Image courtesy of ICON Architecture
A Dorchester school’s attempts to block an affordable housing project by developer Trinity Financial heads to court today as its attorneys challenge the city of Boston’s declaration of the site as blighted.
In January 2024, the Epiphany School filed a lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court that seeks to overturn the city’s permitting approvals for the 4-story, 72-unit apartment building at 150 Centre St. The 68,500 square-foot development would replace an auto body shop next to the MBTA’s Shawmut station.
In legal filings, attorneys for the independent school and owners of four nearby residential properties challenged the Boston Planning & Development Agency’s characterization of the parcel as “blighted, decadent and substandard” under Chapter 121A of Massachusetts General Laws when approving it in 2023.
Such designations are typically used for long-vacant properties, according to a joint motion filed by attorneys from Sheehan Phinney Bass & Green and Prince Lobel Tye.
“This is not a community struggling to deal with rough conditions in the project area. Rather, this is a thriving residential neighborhood with attractive and historic homes, a successful private school, and local businesses,” the filing states.
The Chapter 121A designation qualifies Trinity Financial for a 15-year tax exemption.
Trinity Financial’s attorneys argued that the BPDA acted properly, citing case law that a property may be declared decadent even when located in a thriving neighborhood. They cited a report by Trinity Financial’s architect, Icon Architecture of Boston, showing deterioration of the 70-year-old structure including water infiltration and cracked walls.
The redevelopment will improve the neighborhood, attorneys for the BPDA and Trinity Financial argue.
“This underutilized area is in close proximity to the Shawmut station, requiring members of the public who exit the station after dark to pass by an empty and darkened area where there have recently been safety concerns,” the filing states.
Trinity Financial’s legal team defended the city’s approval of a series of zoning variances, including height and multifamily use, in a neighborhood dominated by single- and two-family homes. Opponents say the project’s size would “transform the community from a quiet, residential neighborhood filled with historic houses into a busy, urbanized area overshadowed by apartments.”
Boston-based Fitch Law Partners represents the BPDA in the case, while Goulston & Storrs represents Trinity Financial.
A hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. today before Judge Peter Krupp in Suffolk Superior Court.
