BOSTON — A new affordable housing project proposal near the Mass and Cass corridor is reserving 10 percent of its units for people who are homeless.
Neighbors in Boston’s South End told Boston 25 News they want to make sure that active drug users won’t be moving into those apartments.
They said they have yet to receive any guarantee from the city of Boston so far.
The Worcester Square Neighborhood Association said tentative plans to redevelop 4.4 acres of Boston Water and Sewer Commission parking lots into 402 residential units have quietly pushed forward without community input.
“The city broke the project into several smaller projects to avoid triggering the guarantee of rigorous community participation,” said a letter from the Worcester Square Neighborhood Association to the Boston Zoning Commission.
The five parking lots slated for future construction cover 17 parcels in Roxbury near the South End line between Melnea Cass Boulevard, Harrison Avenue, and Washington Street.
The project aims to create 402 units.
79 will be owner-occupied and 323 will be rentals with at least 33 reserved for people struggling with homelessness.
“What we’re afraid of is that the city will be pulling people off the streets and just giving them apartments,” said South End resident George Stergios.
Stergios said the controversial temporary housing program at the Roundhouse Hotel proved what can go wrong when active drug users are allowed to move in.
“Everything that comes with people who are actively using, like prostitution, theft, squalor, and drug dealers,” he said. “They didn’t listen to us, and everything we said was going to happen, happened!”
Neighbors are pleading for the city to hear their concerns and listen to their advice.
“We think a priority should go to people who are economically homeless. Homeless because they lost their jobs, or they have jobs and still can’t afford to live in the city of Boston,” added Stergios. “Otherwise, people who have completed treatment.”
The Worcester Square Neighborhood Association has a meeting with the Boston Planning and Development Agency on Monday night ahead of a Boston Zoning Commission hearing on Wednesday.
“Multiple people from the city and the Boston Planning and Development Agency have not given us a commitment,” said South End resident Andy Brand. “We feel like our request is very reasonable.”
The Worcester Square Neighborhood Association’s opposition letter lays out the community’s desire for more concrete answers.
“Nothing in the developer’s proposal or city agencies’ communications indicates that they are prepared for the impact of having a large number of drug users on the project and in the community,” the letter states. “When asked, BPDA stated that additional security was not a requirement for the MOH homeless set-aside.”
The City of Boston has not yet responded to our request for comment.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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