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BOSTON - January 19, 2023 - The Boston Planning & Development Agency
(BPDA) Board today voted at their January board meeting to tentatively
designate HYM Investment Group, LLC and My City at Peace (HYM/MyCAP) to
redevelop Parcel P-3 in
Roxbury. HYM and MyCAP are proposing to transform this long vacant parcel,
which is currently being used as overflow parking for adjacent sites, into
much needed affordable housing for the community, green spaces, life
science buildings, a life science workforce training center, and a new
museum and policy center. Due to its large size, proximity to public
transit, major roads, and educational facilities, this site has the
potential to contribute to economic development in the Nubian Square area
while advancing the community’s vision for affordable housing, arts &
culture, and equity. Currently, the proposal aims to redevelop this parcel
into five mixed-use buildings and open space – with affordable, for sale
housing to be completed in Phase 1 of the development to ensure this urgent
community need is prioritized and completed as quickly as possible. These
buildings would be a mix of lab, residential, retail, commercial, and
assembly space. Consisting of approximately 7.7 acres, this is the largest
undeveloped parcel in the BPDA’s real estate portfolio.
“I’m glad we’re taking this first step toward a vision for P-3 being
realized,” said Chief of Planning Arthur Jemison. “BPDA staff has
worked diligently to pursue deep engagement with the community and prioritize
their recommended vision for this land at every step of the process. The
BPDA looks forward to working with HYM/MyCAP to transform Parcel P-3 into a
positive addition that benefits the people of Roxbury.”
“On behalf of the P-3 Roxbury Team, we are thankful to the BPDA Board of
Directors, the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee, the
Project Review Committee and the Roxbury community for choosing our
team as the developer of P-3”, said Reverend Jeffery Brown, Founder
and CEO of My City at Peace and Thomas N. O’Brien, Managing Partner and
Chief Executive Officer of The HYM Investment Group, LLC. “Driven by
Boston and Roxbury’s next generation of Black, Brown, and Women
entrepreneurs, we are committed to creating generational wealth, high-paying
jobs with long-term career opportunities, and affordable housing for
families of color in the Nubian Square and Greater Roxbury area.”
The original RFP for this proposal was released in October of 2021,
following a multi-year planning effort that began in 2016, known as PLAN: Nubian Square.
The planning process was originally launched to guide the RFP process for
nine publicly-owned parcels, including Parcel P-3. The resulting RFP
development objectives for Parcel P-3 were driven by community feedback,
including affordable housing, economic development, development without
displacement, good jobs standards, diversity and inclusion, sustainability,
and additional community benefits. The BPDA received two proposals in
response to the RFP, and through an evaluation process with community
stakeholders, determined HYM/MyCAP’s proposal was most advantageous and
responsive to the community’s vision for the land.
One of the main focuses of this proposal in response to the original RFP,
is to create a significant amount of affordable housing without displacing
current community residents. Currently, HYM/MyCAP are proposing approximately
466 units of housing total, which will be a mix of homeownership and
rental. Of those units, approximately 66 percent will be considered
affordable or income-restricted. The proposal intends to expedite and
maximize affordable housing with a creative financing approach whereby the
value from life science uses will cross-subsidize affordable housing, among
other community benefits. The developers also plan to provide resources to
prepare residents for buying a home in order to increase the number of
families able to attain homeownership. HYM/MyCAP have committed to
delivering the homeownership component of the project in the first phase of
development.
This proposal for P-3 also includes lab space, as well as a commitment to
job training in the life sciences industry for those in the Roxbury
community. HYM/MyCAP have partnered with LabCentral Ignite, a life sciences
nonprofit dedicated to upskilling and training people of color to fill
positions in the life sciences buildings. LabCentral Ignite was created to
address the disparities in the biotech industry’s workforce among racial
and gender representation. This new center, designed, staffed, and operated
by LabCentral’s Ignite, will be focused on harnessing the power of
community to address systemic racial and gender underrepresentation in the
life sciences.
Over the years, Roxbury has been home to activists, civil rights leaders,
artists, and musicians, and the neighborhood is known for its vibrant Black
community and culture. Today, over 50 percent of the neighborhood’s
population identifies as Black. Roxbury was designated as a Cultural
District in 2017, elevating the area’s art, history, and community. In
keeping with that spirit, this proposal includes space for Embrace Boston
which will act as the cultural anchor for the project and drive civic
engagement, working to advance economic justice for residents and introduce
visitors from around the globe to this unique aspect of Boston’s past and
present. Embrace Boston honors the memory of Dr. and Coretta Scott King by
advancing their life’s work to ensure a more racially and economically just
future. The space will be utilized as a museum/gallery and policy forum,
providing a strong sense of identity to the overall project and a place for
the community to engage passionately with ideas to advance racial and
economic equity.
Like all BPDA-owned parcels in the City of Boston, the selected development
team was required to meet the BPDA’s Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion evaluation criterion, and outline commitments
to including Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBEs) in all
aspects of their development process. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(DEI) criteria was weighted at 25 percent of the total evaluation of the
proposal. HYM and MyCAP are 50 - 50 partners and MyCAP is an MBE firm.
There are 10 additional M/WBE firms on the team including Madison Park Development
Corporation, DREAM Development, The OnyxGroup, Prive Parking, Embrace
Boston, LabCentral Ignite, DREAM Collaborative, Agency Landscape +
Planning, enviENERGY, Nitsch Engineering, and Maven Construction. The
overall development team is comprised of 80 percent M/WNPO and M/WBE firms,
and 100 percent of the team has committed to elevating M/WBE firms and
individuals as it builds out the rest of the project team and through the
development process.
In addition, the development team has committed to a detailed recruiting,
mentorship, and sponsorship program for minorities and women who wish to
join the building trades. They also plan to build partnerships with Madison
Park High School, BFIT, and other schools to provide internships, co-ops,
and more for hands-on work experience.
In December 2020, MassDevelopment awarded the BPDA a Brownfields
Remediation Recoverable Grant for up to $250,000 for environmental cleanup
of the site, which contains both soil contamination and groundwater
contamination – the source of which is likely contaminants common in urban
fill and possibly historic releases from former industrial use of the
property. The BPDA is currently working to deploy those funds on
environmental remediation activities at Parcel P-3, targeting the areas of
highest contamination. This first phase of remediation activity is planned
to be completed in 2023.
Since adopting DEI criteria in 2018, more than 18 RFPs have been released
with the DEI requirements, and 12 have been designated. A core value of the
BPDA’s real estate practice is to use public property to advance diversity,
equity, and inclusion. As a result, the RFP required respondents to submit
a detailed, impactful and implementable Diversity and Inclusion Plan for
establishing and overseeing a minority outreach program aimed at creating
increased opportunities for people of color and women.
Following the tentative designation, HYM/MyCAP will file the project for
Article 80 Large Project Review. The Article 80 process will be managed by
the BPDA, in partnership with the community and local elected officials, to
review the proposal’s impacts on transportation, the public realm, the
environment, and other important considerations.
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