Two parcels of vacant land along Melnea Cass Boulevard in Roxbury could be transformed into a combination of multi-million dollar retail, hotel and mixed-income residential housing.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) received four project proposals for Parcels 9 and 10, two of seven swaths of land the city hopes to transfer for private development as part of its Roxbury Strategic Master Plan.
The master plan is designed to stimulate economic growth in the Boston neighborhood over the next two decades by bringing in new opportunities for local businesses and jobs for residents. The BRA has recommended that proposals should consider small- to mid-size retail and commercial anchor tenants that complement and strengthen the Dudley Square retail business district.
Parcel 9 Proposals:
•· Parcel 9 Partners LLC, a joint venture between New Atlantic Development and Nuestra Comunidad Development Corp., offered "Shawmut Green," a $28.5 million transit-oriented, urban village. It would include both rental and homeownership opportunities, retail space and an entrepreneurship training center.
•· Urbanica Design + Development proposed Melnea Hotel & Residences, a 10-story, 150-162 room hotel with 52 units of mixed-income housing and 139 parking spaces.
Parcel 10 Proposal:
•· For Parcel 10, a joint venture between Madison Park CDC and Tropical Foods International includes a project that would integrate the parcel and the adjacent building and land now owned by Tropical Foods with commercial and residential uses. The development program includes mixed-income residential apartments and street-level retail.
Proposal for Parcels 9 and 10:
•· Duxbury-based Washington Crossing Partners LLC put forth a $125 million redevelopment project for both parcels with 365,000 square feet of commercial, retail and workforce housing and about 250 parking spaces. The retail component would include expansion opportunities for local businesses.
The BRA said the RFPs will be reviewed internally and then presented to the community at a later date.
