nubian square

Attorney General Maura Healey, a candidate for governor, toured Nubian Square last week, speaking to business owners about the challenges they have faced as the city bounces back from pandemic closures.

Business owners in a building slated for redevelopment in Nubian Square say they were tricked by the incoming development team, who is now forcing them out of their storefronts. In response, Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) has taken up the case and is urging city officials to halt the approval process for the project.

In mid-January, Mayor Michelle Wu enacted a policy that removed the dozens of tents in the area around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard that were home to hundreds in the throes of addiction and struggling with homelessness. Wu’s policy came with plans to provide housing to anyone who wanted it, regardless of their sobriety.

Local education organizers and elected officials gathered Tuesday for the opening of the new headquarters of METCO in Nubian Square and to celebrate a 55-year-long legacy of working to improve diversity and educational opportunities.

Legendary local artist Paul Goodnight was given his own day Sept. 4 at a celebration of Nubiana Murals, an outdoor museum of building facades in Nubian Square.

As part of their 55th anniversary celebration, Madison Park Development Corporation has organized a mobile mural in Nubian Square, created by local artists and a cohort of six youth participants. The mural, “A Love Letter to Roxbury,” celebrates the neighborhood’s history and MPDC’s commitment to the community.

Roxbury reunited in the street on Saturday at two outdoor events in Nubian Square; a block party hosted by Black Market and an open-air market hosted by the The American City Coalition.

Local developers have introduced a project in Nubian Square to add floors and introduce co-living spaces to a Nubian Square building. A proposed project at 1127 Harrison Ave will bring 94 micro units with shared amenity spaces, 12 income-restricted units, and renovate the commercial space.

The BPDA voted to name the NUBA team, lead by Kamran Zahedi of Urbanica LLC. developer of Parcel 8 on April 17, moving the Melnea Cass parcel to the next step.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through April 11, Nubian Square comes alive with the “Nubian Nights” installation, featuring jazz music and synchronized light projections on local businesses. Organized by the Roxbury Cultural District (RCD), the outdoor installations provides a safe, socially distanced art experience for the neighborhood.

A team of developers is seeking to build a multi-use development on the Blair Lot that they hope will bolster the arts community in Nubian Square.

Three buildings on the Bartlett Place lot in Nubian Square are moving toward approval, scheduled to start construction in late 2021. The project review committee for the 10-building site held a meeting Nov. 30 to review plans from Nelson Group and Shanti Acquisition that will provide a total of 126 homeownership units.