April 7, 2016
Contact: Lori Nelson,
BHA Communications Director, (617) 988-4405
For Immediate Release
Boston Housing Authority and Beacon Communities Development Partner for the Rehabilitation of Lenox/Camden Development
Boston – In partnership with the Boston Housing Authority, Beacon Communities Development LLC will lead the revitalization of Boston Housing Authority’s Lenox/Camden Apartments in Lower Roxbury. The Lenox/Camden family public housing development includes 285 units of federally subsidized housing in the Lenox portion of the site and 72-units in the adjacent state funded Camden portion of the site. The developers will play a lead role in all aspects of the relevant permitting, design, financing and construction of this project. The team put together by Beacon is very qualified and is also the development team for the BHA’s Old Colony redevelopment effort in South Boston.
“We look forward to creating a more accessible and environmentally friendly development in keeping with our commitment to provide the best possible affordable housing for our residents,” Bill McGonagle stated. “We look forward to an upgraded and vibrant site that will bring the community closer together and provide access and opportunity to all.”
Upgrades to the current site will take place without off site relocation and does not include demolition of buildings at the site. The revitalization is needed to maintain the affordability and long term physical sustainability of the sites. Units will be updated and renovated, but all residents will remain living in the development while the project proceeds. A sense of community and a better connection with the rest of the neighborhood is also a primary goal of both residents and developers.
Interior upgrades include items such as: replacing kitchen and bathroom appliances (with Energy Star products), replacing finishes such as floors and paint, refurbishing common hallways and stairways, replacing lighting and plumbing as needed, updating offices and community rooms, and revising accessibility throughout the site. Key exterior improvements include items such as: adding a security system, repairing walkways, repairing stairs and entryways, landscaping, signage, and new lighting. Ultimately, the changes will provide for a more energy efficient community that is also accessible to those with disabilities.
“I believe that the remodeling of the developments will provide a much better overall living environment,” says Julieta Lopez, Chair of Resident Organization. “These changes will also allow for an increase in employment opportunities for the residents of the developments and the surrounding communities.”
Residents will have many opportunities to participate with developers in planning for the revitalization to the site. Developers will hold a series of meetings with residents to discuss priorities and desired improvements for their community. Throughout the process, meetings will be scheduled to keep residents up to date and to also get their feedback about what is taking place. The redevelopment is expected to start in Fall of 2017 and take about two years to complete. The total project cost is to be determined.
The rehabilitation of this development goes along with Mayor Walsh’s report “Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030”, where an action to “develop a site-by-site preservation strategy that optimizes local assets and opportunities” is stated.
BHA issued the Request for Proposals (RFP) for revitalization of the Lenox/Camden site as part of a wider strategy to upgrade and make sustainable its affordable housing communities in the wake of historic federal budget cuts. The BHA has focused on several sites including Lenox/Camden due to current market conditions and the potential opportunity for the preservation the low-income units in the development with little or no public subsidy.
Prior to issuing the Lenox/Camden RFP, BHA issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in November, 2014 asking the non-profit and for-profit development community for ideas about how to preserve public housing units with decreased reliance on federal public housing subsidy, which has been shrinking for many years. There is a copy of the RFQ and more information on the BHA’s funding situation in our Five-Year Plan on the BHA’s website.
About Boston Authority (BHA)
Boston Housing Authority (BHA) provides affordable housing to more than 58,000 residents in and around the City of Boston. Residents are assisted through a combination of public housing and federal and state voucher subsidy programs that provide a wide variety of housing opportunities. As the largest public housing authority in New England, the BHA houses close to 9 percent of the city's residents.
Our mission is to provide stable, quality affordable housing for low and moderate income persons; to deliver these services with integrity and mutual accountability; and to create living environments which serve as catalysts for the transformation from dependency to economic self-sufficiency.