Some 60 units of affordable housing are being proposed this week by The Neighborhood Developers in a $13 million five-story building that would occupy the French Naturalization Club at the end of Spencer Street.
The property is owned by TND and the City Council earlier this month discontinued the small street that runs between the Club and its parking lot. With that discontinuation by the City, TND now holds full control of the entire site and will go before the Zoning Board of Appeals on June 9.
The plan calls for demolishing the Club and constructing 60 new affordable rental units with 53 off-street parking spaces. The building would be situated in the middle of the site so that it would sit in the middle of the small cut-through street that has existed for some time (but was just discontinued).
The first floor would house a lobby, a community room, a laundry and community space. It would be accented with lots of windows to make clear sight lines through the building from the street.
I've been following this for a bit. Glad it's finally public. So excited for this. The whole building will be truly affordable. This is exactly what Chelsea needs in this area, not luxury apartments.
"Floors 2-5 would house all of the units. There would be six studios, 21 one-bedrooms, 24 two-bedrooms and nine three-bedrooms. All of the units would be means tested, which would mean that qualified residents could make no more than 60 percent of the median income (which is currently $59,000 for a family of four)."
Looking forward to a new neighbor and bringing life to this totally dead wasteland of a prime corner.
Theres HUGE opposition now for this project from surrounding neighbors, even threats of law suits against the city:
http://www.chelsearecord.com/2015/06/18/mill-hill-neighbors-firmly-opposed-to-tnd-project/
People are freaking out over the closing of the block of Spencer Ave in front of the French Club like it's going to cause Armageddon.
well, the real reason is that they dont want the project period.
I dont know... in a way I wouldnt mind this project but then again I'd rather see chelsea take more advantage of their location and have more living spaces directed towards young professionals and have more hip restaurants and shops.
I guess make it more like somerville/cambridge-shhh in way.
Originally Posted by scorpio02150 View Post
well, the real reason is that they dont want the project period.
I dont know... in a way I wouldnt mind this project but then again I'd rather see chelsea take more advantage of their location and have more living spaces directed towards young professionals and have more hip restaurants and shops.
I guess make it more like somerville/cambridge-shhh in way.
Give me a break. Chelsea is rapidly gentrifying. Between One Webster (no longer affordably priced), Atlas Lofts, Flats at 22, Box District, One North (& its addition), etc, Chelsea is well on the way.
Chelsea & all areas of metro Boston need a balance.
It's fine line, data. Affordable housing can only do so much. Part of a cheap, shitty neighborhood is that it is cheap and shitty and people look the other way if you're poor and wanna cram a ton of people into an apartment. And this is how it's been done since cities first existed. Where to draw the line is the question. Obviously, people need to be protected and shouldn't be exploited because they're vulnerable. But on the other hand, you sterilize and clean up every slummy building and enforce every single code in the book and you're never gonna pack in as many people or replace the ones that you displaced because rents are gonna go up and more affluent people are gonna move int. Tough calls. How to protect the poor without defending the slum as such.
The Chelsea of Bellingham Square and the Chelsea near the Revere line are very different places. This proposed building is in the area of town near the Revere line right near One Webster. This is pretty much a quiet more residential area of town with plenty of home owners & those with higher incomes. It is not run down in the slightest. There is an affordable means-tested building on Spencer Ave next to One Webster owned by the same developer (TND) that wants to develop this new building at the end of Spencer Ave. There are absolutely no problems with that building or its residents at all.
Bellingham Square is the opposite. It definitely needs some help and some nicer buildings.
If I were king of Chelsea, I'd want to see yuppies move into the beautiful housing stock on the waterfront side of downtown. Salt mountain = goodbye. I would want to improve the retail mix in Bellingham Square. I would want to see continued "luxury" construction in the box district. And I would want more affordable housing up north of the Tobin approach.