Boston Mayor Marty Walsh addresses the media outside Boston City Hall on March 15, 2020. State House News Service photo

The city of Boston released two requests for proposals offering approximately $30 million for affordable housing developments seeking financial support from the city. This is the first affordable housing funding the city has offered since restarting affordable housing construction in June when Boston began its phased reopening plan in line with its COVID-19 guidelines.

“The work of creating affordable housing in Boston must continue,” Mayor Mary Walsh said in a statement. “Affordable housing for all families is crucial now more than ever, and the urgency for safe, stable income-restricted housing has been highlighted by this pandemic. We’re dedicated to creating sustainable, affordable housing, in line with our housing and environment goals, for all families in Boston.”

Developers can apply to the city with proposals to build new affordable housing or preserve existing affordable housing. The city, the Community Preservation Commission and the Neighborhood Housing Trust will prioritize projects that produce significant percentages of housing for extremely low-income Bostonians, that serve special populations such as homeless, seniors or special needs households, promote city goals to affirmatively further fair housing, and that efficiently use city resources and/or land to increase the supply of housing available to low- and moderate-income households.

The RFPs also require that developers prove that their team – from the executive suite to construction workers in the field – reflects the diversity of Boston’s population. New affordable housing development proposals must provide an explanation for how they will prevent displacement of both residents and businesses and provide an eviction prevention plan that builds on existing sound management practices.

The department also released an update to its design standards. New projects must now meet carbon neutral standards. It also issued an expansion of the agency’s focus on universal design. The updated design standards clarify the city’s goals for a minimum of fully accessible units that is double the state’s requirement and request new enhancements in all apartment types to make it easier for owners to adapt all units to be accessible to people throughout their lifetimes.