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Proposal details for Dudley Square parcels

Thirteen plans submitted to DND for residential and commercial rejuvenation

Yawu Miller & Catherine McGloin
Proposal details for Dudley Square parcels
An architectural rendering of proposed plans by Arrowstreet Architecture & Design, for the parcel of land at 135 Dudley St. Image: courtesy Arrowstreet Architecture & Design

135 Dudley Street — six proposals

The Department of Neighborhood Development received six bids for 135 Dudley St., the former site of the Boston Police Area B2 substation. The parcel sits directly across from the Dudley Station bus terminal and abuts the new Area B2 substation, the Dudley branch of the Boston Public Library and Roxbury District Court.

1. Cruz Development Corporation

Cruz Development Corporation, an MBE with decades of experience developing affordable and market-rate housing in Boston, is proposing two buildings with a total of 150 housing units and 8,476 square feet of commercial space. A six-story building would house 50 units of rental housing affordable to families earning 30 to 50 percent of Area Median Income. An eight-story building would contain 100 condo units, with 50 units affordable to families earning between 70 and 80 percent of AMI and 50 sold at market rate. The site would contain 270 parking spaces.

John B. Cruz Construction Company is the general contractor for the project, which will be managed by Cruz Management Company. Architects for the project would include The Architectural Team and Michael Washington Associates, an MBE.

2. Trinity

Trinity Financial Inc. is described as a 50-50 partnership between the firm’s principals, James Keefe and Patrick Lee. Their plan calls for 125 housing units in a single six-story building, as well as 9,000 square feet of retail space and a four-level parking garage with up to 320 spaces. The garage will be sited on the current police department parking lot.

The developers plan to set aside 43 rental units for families earning up to 60 percent of AMI and 42 for those earning between 60 and 100 percent, with the remaining 40 renting at market rate. Of the 46 for-purchase condominiums in the development, 13 percent would be set aside for households earning between 80 and 100 percent of AMI. Trinity plans to use Suffolk Construction as general contractor. Property management would be contracted to Trinity Property Management LLC.

3. MidPoint/Corcoran Jennison

MidPoint, a Pittsburgh-based MBE owned by P. Nathaniel Boe, is partnering with Dorchester-based Corcoran Jennison on a 207-unit, seven-story residential building, as well as a 120-room hotel. The residential building would contain 147 rental apartments and 60 condominiums. The apartments would include 74 affordable at 30-60 percent AMI and 73 at market rate. The condos would be a mix of affordable and market rate, with the average at 80 percent AMI.

The partnership is proposing a 300-space garage, which would include spaces for the Boston Police Department, residents and hotel guests. The development would include 15,755 square feet of commercial space. Architects on the project would include Boston- and Seattle-based DiMella Shaffer and Pittsburgh-based Strada Architecture, an MBE. Others, such as the general contractor, have not yet been identified.

4. Teachers Place LLC

Teachers Place LLC is a joint venture between local developer Urbanica, the nonprofit The Community Builders and RBH Group, a Newark-based development firm. Marvin Gilmore is listed as a minority investor and Feaster enterprises would serve as trustee for “minority crowdfunding,” a means through which people of color could pool their resources to invest.

The proposal calls for 261 units aimed at providing schoolteachers with an affordable place to live. The development would include a 210-car garage that would provide 80 spaces for Boston Police Department vehicles.

Of the 261 units, 100 would be condominiums with 34 affordable to 80 percent of AMI, 33 affordable to 100 percent AMI and 33 priced at market rate. Of the 161 rental units, 53 would be affordable at 30-50 percent of AMI, 53 at 60-80 percent of AMI and 18 at up to 100 percent AMI. The other 26 would be rented at market rate. Architects on the project would include Urbanica and Machado and Silvetti Associates. General contractors are listed as a joint venture between Urbanica (MBE), Built-Rite, General Air Conditioning and Heating (MBE) and Tara Construction (MBE).

5. Peebles/DREAM Development LLC/E3 Development LLC

The New York-based Peebles Corporation, one of the largest black-owned real estate development firms in the country, has partnered with a local black-owned firm, DREAM Development LLC, and Newton-based E3 Development with a proposal for up to 200 units of home ownership units, 42 rental units, 63,000 square feet of office space, 20,000 square feet of retail and 404 parking spaces, including spaces set aside for the BPD. Portions of the building would range from three to nine stories.

Specifically, the team’s submission promises between 154 and 200 units of ownership housing, 20 percent of which would be designated income-restricted for households earning between 80 and 100 percent AMI. The  80 percent of the units the developer has designated as market rate would be affordable to households with incomes between $130,000 and $160,000 a year. The 42 rental units would be designated affordable to people earning between 30 and 80 percent of AMI. In total, 37 percent of all units would be affordable to households earning less than 100 percent of AMI. DREAM Collaborative would serve as lead architect and Janey Corporation (MBE) as general contractor. United Housing Management (MBE) would serve as property manager. Peebles would own 70 percent of the equity in the project and DREAM Development would own 30 percent.

Arrowstreet Architecture & Design’s plans for the parcel of land at 135 Dudley St., as viewed from Washington Street. Image: courtesy Arrowstreet Architecture & Design

Arrowstreet Architecture & Design’s plans for the parcel of land at 135 Dudley St., as viewed from Washington Street. Image: courtesy Arrowstreet Architecture & Design

6. Nuestra Comunidad

CDC Nuestra Comunidad has partnered with Dakota Partners Inc., a Waltham-based real estate developer, and Arrowstreet Inc. architects to create 100 mixed-income rental units, as well as a 52-unit condominium homeownership building, plus a recreation arts and cultural space on the 135 Dudley St. parcel. Apartments will be made affordable for those earning between 30 percent AMI or below, and 100 percent AMI, while 30 of the condominiums will be made affordable and sold at 80 to 100 AMI. Sixty parking spaces will be added to the residential building and 27 for those in the rental units.

2147 Washington Street — four proposals

The DND received four bids for 2147 Washington St., a parcel that includes the parking lot beside the Haley House Café and much of the lot in front of the building. While some of the proposals feature L-shaped buildings that side-step the Haley House building, two would raze the structure and relocate the cafe in ground-level space fronting Washington Street.

1. The New Urban Collaborative

This proposal would house 59 apartments and 18 live/work units in a 12-story building. The New Urban Collaborative is an LLC that includes real estate developers Jeffrey DuBard, Ryan Link, Jason Arndt, and Chris Prud’homme. Janey Construction (MBE) would be general contractor. Maloney Properties and United Housing Management (MBE) would manage the property. Of the equity owners, DuBard is African American. The proposal calls for a one-third affordable, one-third moderate income, one-third market-rate mix of units.

2. Alinea Capital LLC

This proposal, submitted by Alinea Capital, LLC (MBE), takes its name, The Adelphi, from a hotel that once stood at this site. The project calls for 72 units of housing, 46,435 square feet of office space for the nonprofit Home For Little Wanderers and 11,471 square feet of retail space.

Of the 72 residential units, 34 would be rental apartments affordable to households earning 60 to 80 percent of AMI and 38 would be condominiums for purchase by households earning 80-100 percent of AMI as well as those earning more, with no breakdown specified. The plan includes 37 resident parking spaces, 46 office parking spaces and six retail parking spaces.

Janey Construction (MBE) and Moriarty Construction would serve as construction managers for the 11-story building.

3. MidPoint/Corcoran Jennison

Here MidPoint, a Pittsburgh-based MBE firm owned by P. Nathaniel Boe, is partnering with Dorchester-based Corcoran Jennison to propose 90 units of housing in a six-story building, with 45 units priced for households at or below 60 percent of AMI and 45 units at market rate. The project would include 3,750 square feet of commercial space. There is no mention of parking in the proposal.

4. New Atlantic/DREAM Development

New Atlantic Development is teaming up with DREAM Collaborative for a six-story, 74-unit building with 1,400 square feet of retail space and a new 2,500 square-foot space for the Haley House Café. The project would include 47 parking spaces, including 35 garage units.

The residential project includes 12 condo units, four of them affordable at 70 percent AMI, four at 100 percent AMI and four at market rate. Of the 45 rental apartments, 12 would be affordable at 30 percent of AMI and 33 would be affordable at 60 percent of AMI. In addition, the proposal calls for the construction of 17 units using New Markets Tax Credits, affordable at 80 percent of AMI. DREAM Collaborative (MBE) and New Atlantic would each control 50 percent of membership interests in the partnership.

75-81 Dudley St. — one proposal

The DND has received only one proposal for 75-81 Dudley St., a parcel on the corner of Dudley Street and Shawmut Avenue, a five-minute walk from the Dudley bus terminal and close to Dudley Square Plaza.


Madison Park Development Corporation

Madison Park Development Corporation wants to combine this site with the adjacent parcel at 2451 Washington St. — which the organization is also redeveloping — creating a total of 33 units, with 24 affordable to low and moderate income and nine unrestricted at market rates.

The proposed one-to-three-bedroom condominiums at 75-81 Dudley St. will include nine available to households earning up to 80 percent of AMI, with prices ranging from $182,000 to $250,900. Eight will be priced for 100 percent AMI, from $243,000 to $320,100 per unit. But Madison Park representatives said that with $35,000 of down payment assistance from the city, units could become affordable to those earning only 60 percent AMI, or between $45,000 and $63,000 a year.

The new four-story development will include 12 covered, off-street parking spaces, 744 square feet of commercial space that Madison Park will retain ownership of, and community space.

Madison Park plans to team up with the minority-owned design and architectural firm DREAM Collaborative LLC, the firm currently working on the 2451 Washington St. project. Alicia Toney, from the minority-owned company Toney & Associates, who has been overseeing the development of the adjacent lot, will become the owner’s construction representative for 75-81 Dudley St., according to the proposal. Madison Park will look for minority or women-owned businesses to provide other project services, including engineering and real estate management.

40-50 Warren St. — two proposals

There are two proposals under review for the site at 40-50 Warren St.

1. New Urban Collaborative

The New Urban Collaborative LLC will retain ownership of the entire building once it is completed. Boston-based design firm Zephyr Architects will be responsible for the building’s aesthetics, while construction will be managed by Janey Construction, a minority-owned building company.

New Urban Collaborative’s plans would see 40-50 Warren St. developed into a mixed-use six-story building containing 24 rental apartments — nine one-bedrooms and 15 studio units — as well as a commercial co-working space and five retail spaces. Sixteen of the units will be designated affordable: three priced for 30 percent AMI, five for 50 percent AMI and eight for 80 percent AMI. The other eight units would have unrestricted market-rate rents.

2. Nuestra Comunidad

The second proposal for 40-50 Warren St. comes from the Roxbury-based community development organization Nuestra Comunidad, which will partner with the nonprofit MASS Design Group as the project’s primary architects. The finished units will be managed by WinnResidential, currently overseeing Nuestra Comunidad’s 800 other housing units in its portfolio across the city. This team commits to spending more than half of their contracting budget on minority-owned businesses and to ensuring 51 percent of construction workers on the site are workers of color.

The proposal is for 41 affordable rental units — two studios, 11 one-bedroom apartments, 21 two-bedroom apartments and seven three-bedroom apartments. In addition, the project includes 2,035 square feet of retail space, to be used partially for pop-up shops. The proposal includes an onsite office for building management, a community laundry facility, inside bicycle storage and a computer lab. As for parking, Nuestra Comunidad would like 40-50 Warren St. to become a transit-oriented hub, given its location close to the Dudley bus terminal, and so they have proposed just three additional parking spaces, which they say they will offer to car-sharing companies like Zipcar.

Nuestra Comunidad has committed to ensuring that the new units at 40-50 Warren Street are affordable for residents earning 60 percent AMI or less, with an option to build workforce units for households earning 80 percent to 110 percent of AMI. According to the proposal, these workforce units would carry an affordable deed restriction that would make sure the development remains affordable in perpetuity, easing concerns about future displacement.