Project partners and stakeholders, community leaders, and officials from local, state and federal housing agencies also were in attendance for the milestone event in the redevelopment and expansion of the BHA’s Amory Street campus.
Urban Edge’s Holtzer Park provides 62 affordable rental homes designed to meet the needs of individuals and families in the Jamaica Plain community. The project includes nine single-bedroom, 37 two-bedroom, and 16 three-bedroom homes. All of the apartments are affordable, with 21 of the units targeting households at 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 41 units slated for those up to 60% AMI.
“When we set out to redevelop our Amory Street public housing community, we knew there would be opportunities to add significant affordable housing and better serve the Jamaica Plain neighborhood,” BHA Administrator Kate Bennett said. “Holtzer Park is an example of what can happen when community partners come together to meet our city’s affordable housing challenge. These units will serve low- and moderate-income Jamaica Plain families for generations.”
Of the 62 new apartment homes at Holtzer Park, 14 of the units are designated for formerly homeless families, for those with disabilities, or for people accessing services through the Department of Mental Health. The project is also a green development and achieved LEED Platinum certifiability.
“The collaboration, partnerships and community engagement that defined this development process really demonstrate how stakeholders in a neighborhood like Jamaica Plain can work together to help address the need for affordable housing,” said Emilio Dorcely, CEO of Urban Edge. “Today is a big milestone in the evolution of the BHA’s Amory Street campus. But it certainly won’t be the last.”
The BHA in 2015 formed a public-private partnership with Urban Edge, TCB, and JPNDC to redevelop and increase housing at the Housing Authority’s Amory Street campus. The first phase involved renovation of 211 affordable apartments for seniors and persons with disabilities at Amory Street Apartments, led by TCB and JPNDC. The new Holtzer Park project was led by Urban Edge; and future development plans include two new TCB-constructed buildings. In total, the redeveloped Amory Street site will provide 516 homes, of which 78% will be deed restricted as affordable.
Other project partners on Holtzer Park included the architectural firm ICON Architecture, the general contractor NEI General Contracting, Klein Hornig LLP as legal counsel, and Munkenbeck Consulting as owner’s construction representative. The Community Builders (TCB) is serving as property manager for Holtzer Park.
Funding and financing for Holtzer Park was obtained through a wide range of programs from local, state and federal agencies and from private banks as well as quasi-public assistance corporations. These funders and financing sources include:
- The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD): AHTF, HSF, HIF, HOME, CBH, FCF, LIHTC, State LIHTC, MRVP, Section 8, 811
- City of Boston: Mayor’s Office of Housing Inclusionary Development Program, HOME, Neighborhood Housing Trust
- Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC): Administering Community Based Housing and Facilities Consolidation Funds for DHCD
- MassDevelopment: Bond Issuer, Brownfields Redevelopment Fund
- Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation: Federal + State LIHTC Investor
- Silicon Valley Bank: Construction and Permanent Lender
- Citizens Bank: Federal + State LIHTC Investor, Participant Construction Lender
- Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBank Boston): Affordable Housing Program
- Mass Housing: Administering Affordable Housing Trust Fund for DHCD
- The Life Initiative: Pre-Development Lender
- US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): HOME, Section 8, Section 811 Project Rental Assistance through DHCD
About the Boston Housing Authority
Boston Housing Authority provides quality affordable housing for low-income families and individuals through the public housing and Section 8 rental assistance programs. We foster vital communities that are essential to our city's economic diversity and way of life. As the largest housing provider in Boston, we bring stability, opportunity, and peace of mind not only to the thousands of low-income families we support, but to the city as a whole.
About Urban Edge
Urban Edge is a national leader in the community development field, known for innovation and excellence. With its heart in Egleston and Jackson Squares, a vibrant, inclusive and culturally and economically diverse area of Boston, Urban Edge works with others across the City of Boston and region to promote high quality, sustainable and affordable communities. Public, private and non-profit entities turn to Urban Edge for its advice and expertise, and as a partner in undertaking complex and transformative urban projects.