. If you have difficulties with the translation later in the meeting, please call that same number. We have interpretator interpreters
um, available to assist you over the phone. The project presentation has also been translated into Vietnamese and is available on the BPDA website at bostonplans.orgabout- us/bpda-board/board-me. Please take note of the website address on the screen to view the translated
project presentation. This is the public hearing before the Boston Redevelopment Authority doing business as a Boston Planning and Development Agency being held in conformance with sections 8A-2 and ADC-5 of the Boston Zoning Code to consider
the proposed development plan for plan development area number 146 75 Moresy Boulevard within the approved master plan for plan development area number 146 35 through 75 Moresy Boulevard Dorchester.
This hearing was duly advertised on August 1st, 2025 in the Boston Herald. This is this is a BPA hearing on a proposed petition by the agency. Staff members will first present their case and are subject to questioning by members of the agency. Thereafter,
anyone who wishes to testify about the proposed project will be afforded an opportunity. We are taking support and opposition at the same time. If you're planning to testify via Zoom, please take time now and verify that your computer microphone is active and click on the hand icon on your Zoom
control panel. This will signal to the staff that you would like to speak. When your hand is raised, it will be blue. If you're calling into the meeting and would like to testify, please dial star9 to raise your hand. When I call for all testimony, staff will announce your name and allow you to talk. You must unmute
your microphone and your webcam will not be active. If you're planning to testify in person in the boardroom, we ask that you please line up behind the podium after the presentation has concluded and we'll call on you. In an effort to accommodate all who would like to speak about this proposal, each person will be
given up to two minutes to comment. BPD staff will indicate when 30 seconds remain. At that time, please conclude your remarks so that the hearing may continue and others may be heard. Finally, the proponents are allowed a period of 5 to 10 minutes for rebuttal
if they so desire. Nick, uh, you may now please begin the presentation. >> Thank you. And good evening, Chair Roas, members of the board, Secretary Pimus, and Director Shen. I'm here before you to present the first phase of the master plan for plan development area number
146, 35 to 75 Morsey Boulevard, also known as Columbia Point crossing. Uh, this first phase is called 75 Morsey. The first phase of the project is consistent with the master plan and requires no amendments to the PDA uh sorry to the master PDA. Uh located
in Dorchester on Morsey Boulevard. The project site encompasses approximately 9 acres of land that is currently occupied by a variety of commercial buildings including a supermarket and the record company. The first phase of the plan will build two new residential buildings with ground floor retail and civic uses,
a community park, and several new roads. The two residential buildings will contain 754 units, a mix of studios through three-bedroom units with 20% of the units or 154 units uh designated as affordable at 70% AMI.
The first phase of the project will also bring a number of important contributions to the neighborhood, including a contribution of approximately six $100,000 to the parks department for upkeep and maintenance of Moley Park and approximately 700 and
sorry, 7,450 square feet of ground floor community use that will be programmed in collaboration with the city, new blue bike accommodations, as well as a contribution of $29,755 to the blue bikes program. I'll now turn to Ella Wise to take you through the planning context before the development
team leads you through the presentation. Thank you. >> Thanks, Nick. My name is Ella. Good evening, Chair Roas, members of the board, Secretary Pimus, and Director Shen. I'm covering for my colleague Yayer this evening. Uh, so the project,
as Nick mentioned, is in Dorchester, just south of the JFK station, Morsy Boulevard to the east, 93 to the west. In terms of the planning context, um you can see here is an aerial and on the right is uh an image from the Columbia Point master plan which was adopted in
2011 and really established the transportation open space framework for what we wanted and the community wanted to see here. So, namely, as the red arrow illustrates here, breaking up the existing large building footprints and
and large surface parking areas to establish more walkable green street grid. Next slide, please. So, about 10 years after that, the vision was further refined with the adoption of a PDA zoning overlay
district. Um this built on that framework again and further refined it and codified uh dimensions and also uses. So it allowed for a variety of uses mixed uses including research development and residential. This
project is pursuing residential in this first phase. Um, as Nick mentioned, the project is consistent with that PDA zoning overlay district and delivers on the the vision established in the plan with a new roadway interior to the um
development, a roadway that's connecting to Morsy Boulevard and significant new open space. With that, I'll turn it to the proponent. Thank you. Thank you. First and foremost, I'd like to thank um Chair Roas, Madame Secretary, Chief Shen um for and members
of the board for inviting us here this evening. Um and would like to thank members of the public uh both who are in the room and joining virtually um for taking time out of your personal schedules to to join uh the meeting this evening. Um as the team alluded to, you know, this is a uh residential centric
uh project. residential centric mixeduse project located um uh very approximate to the JFK UMass Redline Transit node. Um it has been uh an incredible uh kind of effort of partnership between the development team, our design and
engineering team, the planning department, um various city and neighborhood stakeholders to really uh conceive a project here which is well aligned I think with a lot of the goals that many of us share which is to generate more uh attainable priced
housing, transit oriented housing uh inside city limits and inside the city of Boston. Our hope, particularly given the transit node at the JFKU Mass Redline stop, is that it will allow many um who are currently unable to live within city limits and face long
commutes and other um hardships to live at a transit node, which can get you whether you work at Mass General, whether you work, you know, somewhere approximate to South Station, Cambridge, anywhere in between. Also, um I really
need to thank Brian Dy, Joe Burn, um and most importantly the members of the trades who have been very active in this process and have been huge supporters. This will be a full union project. Um and importantly, so many of the union halls are located um right in the radius
of this project. And it's something that we've heard uh in a very acute way um from many members of the trades their challenges in terms of uh attaining housing close to their job sites and city limits. Um, additionally, I'd like to thank, uh, councelor Fitzgerald, um,
uh, president of the city council as well, um, who has been a a great advocate, both of them, throughout this process. and a lot of everybody you know uh Nick, Zoe, Neup, Seth, Ted um and you know we're very grateful and uh support
from the administration in terms of aligning with the principles about housing, transit oriented housing um you know attainable housing uh and really um kind of uh optimization of what is an underutilized site which um you know
while Moresy Boulevard has these three parcels on Morsy Boulevard have a storied history you know 75 Morsy Boulevard has been um kind of vacant andow for many years now. And so that we hope um this can bring a a degree of activation, a degree of housing, a degree of community benefits, and also
be a key uh piece of connective tissue and really continuing to stitch together the corridor um you know really at the old started with the old Globe building. This will be another big piece in that in that puzzle um and in that mosaic and kind of you know which will continue all
the way down to the red line station. Um and again uh with Columbia Savin Hill particularly Don Walsh, Bill Walzac uh other leadership and members of of the civic association they have been great partners. They've certainly held us accountable as has the planning
department as has um various uh other stakeholders um particularly the civic association. But we've we've developed, I think, a lot of trust and uh mutual respect throughout the process and that will continue um as there's certainly a lot of coordination to do as we hopefully mobilize and get in the field
in the uh in the near future. So, thank you again for having me here this evening and happy to answer any questions now or or after. I'm going to turn it over to Phil Casey with our design team. >> Great. Thanks, Andrew. And good evening, everybody. Um do I have the clicker here? I'm sorry for advancing slides.
Oh, okay. Uh, next slide, please. Sorry. Uh, so we'll start out with an overview of the site and Ariel here, just to orient everybody. So, the site's shown in blue in the center of the slide there. It's at the western end of the previously approved uh PDA master plan, bounded on the south by Morsy Boulevard,
to the north by I93, uh to the west by the previously completed Southline project, uh obviously the remaining parcels to the east of the master plan, and then that key adjacency to the JFK Redline stop uh that we're focusing on. Next slide, please. Uh and so zooming into the site a little
bit, just talking about transit orientation that Andrew is talking about. Um the site's divided again into two multif family sites A and B that surround an almost 24,000 square feet community park that really invites the community in uh and we think facilitates a much broader pedestrian network
between transit and the site. Um you can see here the blue lines from JFK down Moresy Boulevard through the future master plan to our open space and then actually to the Southline uh courtyard as well as their public spaces through to Savin Hill and the Savin Hill uh red
line. So really facilitating a much greater opportunity we think for uh transit connectivity here from a pedestrian perspective. Uh next slide please. Uh and then finally just zooming in on the site again this is the first phase
in that approved PDA master plan. Um and to note here you'll notice that a street which is perpendicular to Moresy Boulevard is also part of the project. The infrastructure the streetscape that comes with it. That will be the new approach for these two projects. kind of an exciting opportunity to kind of
rethink um the approach from Moresy. Next slide, please. And then just a few photographs of the existing site. I think we're all familiar uh as Andrew mentioned, a vacant, underutilized site. So, just an incredible opportunity to really revitalize this stretch of Morsy
Boulevard with public open space as well as bringing multif family housing to the site. Uh next slide, please. Uh and then the project itself uh comprised of two high-rise multif family buildings, building A and building B there. Um the total unit count between
both buildings is 754 units. That'll be a mix of studios uh onebedrooms to three bedrooms throughout uh both projects. Uh 4,500 square ft of ground floor retail between both projects. Uh similarly over 7,000 square ft of civic space on the ground floor. Uh and then parking below
grade parking under both buildings for a total of 414 parking spaces. Uh and then on the slide on the right you start to see the building forms taking their cues from their direct adjacencies. Really building B in the foreground with that very rectal linear form really holding that street wall and that strong
alignment on Morrisy Boulevard. Uh and building A with its curve linear form uh really starting to reflect that broad sweep of I93 uh as part of the building form. Uh, next slide please. Uh, and then we go to the ground plan in
our landscape plan. And really you start to understand the sort of significant role the the central community park plays in this project. Um, as we talk about it, it's really designed as a variety of heartscape, open space, and green spaces. Um, really to essentially accommodate a number of public uses,
whether it's passive recreation, um, small performances, gathering, meeting for the community, etc. um quiet, you know, contemplative spaces, a real range of uses throughout the design. And then similarly, the ground floors of both buildings, as you can see, are lined
with very active uses on the community park. Uh in red, you'll see amenity spaces, active amenity spaces that'll interact with it. Uh on building B to the right, the green space is the uh designated community space. So that has an indooroutdoor relationship to engage
with that community space in a really uh positive way. Um, you'll note the residential building lobbies. They, it's tough to read there in the gray, but they're on the corner of a street and the community park. So, they have sighteline and visibility to both the park and a street and really bringing that 247 activation and foot traffic
that multif family brings. So, that's exciting as sort of a gateway to the the public space. Uh, similarly, there's civic space on the plan on the left and building A and some retail uh with its own discrete loading and entry. And then on the right hand side, building B's ground floor. Uh we line Morsy Boulevard
with retail storefronts all along that and turn the corner on a street to sort of invite the public in that way. Um next slide please. Uh and then a view from Morrisy Boulevard and A Street of the In the foreground you see building B. Um really that tower form is landing on a
three-story podium that you see can really front uh Moresy Street. Really taking the scale of the tower down to that pedestrian streetfront scale. Um you can see in the rendering the very active storefronts at the ground floor along that podium. Uh turning the corner on a street again activating Morsy
Boulevard inviting the public in. Um the tower itself is a a mix of materials curtain wall pre-cast in metal panel with a a staggered panel um expression right now reflecting sort of the movement along Morsy and really creating kind of a signature identity opportunity
for the project. um similarly building a behind it. Um a similar mix of materials for what we're looking at is a similar architectural language but a much more horizontal expression to give it its own definition and its own sort of um component to that whether it's sort of a
brother sister architectural relationship um but giving it its own identity. Um, you can also see in the rendering in building A the very prominent building entry on both that and building B. Again, drawing folks in that site line. Um, and then bringing them into the community park between the
two buildings. Um, next slide, please. Uh, and here's a view of the community park from a street. Really what we call this gateway plaza. The idea of welcoming the community in, inviting them in. You can see there's a series of um hardscape, greenscape, different seating elements again for different
groupings really to make the community want to come in and occupy that space. Um obviously the residential lobby to the right very prominent that 247 foot traffic um that that lobby's going to be bringing on both sides. Um and then even to the left you can see on building B we
have a sighteline to the community space uh so it's not really tucked away. the idea of that opportunity for that program to draw the public through the community park and really engage with the open space that way too. Um, next slide, please. Uh, and then another view of the
community park. This one looking back towards building B. You can see um that ground floor is really the civic space. Again, we're uh viewing that as an indooroutdoor space. Again, engaging that community park in the spaces right adjacent to it. But this is a good view to get a sense of the different kind of
spaces that the landscape design provides for. There's there's open green space for recreation. There's areas for small performances and again different areas to gather, meet uh and sit for the community. Um as well that pedestrian path on the right you'll see continues
on to the Southline project and that public courtyard there. So creating that broader urban pedestrian link that we were talking about earlier. Um next slide please. Uh and then finally a view from the highway. Um in the foreground is building A. the very bold curve of
linear form again reflecting that sweep in the highway. Um there's that more sort of horizontal architectural expression that really reinforces that form. Um and we feel it kind of gives the project as a whole kind of a signature identity uh from the highway and the vehicular perspective. So um I
think that's it for our design presentation. We're happy to take uh comments and questions. Thank you. >> Okay, great. Uh since this is a uh a public hearing, we will go through um uh public comments and testimony first. So if you're in uh in the room and would
like to testify, please approach the podium and then we'll get um online queued up. So anyone? >> Thank you. Good evening, Madame Chair, members of the board, uh Director Chen and Madame Secretary. My name is Mina
Perez. I'm the executive director for the Carpenters Labor Management. On behalf of thousands of my union sisters and brothers from the Carpenters Union, I want to go in support of this project as well as hundreds of our contractors, subcontractors, and general contractors
that we do business with. Um, I first like to thank Mayor Michelle Woo for allowing the community to be part of the process. It's nice that we can come up and speak on this projects as well as us through the process. Um the developer
did a great job listening to the suggestions for the community and thank you for hanging in there. It was a longing arous process and you did accommodate most of the needs of the community. Uh because of that and many other reasons we're in strong support of this project. Thank you.
>> Thank you. >> Anyone else in the room? Do we have anyone online? >> Sitan Green, you can unmute yourself. All right. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Hello. Good evening, everyone. My name is Shiton Green. Um I'm a lifelong
Boston resident. Also, um the business agent with the Boston Building Trades Unions. We represent over 35 um thousand members, which tens of thousands who live and work right here in the city. Um we also represent their families as well. Um, I want to be on the record in
supporting this project and Copper Mill development who um has has expressed and a commitment to uh working with the building trades having an all union project. I'm very thankful for good development and developers like Carpa Mill whose values align uh with our
community. We know and understand that a good project is one that not only uplifts community and worker standards but advances community and workers standards. all things key and crucial to building strong families who can look forward to growing with this city and
not left out. Families who can rely um and enjoy highquality built housing um alongside our community relying on great careers that come with those opportunities um with safety top of mind and training
through registered apprentichip um programs. every worker deserves family sustaining wages, healthcare benefits, and retirement benefits. Um, economic justice is allowing the community to build and be included in that growth. And that's exactly what this this this
project um is set out for. So, uh, we support this project. We're very thankful for it and, um, very excited to, um, be a part of it. Thank you all. >> Thank you, Shitan. Is there anybody else who would like to testify about this project either in the room or
online? >> This concludes the public hearing portion of this item. >> Great. Thank you. Uh questions or comments from the board? >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um appreciate the presentation and it's it certainly is is very appealing looking. I love the community garden. Um you know, not only
is it something I'm sure the residents are going to like and the neighbors are going to like, but as we all know, Morrisy Boulevard has had incredible flooding. So having more pvious paths pavement is is you know going to serve a added purpose. Um I'll ask that in lie of our colleague Kate Bennett. Uh
something that she would likely ask with the appreciate the commitment to affordability. Uh how many of the three bedrooms uh are going to be at the affordable level? >> Um 20% of them will be affordable. Mark >> 20% of all units. >> 20% of all units.
>> And you've got units from uh studio up to three bedrooms. >> Studio one's bedrooms, two bedrooms, three bedrooms. The ratio is proportionate across each unit type. >> Oh, that's fantastic. So 20. Oh, >> okay. >> It's a good answer. >> We could follow up with the precise number. >> Okay, that that makes sense. And then I
was having a little difficulty sort of con conse can uh figuring out the community civic space, the 7,500 square feet. Is that what do you exactly mean by is that like a lobby that residents could use to get what what can you explain a little bit more what that means?
>> Sure. Absolutely. So it it's bonafide um you know standalone civic space. It's going to walk and talk and you know fit in align with the rest of the retail along the building. Um and uh ultimately you know a a occupant of that space has
not been identified yet. That's something we look forward to working closely with the um the city and the neighborhood to identify uh prospective occupants there. and but but I it is not um it is not kind of double counting
lobby space or other things. It's bonafide set aside. >> So this will be a tent. This will be I was thinking it was going to be a community room that then residents could use. But this would be like a like a daycare or like a like a post office. Is that what you mean by a civic space? >> Again, I don't want to be overly
prescriptive because I think that, you know, the master plan was intentionally I don't want to say vague, but you know, open-minded to that. And so I think we're going to seek further direction from the planning department in the neighborhood. I think ultimately would be a long-term tenant. I I I again I
don't want to um exclude or include any >> I'm not trying to put you on the spot. I'm just trying to sort of understand this would be a tenant whose purpose would be to serve what >> well I think to to clarify I I do not think it is anticipated that it'll be a
private tenant. Um it likely will be um again I don't want to uh suggest but a user who lives and breathes in that space as a permanent tenant um likely with a nonprofit structure. >> Okay.
>> Okay. So I I I think I understand that. So okay I appreciate that. Thank you for that clarification. Thank you madam chair. >> Questions? Yes. >> Uh through the chair. Um if all is to go well with um the city process um do you have a timeline of shovels being in the
ground for this project? >> Sure. Absolutely. Um you know as we have done throughout this process and as you know you have my personal commitment we will continue to do. We always want to move forward in a deliberate and measured fashion and obviously um depending on the outcome of this meeting
tonight you know that will kind of uh further direct us in one direction or another. Um that being said, you know, there's still work to do, careful coordination on the ground in the field prior to any demo commencement, but at the same time, we understand that, you know, the um the trades are hungry for
work and that housing is a very acute need in the city. And so we're you know, we're prepared to proceed in a responsible but expeditious manner. And our hope would be that we are maybe doing light mobilization towards the end of this calendar year in terms of initial site work, demo prep and um you
know bonafide mobilization in the first quarter of next year. >> Great >> if everything goes well. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Appreciate that. Um, you know, speaking and touched on a little bit from a resiliency standpoint. I always uh, you
know, say it makes me nervous, but like, you know, always want to know uh, you know, for parcel so close to uh, our natural resources and infrastructure, right? Can you talk a little bit about kind of how you thought and uh planned for and incorporated resiliency and
sustainability and you know again protection of um the significant investment that's going to go into this uh and you know um our future the future homes of many people. >> Sure. Absolutely. And um you know uh it
it may be with a caveat that it's from a civilian you know certainly Phil and others but but we were you know trust me I've been deep in it and it's um resiliency and sustainability has been a huge part of this process and of this design and engineering. You know, I can tell you as a um as a graduate of BC
High across the street um four years that changed my life, but I drove through uh water puddles for many many years. And so certainly we are acutely aware from experience in the field of the challenges, present challenges, which are only you know, while there's a lot of good work going on to kind of um
address some of those in the near term. You know, long term those those headwinds are only going to get worse. Um and so I think you know we've worked very closely with various agencies and departments at the city um and at the state level through the MEPA process to ensure um you know that there's
statutory elements that we are seeking to that we are are complying with including the basically the grade for you know ground floor zero is going to be 5t above the existing Morrisy boulevard. Um and however we have
designed it the landscape and the heartscape in a way that that will not be you know obvious to the average uh pedestrian walking by. It won't be this sheer you know grade change. It'll be gradual through um a variety of different methods. And then um to roll that forward even more, there is a plan
uh or the the design calls for to the extent sea water rise um really you know which we all know it will um really uh exacerbates in the future whether that's 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, there's a way that the building has been designed
that you basically could recalibrate the ground floor so that it's at an even higher level. Um and so there's a lot of um you know credit to our design and engineering team and and the city uh and the administration who has pushed us hard on that. Um but you know we're
pleased to say that we're in full compliance with all resiliency and sustainability measures and we hope that in connection with you know a lot of the other work being coordinated in that area. some of which you know is not our scope but um you know we hope we can uh have a positive impact on the resiliency
ecosystem there because we know there's challenges today and more challenges to come. >> Okay. Um and then um let's talk about affordability. Um also um uh on behalf of Kate but all of us
um but uh you know the favorite part in my memo uh now to see these days after um working on it so many years ago um the affirm and I can never say it affirmatively furthering fair housing. Can you talk a little bit about your
experiences with that uh with that checklist, with that process and kind of uh you and just kind of highlight some of the the interesting ways that you um yeah went about um using that as a tool to inform um affordability and
>> Sure. Absolutely. Um and I think again there's probably macro elements to that and then micro specific elements but um again it'll be 750 units 20% affordable at 70% AMI so that's 150 um bonafide uh incomerestricted units um which of
course are spread all throughout the building and you know pratta proportional across all unit types um you know so again starting big picture and getting a little more specific as we think about um you know I think one of our key objectives in alignment with Mayor Woo and her administration and you
know so many of uh the folks in this building who have helped um you know drive this project forward with us is trying to remove barriers to entry for folks to live in the city and I know we referenced it a bit earlier but I think >> you know it's a multivariable um dynamic
where there's people who are getting displaced out of the city there's um great knowledge centers in this city but that brain drain and the lack of housing is is driving people to other cities also in the country. And so we really, particularly given the transit orientation here, we really hope that it
can be something that, you know, removes those frictional costs to move into. So you don't need to have a car. You don't have to, you know, your weekly monthly compensation doesn't have to be able to afford $500 a month in parking and gas and all of that. Um in addition uh you
know a lot of the uh amenities and other services on site will you know will be quality of life elements that that really uh should attract and retain more folks in the city and again um given all the different work nodes whether it's in
you know Longwood downtown Beacon Hill you know as we all know the red line um brings access to so many so we really have viewed it as how can we remove some of those barriers to entry and we think it starts by transit oriented and um in a variety of unit types so that it can be everybody from you know
not that it's age driven but everybody from single occupants to double occupants to families um and uh and you know something we work closely with the civic association on is that real displacement dynamic um for those who want to age in place and there's a lot of folks um across the city across the
state um and across this neighborhood who have been there for 40 50 years and um they want to stay in the neighborhood that they love and know, but there's so many limited uh options, not only from an affordability standpoint, but also from an accessibility standpoint. >> Yeah,
>> a lot of the existing housing stock um you know, as we all know, is is um you know, the vintage of it is nearly 100 years old, not exactly ADA accessible, let alone trying to shovel your driveway and and mow your own lawn. So, we hope that across the entire demog demographic
spectrum, whether it's entry- level employees, whether it's folks who want to age in place, um, and kind of everybody in between who who works all throughout the city and and even those who may work in Cambridge, we would love to have them as Boston residents and, you know, continue to drive that
residency base here in Boston. Um, and so, you know, we don't hold it against them if they're going to live on Morsy Boulevard, but work in Davis Square or Kendall Square. So, you know, we think there's a lot of derivative layers there which which will make it again remove those barriers and hopefully widen the
pool of folks who want to live here, can live here, and it's convenient for them to live here. And then at the micro level, you know, which we've we've um as you referenced in the memo, there's uh some initial, you know, certainly ideas and concepts. Some of the ones we think are really effective are um very low
security deposits, you know, if any, because again, trying to remove those barriers to entry, even if it's a unit that maybe can work, you know, coming up with that first month, last month all at once, you know, that's something that really can be prohibitive for access to to housing. Um
and so that's something that I know we've committed to, you know, on the record to date. Uh, additionally, um, we certainly plan and and again, there's, you know, we got some ways to go before we're, uh, leasing the units, but I think something that we've already talked to the trades about is, you know, we've we've been in every union hall
already in the past six months and and many times in previous years, but is kind of housing fairs uh, in each of the each of the union halls. Um and certainly uh working with age friendly Boston to try to understand what resources we can combine um to really uh
enhance their impact to you know for the for the aging in place demographic which is acute today but but the um demand and quantity needed there is even going to get larger. So I'll pause there but we um those are that's kind of the lens through which we've been thinking about. We we we hope and we're going to need
more input and more help and you know as we get closer to actually um rolling that out. Um but you know, we're very grateful to everyone in this building who's helped us uh so far in that. >> Yeah. No, great. Um >> please, please. Yeah. >> I just want to step in and mention really quickly while we're on the topic
of affordable housing, um how committed this group has been to affordable housing throughout this project. Um when this project came to us at the master plan level, this was under the IDP policy and they committed to 20% affordability at that time. um that's still a very good number for us for any
project these days, even under the current um policies. So, it's just really important to note that these guys have really made a a big effort on the affordable housing front. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. No, it was it was it came through uh in in the memo. Um,
and uh, I do like the um, I like the macro macro but at but the micro, right, of like really identifying what are those barriers of entry and like that like you need whatever $10,000 just to put down a security glass and all like
that's just a lot, you know. So, um, I just appreciate the creativity around that of looking at root causes, taking a barriers to entry like approach to it and um, yeah. No, but >> thank you, chair. >> Thank Yeah. Um, okay. Any other
questions, comments? >> Well, just a comment. You You've provided some very thoughtful and progressive answers. >> Yeah. >> Uh, to our questions. Uh, this is a progressive project. It's a good one.
>> Appreciate the kind words. >> All right. There no other further questions or comments. Uh, motion is in order. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Roll call for a vote. Mr. Shepard. >> I. >> Dr. Landsmark. >> Hi, >> Mr. Omali. >> Hi. >> And the chair votes I. Motion passes. Um, good luck. Uh, be proud. This is a
>> Thank you. We look forward to inviting you for a hard hat tour. >> Thank you to the entire board and Chief Shen. >> No, appreciate it. Um, okay. So, that was the last uh agenda item, the final uh director's update. Director Shen, Chief Shen, the floor is yours.
>> Thank you. >> Wait, we did do contractual. We did it before the break. Yeah, we paid them bills. >> You have to the public hearing power. >> No, no. Okay. >> No, we just wait for people to clear the room. >> So, u members of the board, um thank you
for concluding another successful uh board meeting. Uh I want to provide a summary of the approvals. >> Oh, yeah. We're just going to clo Yeah, we're just going to close it. I'm just going to close. >> I want to start by providing uh a summary of the approvals that were taken tonight. There were three new
development projects um that delivered a total of 820 new residential units of which 163 of them will be income restricted. Um the development cost of these projects will amount to about $480
million and deliver more than 920,000 square feet of which more more than twothirds of it uh 675,000 square feet will be residential. Um when constructed, these projects will put approximately 800 trades people to work
and create uh in the in the buildings themselves 61 direct jobs leading to an additional 400 indirect jobs. Um another area that um we've started to focus on even though that there weren't any presentations of course are the certificate of completions that actually
the board voted to um to approve. I'm I want to highlight some of these uh completions approved tonight and the associated p public benefits. Um the first is a 109 Brooklyn Avenue project.
Uh it contributed $1.2 million to support the Fenway Transportation Action Plan, which is a a city uh conducted um transportation plan. um $75,000 to the transportation department in support of
the bike share system uh for the Fenway area. Uh $1.8 million in the linkage funding towards affordable housing. Um and about $330,000 in linkage funding towards job training. Um the most notable uh in this
proponent's uh public benefits is that they uh doubled their original commitment to support the fit out of the lab training and community space in the building uh from originally $250,000 to $590,000.
Um the second project that I want to highlight is the Kenmore Square redevelopment project. Um, and that's the one that actually is in Kenmore Square that actually also um includes the preservation of the sitco sign on top of the building.
>> Um, that project uh provided $290ome,000 to support local workforce development initiatives, $75,000 to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy to be used for the design of the new Charles Gate uh uh nearby Charles Gate Park under the Balco
overpass. Um and then also um contributions to enhance the expanded sidewalks along Deerfield Street and Beacon Street as well as uh some new bike lanes. Uh finally, the project I want to finally highlight is 350 Bolson
Street project. Um many of you will remember that as the site of the old Shrief Compan Low building. Um, that project is now complete and I believe will be the new headquarters for Bane Consulting. And it will contribute $1.1 million of linkage funding towards
affordable housing. Um, it will contribute u 2515,000 in linkage funding towards job training, $25,000 to support neighborhood improvements which went towards some new planters and beautifification in the
vicinity of the project. Um, and then $25,000 to the women's lunch place. And actually, the most significant uh monitoring contribution is uh $221,000 to the Arlington Street Church, which is
on the other side of Bilson Street. Um I want to acknowledge these projects for delivering these important community benefits and to thank the community uh who supported these projects and also advocated for these very specific uh
community benefits that will actually be um to the benefit of the residents of these communities. Um the final thing I want to conclude with is actually to to uh highlight the neighborhood development fund allocation that was approved by by you. Um the board
approved a disimbursement of the neighborhood development funds in order to support the new commercial acquisition assistance program. We the shorthand of that is CAP CAP that is being uh managed through the mayor's office of economic opportunity
and inclusion. Um the fund will support a broad range of community development initiatives. But most important, this CAP program has been launched to address the displacement of small businesses by building equitable or funding equitable
pathways to commercial real estate ownership. Um the the fund and and program will offer targeted financial assistance and wraparound technical support to small business owners um seeking to acquire commercial property
and preserve cultural and commercial anchors in Boston's communities. Um, this particular endeavor is part of the larger anti-displacement initiative that the this department as well as the rest of the city have have launched and we're
very happy to support this end endeavor to align with the mayor's um uh um priority for making sure that our communities uh minim we minimize displacement both commercial and residential displacement in our
communities as we promote development and also promote changes in the zoning code. So, I want to conclude tonight and thank you again for your service and um wish you a continued happy summer uh time and enjoy the good weather. So,
thank you >> very much. >> Thank you. Um okay, so that's that's it. Um and uh I need a motion to adjourn this meeting. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Roll call for a vote. Mr. Shepard. >> Dr. Lansmark. Hi. >> Mr. Omali. >> I. >> And the chair votes I. Motion passes.
meeting adjourned. Uh, thanks everyone. We'll see you next month. >> Thank you.