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BOSTON – October
12, 2021 – Mayor Kim Janey announced the groundbreaking of new affordable
housing to be built on the former MBTA Bartlett Station Lot D in Nubian
Square. United States Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, the Department of
Neighborhood Development, Nuestra Comunidad, Preservation of Affordable
Housing (POAH), and partners celebrated the initiative with a
groundbreaking Tuesday. The $27 million project, to be named The Kenzi at
Bartlett Station, will create 50 units of supportive, affordable housing
for older adults and is part of the five-phase redevelopment of the
former bus yard now owned by Nuestra Comunidad and Windale Developers.
Today’s groundbreaking ceremony builds on the City of Boston’s commitment
to creating more affordable housing, especially for older residents.
“I am thrilled
that the next stage of the Bartlett Station development has begun. These
new affordable rental apartments for older Bostonians will provide
much-needed housing in Roxbury,” said Mayor Kim Janey. “This project
will build on the larger inclusive development that is transforming
Nubian Square. I want to thank Nuestra, POAH, MassHousing, and all of our
partners for helping to realize our vision to turn a contaminated
brownfield into new housing and a commercial hub for this community. The
City of Boston continues to be committed to creating and preserving
affordable housing that provides older residents a safe place to call
home.”
"While we’re
in the midst of this debate around what is infrastructure, again I affirm
that housing is infrastructure and against the backdrop of a national
reckoning on racial injustice, housing is a racial justice issue, it is
an economic justice issue, and it is a climate justice issue," said
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. "Housing is a fundamental human right,
and that goes for every member of our community, especially our seniors.
Everyone deserves more than shelter, they deserve a home, and that’s what
they will have here at The Kenzi."
The Kenzi at
Bartlett Station will create 50 units of housing for older Bostonians
with 41 affordable one-bedroom units, 3 affordable two-bedroom units, and
6 market-rate two-bedroom units. All residents at the new 57,576 square
foot building will have 24/7 access to on-site concierge services and a
resident service coordinator. Additional wellness services will be
available once construction is complete. The new housing development will
create 44 new affordable units restricted to Bostonians over the age of
55 who earn at or below 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), or $77,350
for a two-person household. The development’s affordable housing also
includes five units of housing for formerly homeless individuals.
“The Kenzie at
Bartlett Station will help seniors to age in the community with access to
services through a unique partnership with the Boston Medical Center,”
said Aaron Gornstein, President and CEO, Preservation of Affordable
Housing. “We are also proud that the development will achieve the highest
levels of energy-efficiency while providing significant contracting
opportunities for local minority and women-owned businesses.”
“Our older
neighbors in Roxbury have told us they need affordable, comfortable homes
in which to age, sustain their health and enjoy their community without
fear of displacement,” said Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation
Executive Director David Price. “A key to success in helping Roxbury
seniors is the partnerships created for this project, starting with POAH
and Nuestra, and also including neighborhood leaders and organizations
who have helped guide this visionary senior housing project and other
developments at Bartlett Station.”
The construction
of these new homes at The Kenzi at Bartlett Station also aligns with the
City of Boston’s housing goals to produce more affordable housing for
older Bostonians, as outlined in Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030. The City’s housing plan set a target of
creating 2,000 low-income elderly units by 2030. In the last five years,
552 new senior units have been completed or are currently in construction
in the city of Boston. Of these, 515 or 93 percent of these units are
income-restricted units for individuals 55 and older, with 494 created
for low-income individuals making at or below $56,400 or 60 percent AMI,
and 21 were created for moderate-income individuals with income limits at
or below $67,700 or 80 percent AMI. Recently, Hearth at Four Corners
created 54 new units of supportive, affordable housing for older adults
in Dorchester and the Barton Rogers School in Hyde Park is under
construction. The City of Boston has nine more housing developments for
older residents in the pipeline that will create another 365
income-restricted units.
“The latest phase of Bartlett Station is
a major component of the revitalization of the Nubian Square area,” said
MassHousing Executive Director Chrystal Kornegay. “This a transformative
endeavor for Roxbury that will bring new housing and economic
opportunities to the neighborhood, and we are pleased to be part of the
development and financing team.”
The Nubian Square
site is being redeveloped by Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation and Windale Developers, Inc. and will
ultimately create approximately 383 new homes for working families,
including 166 homes for purchase, 217 rental apartments, and 30,000
square feet of commercial space. The development project is anticipated
to generate approximately 100 retail jobs and 900 construction jobs, with
60 percent of the jobs going to workers of color.
The Kenzi at
Bartlett Station will employ environmentally friendly design features
throughout that meet the U.S. Green Building Council LEED Homes Silver
certifiable standard. The development also meets the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s Energy Star standards.
The development of
the Kenzie at Bartlett Station was made possible in part to funding from
$15 million in state and federal housing tax credit investments from the
Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC), $4 million
from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development,
$1.5 million from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, $1.75 million in
Community Preservation Act funding, $750,000 from the Neighborhood
Housing Trust, $700,000 investment by Preservation of Affordable
Housing, and $500,000 from the Boston Medical Center.
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