Boston Medical Center Plans To Redevelop Franklin Park Hospital With 400 Housing Units
Boston Medical Center and a coalition of community organizations are planning to build over 400 units of supportive housing to combat homelessness in Boston.
After issuing a request for proposals last year, Gov. Maura Healey's administration announced Wednesday it selected the BMC team's plan for the redevelopment of the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Franklin Park.
The project is proposed to cost $543M, including $207M from the state, the Boston Globe reported.
The proposal includes 200 new units of supportive housing for individuals and up to 205 units of supportive housing for families, according to a press release. The units would be managed by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corp.
The supportive housing would include services to help residents with case management, job training, life skills, counseling, transportation and other support services, according to the release.
The redevelopment would also include inpatient and outpatient services, including primary care, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, as well as 120 beds for emergency housing. The proposal would also increase the green space on the site by 30% along with new pedestrian, bicycle and public transit connections.
“People suffering from these conditions require a new model of care — one that offers an integrated continuum of services, delivered by leading experts devoted to long-term solutions,” Alastair Bell, president and CEO of Boston Medical Center, said in the release. “We are proud to partner with esteemed community-based organizations on this novel healthcare-and-housing model.”
The proposal isn't yet final. The coalition will work with the Healey administration, city officials and the community through public hearings to move the project forward.
The coalition partners include Bay Cove Human Services, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program, Health Care Resource Centers, Pine Street Inn, Victory Programs, The Community Builders and the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corp.
The state's initial RFP for the 13-acre site, released in June 2022, called for developing 75 to 100 units of permanent supportive housing and the operation of a new clinical space for residential patients through a ground lease, according to the RFP.
Along with the redevelopment, the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital's services are being transferred to a new facility at the BMC's East Newton Pavillion in the South End. That facility is expected to be completed in 2026.
“This prospective redevelopment partnership represents a creative and cost-effective way to take a state asset that is beyond its useful life and leverage it into support for those most vulnerable in our communities,” Carol Gladstone, commissioner of the state's Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, said in a release.
