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BOSTON - Tuesday,
September 28, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey, the Boston Planning & Development
Agency (BPDA) and the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) are
moving forward with the first of two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that
advance the implementation of Imagine Boston 2030 and the creation of the Upham’s Corner Arts & Innovation District. Together, the RFPs advance the community’s
vision to build a new Upham’s Corner branch of the Boston Public Library
(BPL), designate an experienced operator for the Strand Theatre, create
affordable housing and affordable commercial space that supports both local
residents and business owners, revitalize Upham’s Corner as a cultural
destination, and to serve as a model for development without displacement.
"We have an
incredible opportunity in Upham's Corner to revitalize vacant,
underutilized properties and parking lots into transformative spaces that
will support existing residents and restore the neighborhood into the
cultural hub that it is," said Mayor Kim Janey. "These RFPs come
after years of community-centered planning, and I thank the members of the
WAG, and all of the local stakeholders who have helped us reach this
milestone."
“Today’s
announcement is the culmination of years of collaborative planning efforts
driven by community members with a clear vision for the economic future of
Upham’s Corner,” said Midori Morikawa, Chief of Economic Development.
Both community and city stakeholders made a commitment to invest in this
neighborhood by highlighting the values identified through the Imagine
Boston 2030 citywide community planning process of equity, economic
opportunity, cultural vibrancy, and affordability to serve its residents
and business owners. Upham’s Corner is poised to become both a cultural
destination as well as a national model for community-driven economic
development.”
The steps announced
today result from a multi-year long, comprehensive community process where
City of Boston departments, including the BPDA, DND, the Office of Economic
Development, the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, and the Boston
Public Library, worked closely alongside the Upham’s Corner Working
Advisory Group (WAG), the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI),
Dudley Neighbors, Inc. (DNI), and Upham’s Corner Main Streets, to ensure
that the redevelopment of multiple vacant and dilapidated sites in Upham’s
Corner were redeveloped to support the local Upham’s Corner community. The
WAG is a City-appointed advisory group consisting of residents, business
owners, advocates, and other community leaders. Their feedback and input
has helped shape the content of community meetings and the RFPs.
"DSNI applauds
the intentionality behind the language included in the RFP’s to promote
diversity and development without displacement," said John Smith,
Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and WAG
member. "As neighborhoods around the City continue to deal with
economic inequities and gentrification, it’s important to focus on
development without displacement. DSNI has a mission to act as a steward
for neighborhood development, and as such we will continue to advocate for
community development that does not leave the 'community' behind."
"As a long time
Upham's Corner resident and WAG member, I am excited about the
revitalization that is coming," said Joan Tighe, Coordinator for the
Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative. "A rejuvenated Strand Theatre and
a new public library are critical to the artistic and commercial life of
the business district and the surrounding neighborhood. Coupled with
the creation of new affordable housing, I see a bright future for Upham's
Corner in the years ahead."
The release of the
first RFP follows eight community workshops with more than 500 collective attendees
since 2017, and support the goals of the Upham’s Corner Station Area Plan
of the Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative.
New Upham’s Corner
Branch Library; Affordable Housing and Commercial Space
In partnership with
the City of Boston’s Department of Public Facilities and the Upham’s Corner
community, the Boston Public Library recently completed a test study for
the creation of a new branch library in Upham’s Corner. The study,
which examines the scenarios that would lead to a successful design, led to
the creation of the RFP for 555-559 Columbia Road.
Along with calling
for a new branch library, the RFP, released by the BPDA on September 22,
also marks a signature deployment of the City’s Housing with Public Assets initiative, calling for a mixed-income
housing development atop the lower two floors that will house the new
Upham’s Corner branch and affordable commercial space.
Much of the space at
555-559 Columbia Road will be dedicated to the community vision of an arts
and innovation hub. Components of the new branch library will support
arts and innovation, including the ability to host performing arts
productions, displays of BPL collections related to the performing arts,
and a maker space. In addition, the RFP calls for the commercial space to
support arts and innovation, while a significant portion of the affordable
housing will be set aside as artist housing.
The site is
currently vacant and requires environmental remediation. Once complete, the
site will serve as a model for the Housing with Public Assets initiative
for other similar sites around the City.
“We can not wait to
deliver on a decades-old promise of a new library for the Upham’s Corner
community,” said BPL president David Leonard. “To be a part of this
community-driven collaboration has been incredibly exciting, and we are
looking forward to delivering the community a fantastic new, larger public
library at the heart of this arts and innovation district.”
Strand Theatre
In addition, the
upcoming RFP for the 555-559 Columbia Road calls for an experienced
operator for the historic Strand Theatre to lead robust programming that
supports the local arts community and restores the Strand as a cultural
destination for the region and the anchor of the Upham’s Corner Arts &
Innovation District. The Strand Theatre, which is approximately 56,000
square feet with 1,400 seats, is owned by the City of Boston and managed by
the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.
Developers and
experienced cultural space operators are encouraged to form partnerships
that will lead to successful advancement of the vision of the Upham’s
Corner Arts and Innovation District.
Affordable Housing
and Commercial Space at 18 Hamlet Street
In the coming weeks,
DND will also release an RFP for 0-18 Hamlet Street, calling for mixed-use
development of the site, including affordable commercial and/or residential
space and publicly available parking for the Upham's Corner area. The site
is currently in use as Municipal Lot #19, a City-owned surface parking lot
with approximately 88 spaces. The RFP will require these spaces to be
replaced as part of any development proposal in addition to providing
parking to support additional uses on the site.
Commercial
development on the Hamlet Street site will be expected to advance the
Upham’s Corner Arts & Innovation objectives and incorporate potential
business/entrepreneurship development, space for non-profit organizations
and/or exhibit space. A portion of the plan for this site should deliver
permanently affordable housing to support the Upham’s Corner community and
promote a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood. While housing is not the
primary preferred use of this site, a portion of the site can accommodate
housing that relates to the scale of other residential structures along
Hamlet Street.
In addition, earlier
this year DNI released a RFP to develop the parcel of land at 568-574
Columbia Road and in May 2021, selected a development team co-led by
Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation (DBEDC) and Preservation of
Affordable Housing (POAH). The proposed development will deliver
permanently affordable rental housing that serves the Upham’s Corner
community and incorporates artists’ spaces, as well as provides affordable
commercial space that honors the Arts & Innovation theme and
incorporates business/entrepreneurship development, exhibit space, and
smaller performance venues.
Prioritizing
Diversity and Development without Displacement
Like all
publicly-owned parcels in the City of Boston, the RFPs will include a Diversity and Inclusion evaluation criterion, requiring proponents to include a
Diversity and Inclusion Plan to outline their commitments to including
M/WBEs in all aspects of their development which will be weighted at 25
percent of the total evaluation of the parcel. Respondents must also
demonstrate how their proposals will allow the current residents of Upham’s
Corner to both remain in their communities and find additional pathways to
economic opportunity.
To support networking
among potential bidders and answer questions about both RFPs, the BPDA,
DND, and City of Boston departments will host a virtual pre-proposal
conference on October 13 and a site visit on October 19. Attendance
for bidders is optional but strongly encouraged. Responses are due on
December 23, 2021.
Shaped by the input
of over 15,000 residents, Imagine Boston 2030 is the first citywide plan in
over 50 years. Imagine Boston 2030 prioritizes inclusionary growth and puts
forth a comprehensive vision to enhance neighborhoods, encourage a
mixed-use core, support employment and housing growth, create a waterfront
that sustains future generations, and concentrate investments to reduce
disparities and expand opportunities. Learn more about the BPDA’s implementation of
Imagine Boston 2030.
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