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BOSTON - Wednesday,
August 18, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey announced today that the City of Boston
has released two Request for Proposals (RFP), offering $30 million for affordable
housing projects seeking financial support from the City of Boston. This
funding is available for rental, cooperative, and homeownership
developments. There will be a virtual Applicants Conference on Wednesday,
August 25, 2021, at 10:00 am. Interested applicants may register here. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a Letter of
Intent by Friday, August 27, 2021, and a final proposal by September 24,
2021.
"Addressing
rising housing costs is critical to preserving the diversity and character
of Boston’s neighborhoods," said Mayor Janey. "My administration
has made it a priority to increase affordability and stop displacement. We
are committing more than $30 million to preserve and create housing that
accelerates equity in every neighborhood and provides residents and
families with affordable options."
The City, the
Community Preservation Committee and the Neighborhood Housing Trust will
prioritize projects that produce significant percentages of housing for
residents with extremely low-income, that serve homeless individuals,
seniors, or residents with disabilities. The housing should promote the
City of Boston’s goals to affirmatively further fair housing and
efficiently use City resources and/or land to increase the supply of
housing available to low- and moderate-income households. This year’s
funding also prioritizes projects in neighborhoods that fall below the
City-wide average of 19 percent of neighborhood housing stock that is
income-restricted.
“This RFP represents
an important opportunity to make Boston more affordable for the people who
live and work in our City. The City’s commitment to producing and
preserving both rental and homeownership opportunities for low-income
residents is central to creating a more equitable city,” said Teronda
Ellis, Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood
Development Corporation.
This year’s RFPs
enhance the City’s long-standing focus on advancing equity in every stage
of the housing creation or preservation process.
The RFP requires
developers to report on how they will ensure minority-owned businesses
(MBE) are represented throughout the development and property management
process. The RFP priorities will include a preference for projects
where 20 percent or more of the project is owned by an MBE or 20 percent or
more of a project’s soft costs are awarded to minority-owned firms.
Applicants must also provide how resident services offered in multi-family
development will help support economic mobility for residents who live in
affordable housing units.
“It is fantastic
to see the City of Boston and the Department of Neighborhood Development
challenging the status quo and putting racial and gender equity at the
forefront of their affordable housing program,” said Travis Watson,
Director of Racial Equity and Community Engagement at the Massachusetts
Housing Investment Corporation. “It's holistic approaches to
development like this that have a real potential to chip away at both the
racial and gender wealth gaps.”
The City encourages
developers to build in accessibility for all through the application of
universal design principles throughout their projects. Furthering the
City’s commitment to a Carbon Neutral Boston by 2050, the RFPs also require
that proposers of new construction demonstrate a plan to achieve zero
emissions in their new buildings.
“The Department of
Neighborhood Development has taken an important step in securing a cleaner
future for the City of Boston,” said Rickie Harvey, co-founder and steering
team member of the Boston Clean Energy Coalition (BCEC). “The enhanced
requirements will help ensure that the next generation of affordable
housing in Boston reduces the City’s carbon footprint, is affordable to
live in, and contributes to healthier and more equitable communities.”
Funds will be
awarded from three sources: the first, more than $10 million, consists of
funds administered by the Department of Neighborhood Development. The Neighborhood Housing Trust Fund (NHT)
is making available up to $10 million to support the creation and
preservation of affordable housing developments that meet the needs of the
homeless, low- and moderate-income individuals and households in Boston.
The third source is approximately $10 million from Community Preservation
Act funds.
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