Wu Selects 14 Projects To Receive $40M In Affordable Housing Funds

Fourteen projects across Boston are set to receive new funding from the city that will help create or preserve more than 700 units of income-restricted housing. 

Mayor Michelle Wu committed $40M and selected projects in Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, Chinatown, Hyde Park and Roxbury to receive the funding, her administration announced Tuesday. 

The money is coming from the Mayor’s Office of Housing, the Neighborhood Housing Trust and the Community Preservation Fund. The selections come after former Mayor Marty Walsh's administration in August 2020 released two requests for proposals for affordable housing development or preservation projects to apply for city funding. 

The RFP selection process prioritized development teams in which a minority business enterprise owned more than 20% of the project, and it prioritized projects in neighborhoods that are below the city's average of income-restricted housing units, Wu's announcement said. The diversity-focused priority comes after a BBC Research & Consulting study found that just 1.2% of the $2.1B in contracts awarded by Boston between 2014 and 2019 went to Black- and- Latino-owned businesses. 

The selection criteria had several additional priority areas related to affordability and other aspects of the projects. The developers selected had to meet long-term affordability requirements for income-restricted units, and the rental projects were required to set aside at least 10% of their units for households experiencing homelessness, the announcement said.

“Now more than ever, having a safe and stable home is critical for the health of our families and communities," Wu said in a statement. "These housing awards represent significant investments in neighborhoods across Boston, making them stronger and more accessible for our residents."

The developers, neighborhoods, unit counts and funding amounts for each selection are below, and more information on the projects can be found in the mayor's announcement. 

• $4.8M for a new 96-unit project from the Community Builders in Jamaica Plain. 
• $4.58M for 49 new income-restricted, for-sale units from Urbanica in Roxbury. 
• $4.5M for a new 10-story building with 64 apartments and 32 for-sale units from Trinity Financial and Madison Park Neighborhood Development Corp. in Roxbury.
• $4.5M for 63 new senior housing units from B’nai B’rith Housing in Hyde Park.  
• $3.95M for 45 income-restricted for-sale units from Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corp. and Traggorth Cos. in Jamaica Plain. 
• $3.5M for a new 85-unit mixed-income development from Beacon Communities and Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Chinatown.
• $2.5M for a 60-unit affordable apartment project from The NHP Foundation in Roxbury. 
• $2.5M for 36 income-restricted apartments for people aged 62 and older from VietAID in Dorchester. 
• $2.48M for 24 affordable for-sale units from Windale Development in Roxbury.
• $2.1M for 42 income-restricted apartments from Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp. in Dorchester.
• $2M for 44 new affordable apartments from Nuestra Comunidad in Roxbury.
• $1.08M for 15 for-sale units, 10 of which are income-restricted, from Nubian Ascends Partners LLC in Roxbury.
• $886K for Affordable Housing & Services Collaborative to preserve the affordability of two income-restricted housing communities in Dorchester.
• $602K for four units reserved for clients of the Department of Mental Health, built by Cruz Development in Dorchester.