Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 26, 2022

60 Units to be Built in West Roxbury to Serve Low-Income Families

Building on a commitment to create and preserve affordable housing in Boston, officials from the City of Boston, Bnai Brith Housing, local elected officials, and West Roxbury residents celebrated the groundbreaking for The Residences Off Baker, a 60-unit mixed-income, family and workforce, transit-oriented development on Friday, June 10.

As the costofhousinghas become more and more outofreach for families, we recognize the need to take urgent action to keep families in their homes and build a city for everyone, saidMayor Michelle Wu. Today's groundbreaking shows whats possible when we collaborate across different sectors and levelsofgovernment to create much-needed affordablehousingin our neighborhoods.

When completed, the development will contain 60 unitsofhousingfocused on accommodating families and workers. Forty-five unitsofthe 60 residences will be available to households earning less than 60 percentofthe Area Median Income (AMI), with 15 units restricted to households earning less than 30 percentofAMI, including units dedicated to households transitioning outofhomelessness.

Were proud to work with the West Roxbury neighborhood to make this high-quality affordablehousinga reality in a neighborhood that will benefit from it, saidSusan Gittelman, Executive DirectorofBnai BrithHousing.

The Boston-based nonprofit Bnai BrithHousing, which creates and manages below-markethousingfor seniors and others, acquired the land for The Residences Off Baker at 1208 VFW Parkway for this development, which will be the first affordable residences constructed in West Roxbury since 2013.

"There is a tremendous need for this newhousingin the neighborhood, and we are excited about the prospectofcollaborating with B'nai B'rithHousingfor years to come," saidDr. Peter Folan, HeadofSchool, Catholic Memorial.

The Residences Off Baker will include energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as Energy Star-rated appliances, and will have environmentally friendly design features throughout. The Residences Off Baker is located near shopping centers and a varietyofcultural and outdoor amenities, including nearby Millennium Park and the West Roxbury MBTA Commuter Line commuter rail stop. The new building will include an elevator for accessibility, central air conditioning, an on-site laundry facility, a large community space for programming on the first floor, and a courtyard with green space for the neighborhood to enjoy.

"The Residences Off Baker is another exampleofhow leveraging HUD's HOME dollars with city and state resources can fulfill a criticalhousingproduction need for our community," saidHUD New England Regional Administrator Juana Matias. "This project reaffirms our shared commitment to building an inclusive community where people can live and work free from the burdenofrisinghousingcosts like rent and travel to work. We look forward to the developmentofthis property that will provide the residentsofWest Roxbury with stable, affordablehousing, and we thank our local partner for this productive collaboration."

Financing for The Residences Off Baker was made possible in part by $3.7 million from the CityofBostons MayorsOfficeofHousing, $5.8 million from the states DepartmentofHousingand Community Development, and $9.2 million from MassHousing. Eastern Bank provided a $20 million construction loan and Boston Financial was the low-incomehousingtax credit investor providing $14 million.

Building on Mayor Wus belief thathousingmust be the foundation for our recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the City recently announced $106 million to expand opportunities for homeownership for Boston residents, studies to assess the current Linkage fee and inclusionary development levels; will audit City-owned property; and recently announced a rent stabilization advisory group, led by MayorsOfficeofHousing. Additionally, she testified this week at the State House on Transfer Fee Legislation that would give Boston the ability to implement if passed a transfer feeofup to two percentofthe purchase priceofany private real estate sale over $2 million in the CityofBoston, as a means to generate additional funding for affordablehousing.Mayor Wushousingsecurity legislative package is focused on expanding upon the work that Boston has done to address the region's affordablehousingcrisis and displacement risks for tenants by proposing new and strengthening current tools to leverage Boston's prosperity and create sustainable wealth opportunities that make Boston a more inclusive and equitable city. Thehousingsecurity bills submitted seek to help tenants, particularly the elderly, remain in their homes, and create additional funding for affordablehousingdevelopments like the Residences Off Baker.

About the MayorsOfficeofHousing(MOH)The MayorsOfficeofHousingis responsible forhousingpeople experiencing homelessness, creating and preserving affordablehousing, and ensuring that renters and homeowners can obtain, maintain, and remain in safe, stablehousing. The department develops and implements the CityofBostonshousingcreation and homelessness prevention plans and collaborates with local and national partners to find new solutions and build morehousingaffordable to all, particularly those with lower incomes. For more information, please visit theMOH website.

About Bnai BrithHousing(BBH)Bnai BrithHousing(BBH) is a regional nonprofithousingdeveloper whose mission is to ease thehousingcrisis in the Greater Boston area. We work with cities and towns to create economically viable, affordablehousingoptions which respond to the needs and aspirationsofeach community. Ourhousing, both rental and homeownership, is for young families and older adults, regardlessofreligion or background. For more information, visit theBBH website.

See more here:
The City and B'nai B'rith Housing Celebrate The Residences Off Baker - Boston.gov

Category: B'nai B'rith
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