Image courtesy of Heffner Architects
Developers removed all 41 affordable units and a group of community benefits from a proposed 204-unit Hyde Park apartment project as it heads to the Boston Planning & Development Agency board for a vote this month.
Developers have redesigned the project to conform with zoning, including removal of first-floor residential units, potentially clearing the way for approval. But the 990 American Legion Highway project will no longer include any income-restricted units, and has eliminated a series of community benefits, developers disclosed in a presentation last week. The changes were first reported by Universal Hub.
The changes drew a rebuke from state Rep. Russell Holmes, a Mattapan Democrat who represents the 6th Suffolk District.
“This seems punitive,” Holmes told the development team during an impact advisory group meeting. “To lose everything that I thought you and the church had agreed to do is disappointing. I’ll put it that way.”
Among the changes: elimination of a public nature trail leading from American Legion Highway to Crane’s Ledge on an adjacent property owned by Jubilee Christian Church, and construction of a sheltered MBTA bus stop in front of the property.
In April, state Land Court Judge Kevin Smith ordered the BPDA to conduct an “expeditious review” of the 990 American Legion Highway project. In a lawsuit, the development team claimed that the agency held the proposed nine-building project in “administrative limbo” by failing to schedule a vote for three years after it was proposed.
Willow Bridge Property Co. is partnering with the land owner, Jubilee Christian Church of Mattapan, and resubmitted a proposal that conforms with zoning while reducing the total unit count from 270 to 204.
Previously, 15 percent of the units would have been income-restricted, complying with the minimum required under Boston’s inclusionary development policy for projects that require zoning relief.
Willow Bridge Executive Vice President John Noone said the changes reflect “five years of delay” that resulted in “tens of millions of dollars” that the company has invested already.
“We made every effort to get 270 units approved with affordable housing and the lookout and the nature trail, and that project was not approved,” Noone said. “It was pushed back.”
During a public comment period, residents objected to the loss of an urban wild and potential damage to nearby homes from blasting of ledge to make way for the 3-story apartment buildings. The Crane Ledge Woods Coalition has sought to preserve the 14-acre property as an urban wild, and residents spoke in favor of a city acquisition of the property.
“You would think the city would contact us because it’s been five years,” Noone responded. “No one from the administration has contacted us to purchase the property. In lieu of that, we have a contract with Jubilee Church, we have invested a lot of money and we’ve gone to court. The court has given some clear direction to the city, and we are in that process.”
The project is a rare instance of a development proposal that conforms with existing zoning in Boston, Boston Planning Department Development Portfolio Manager Sarah Peck said, giving city officials limited leverage to request changes.
The project is expected to be brought to the BPDA board of directors for a potential vote on Sept. 18, Peck said.
Community benefits are a standard component of development approvals in Boston. City officials are studying ways to make the process more consistent and predictable as part of Article 80 zoning reform.
