KentXie
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Housing in Chinatown Could Double by 2010
Dec 15, 2006
by Adam Smith
Those familiar with development in Chinatown know that the neighborhood?s supply of market-rate and low-income housing is changing and will continue to change. But by how much? That question has been left mostly to speculation.
One group, however, has begun to quantify the change.
The Chinatown Gateway Coalition, a group of Chinatown activists and housing advocates, has found that the housing stock in the neighborhood has grown by one-third since 2000 and is expected to more than double by 2010. Most of the new housing created will be market-rate and luxury.
While acknowledging that the numbers could change depending which projects are considered inside Chinatown, the groups says that in 2000, the neighborhood had a total of 2,091 housing units. By 2006, that number grew by 1,171 units. When and if all currently planned and proposed housing developments are completed, the total housing stock will reach 4,401. About one-third of that total projected stock is expected to serve moderate-income earners and some low-income earners.
?Chinatown?s population will double by 2010,? said Kye Leung, project coordinator of the Chinatown Gateway Coalition.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority, through a spokesperson, did not dispute the housing numbers produced by the group, but did say that the projected number of affordable units appeared too low.
Leung said the data ?- which he cautioned was somewhat a work-in-progress -? will be used for the coalition?s main goal of advocating for a development of a lot of up to 20-acres next to Chinatown, known officially as the South Bay Planning Study Area. The area, which the coalition says should be named the Chinatown Gateway, consists mostly of former Big Dig parcels, and is bounded by Kneeland Street, Albany Street, the Massachusetts Turnpike I-90 mainline, and the I-93 northbound mainline.
?We just wanted to show that the trend is not to develop affordable housing,? said Leung.
However, he said, a high demand for low-income housing exists in Chinatown based on waiting lists at federally subsidized apartment complexes.
But Leung said he did not want to say what type of housing would be best at the site, and that would be left up to residents and community groups. The coalition has met with residents to tell them about the South Bay Planning Study Area and hopes to also collaborate with business owners, community groups and others.
By the spring of 2007, the group plans to host a community design forum for to come up with ideas for what could be built on the expansive lot.
Whoever builds on the land will likely encounter a costly and complicated project because elevated highway roads and ramps cross through it, leaving only about 10 acres of usable dirt ground. Boston Residential submitted a proposal in 2004 to develop the area, most of which is owned by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, but the authority has yet to make a decision on whether to accept the proposal and little news about the land has been released for nearly three years.
The Boston Residential proposal included a 67-floor building called the Gateway Tower, and 1,669 housing units.
The Chinatown Gateway Coalition has said it hopes to take advantage of the lull in the city and state planning processes for the area and draft its own guidelines for developing the land. City officials, however, have said that the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the Boston Redevelopment Authority have already worked with Chinatown neighborhood leaders for the initial planning of the lot?s development.
When asked about the likelihood of successfully influencing the development of the land, Leung said: ?We have to be smart about what we do and there will probably be compromises.? He added: ?The other scenario would be to not do anything.?
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Looks like this project isn't dead yet and it seems renderings will appear at Spring. Can't wait.
Dec 15, 2006
by Adam Smith
Those familiar with development in Chinatown know that the neighborhood?s supply of market-rate and low-income housing is changing and will continue to change. But by how much? That question has been left mostly to speculation.
One group, however, has begun to quantify the change.
The Chinatown Gateway Coalition, a group of Chinatown activists and housing advocates, has found that the housing stock in the neighborhood has grown by one-third since 2000 and is expected to more than double by 2010. Most of the new housing created will be market-rate and luxury.
While acknowledging that the numbers could change depending which projects are considered inside Chinatown, the groups says that in 2000, the neighborhood had a total of 2,091 housing units. By 2006, that number grew by 1,171 units. When and if all currently planned and proposed housing developments are completed, the total housing stock will reach 4,401. About one-third of that total projected stock is expected to serve moderate-income earners and some low-income earners.
?Chinatown?s population will double by 2010,? said Kye Leung, project coordinator of the Chinatown Gateway Coalition.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority, through a spokesperson, did not dispute the housing numbers produced by the group, but did say that the projected number of affordable units appeared too low.
Leung said the data ?- which he cautioned was somewhat a work-in-progress -? will be used for the coalition?s main goal of advocating for a development of a lot of up to 20-acres next to Chinatown, known officially as the South Bay Planning Study Area. The area, which the coalition says should be named the Chinatown Gateway, consists mostly of former Big Dig parcels, and is bounded by Kneeland Street, Albany Street, the Massachusetts Turnpike I-90 mainline, and the I-93 northbound mainline.
?We just wanted to show that the trend is not to develop affordable housing,? said Leung.
However, he said, a high demand for low-income housing exists in Chinatown based on waiting lists at federally subsidized apartment complexes.
But Leung said he did not want to say what type of housing would be best at the site, and that would be left up to residents and community groups. The coalition has met with residents to tell them about the South Bay Planning Study Area and hopes to also collaborate with business owners, community groups and others.
By the spring of 2007, the group plans to host a community design forum for to come up with ideas for what could be built on the expansive lot.
Whoever builds on the land will likely encounter a costly and complicated project because elevated highway roads and ramps cross through it, leaving only about 10 acres of usable dirt ground. Boston Residential submitted a proposal in 2004 to develop the area, most of which is owned by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, but the authority has yet to make a decision on whether to accept the proposal and little news about the land has been released for nearly three years.
The Boston Residential proposal included a 67-floor building called the Gateway Tower, and 1,669 housing units.
The Chinatown Gateway Coalition has said it hopes to take advantage of the lull in the city and state planning processes for the area and draft its own guidelines for developing the land. City officials, however, have said that the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the Boston Redevelopment Authority have already worked with Chinatown neighborhood leaders for the initial planning of the lot?s development.
When asked about the likelihood of successfully influencing the development of the land, Leung said: ?We have to be smart about what we do and there will probably be compromises.? He added: ?The other scenario would be to not do anything.?
-----------------------
Looks like this project isn't dead yet and it seems renderings will appear at Spring. Can't wait.
