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The eight development organizations listed below
participated in the 2006 competition.
Developer: Allston Brighton Community
Development Corporation
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Potential Site: Allston
Public/Private: Private
Description/Goals: For this competition,
we will ask students to look at the redevelopment of a 212
unit affordable housing development in North Allston called
Charlesview Apartments. Charlesview consists of eight buildings
on a single site at the corner of North Harvard Street and
Western Ave. The development was completed in the 1960s, and
the buildings currently require significant capital improvements
for continued operation. Redevelopment could include rehabilitating
the current buildings, selling off a piece of the site and
redeveloping more densely, or selling the property and redeveloping
on a similar or superior site.
Status: Charlesview is owned by religious
based non-profit organization. They are currently evaluating
available options for improving affordable housing opportunities
for its residents. They have most recently entertained the
option of selling the entire site to Harvard University and
relocating Charlesview residents to a new site in North Allston.
There is also a resident organization that seeks to have a
continued stake in the redevelopment of their homes. Allston
Brighton CDC has been working with this resident organization
for over two years.
The students would work with the resident organization
and potentially the owner's board to explore the feasibility
of redevelopment options.
Developer: Asian Community Development
Corporation
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Potential Site: Boston
Public/Private: Private
Description/Goals: Affordable housing
over retail in a condoizing downtown district and the restoration
of a working-class neighborhood lost to urban renewal through
a scattered site development of to-be-sold Teradyne properties
located adjacent to Chinatown.
Status: Site control has not been established.
ACDC is currently in the planning phase of the project. Initial
due diligence is complete, yet ongoing research continues.
Brainstorming and planning meetings have been held.
Developer: Brookline Housing Authority
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Potential Site: Brookline, Massachusetts
Public/Private: Public
Description/Goals: The Brookline Housing
Authority owns and manages a -unit elderly development in
Coolidge Corner, two blocks from the Green Line and shopping.
The site contains approximately 0.75 acres of vacant land
that could support additional housing that could either be
integrated with the current development (e.g., affordable
assisted living) or stand-alone family housing. The team would
work with the BHA to develop a viable alternative for the
land.
Status: The site is owned by the Brookline
Housing Authority. The idea is in an early conceptual stage.
Developer: Olneyville Housing Corporation
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Potential Site: Aleppo and Curtis Streets,
Providence, Rhode Island
Description/Goals: OHC is currently
developing 70 units of housing in a three-block area of the
Olneyville section of Providence. The mix of rental, ownership
and artist housing is adjacent to a nine-acre park and bikepath
that are currently in construction. Two large parcels that
are currently nearly abandoned industrial parcels remain to
be acquired and developed in this area. The challenge is to
find viable uses for these challenging parcels that compliment
the ongoing efforts in the neighborhood.
Status: We have had preliminary conversations
with the two property owners.
Developer: Somerville Community Corporation
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Potential Site: 100 Temple Street, Somerville,
Massachusetts
Public/Private: Private
Description/Goals: The former St. Polycarp
site is located in the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville,
along Mystic Avenue and Temple Street. The 3.1 acre site is
made up of two parcels separated by a public way. There are
currently six buildings on the site: a church, school, rectory,
convent, a small "library" building and a two-car
garage. SCC has been working with other organizations who
will acquire some of the buildings on site including the church
and rectory and possibly the convent. The remaining buildings
will be demolished. SCC hopes to create a mixed-use development
with affordable rental housing, affordable and market rate
ownership housing, institutional space, and commercial space.
Status: The Somerville Community Corporation
is in the process of negotiating a Purchase and Sale with
the owner and will have a signed P&S by the end of 2005.
SCC will have 35 days after the P&S to complete the sale.
SCC anticipates full site control by the end of January 2006.
Developer: South Boston Neighborhood
Development Corp.
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Potential Site: South Boston
Public/Private: Private
Description/Goals: Redevelopment of
an existing church site and grammar school. The sites are
not contiguous but may be packaged by the seller.
Status: The Archdiocese of Boston has
closed the property and is awaiting an appeal process, filed
in Rome, by existing parishioners. Anticipated RFP process
in Spring 2006.
Developer: WATCH, Inc.
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Potential Site: Waltham
Public/Private: Public
Description/Goals: WATCH community development
corporation, working with local residents through its Waltham
Affordable Housing Committee (WAHC), has identified the former
Banks School as ideal for adaptive reuse as housing due to
its size and proximity to transportation, shopping, schools,
public services such as the library, city hall and banks,
and other amenities. WATCH seeks plans for permanently affordable
condominiums at the Banks School in a range of unit sizes,
targeted at a range of low incomes. Initial projections show
a potential for 35 units and perhaps also community meeting
space.
Status: In December, 2004, Waltham's
City Council passed a resolution that two of the schools to
be declared surplus should be reused for affordable housing.
The 2nd place design for the South School from last year's
competition has been well received by City officials and could
become a reality once that building is surplused in the upcoming
year. WAHC's overall goals include the conversion of two schools
into affordable housing: one for rentals and one for condominiums.
With South targeted for rental units, WAHC is organizing around
affordable condominiums for first-time homebuyers at the Banks
School.
The Waltham City Council now controls the Banks School, the
first surplused site of four school buildings that will be
declared surplused by the School Department. Waltham's Building
Reuse Committee, made up overwhelmingly of City Councillors,
will be making recommendations to the mayor about this building
at the end of January, 2006. WAHC members have presented the
Reuse Committee with an idea for 35 homeownership units in
the Banks School and we are optimistic that their recommendations
will include targetting the Banks School for affordable housing.
We also know that at least 9 of the 15 City Councilors support
the idea of affordable ownership at Banks, including the Council
President. The Mayor was recently quoted in the local paper,
suggesting that the City issue an RFP for the building, to
include affordable homeownership as one of the acceptable
uses. WATCH has been working WAHC members on strategies to
ensure that an RFP for the site is specific as possible, including
a requirement for a non-profit developer to create permanently
affordable units, targeted more for low income, rather than
moderate income families.
Developer: Young Women's Christian Association
Boston
Organization Type: Nonprofit
Potential Site: 40 Berkeley Street,
South End, Boston
Public/Private: Private
Description/Goals: The YWCA owns a 90,000
square foot building currently used as SRO's in a dormitory
style arrangement. The YWCA is seeking to renovate the building
to accomplish three goals: provide affordable housing that
meets the needs of today's individuals/families; to renovate
the building to meet current codes and operations; and to
preserve the classic 1950's features of the building.
Status: The site is owned outright by
the YWCABoston. The YWCA completed the renovation of its headquarters
building at 140 Clarendon Street in April 2005. Our strategic
plan has its focus on the Berkeley Residence beginning in
2006. We have commitments from the development team of 140
Clarendon Street to undertake a feasibility study for the
YWCA. Our architect and engineers will be able to offer some
input to the project as it develops.
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