Madison Tropical Parcel 10 (Building B) | 2085 Washington st | Roxbury

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stick n move

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Since this was recently approved and is a more substantial project than just regular infill I figured Its time to make a new thread.

Madison Tropical Parcel 10 (Building B)
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“This project is part of a three-phase development of Madison Tropical Parcel 10 which is sponsored by the development team of Madison Park Development Corporation ("MPDC") and Tropical Foods. Phase 3 (Building B) was originally envisioned as a mixed use office and commercial building and is now expected to generate over 130K of residential sqft, including 96 residential units and 94 Affordable/IDP units.”
https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/madison-tropical-parcel-10

“The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved a proposal for a ten-story building with 64 apartments and 32 condos - all but two to be rented or sold as affordable - on Washington Street at Melnea Cass Boulevard.
The two-wing building, next to Tropical Foods and proposed by the Madison Park Development Corp. and Trinity Financial, will include a public plaza and artist spaces fronting on the plaza - and solar panels on its two roofs.
Of the apartments, 16 will be rented to people making no more than 30% of the Boston-area median income, 4 to people making no more than 50% of that level, 22 to people making no more than 60% of that level and 22 to people making no more than 80%. Some 15 of the condos will be sold to people making no more than 80% of the Boston-area median income and 15 at 100%. Two of the condos will be sold at market rates.”
https://www.universalhub.com/2023/affordable-apartments-condos-approved-washington
 
NIMBY neighbors Tropical Foods aren't too happy about all their new customers

www.universalhub.com

Tropical Foods on Melnea Cass Boulevard sues to block construction of residential building next door

Tropical Foods on Melnea Cass Boulevard in Roxbury says a ten-story residential building next door would cause parking and driving problems for its customers, created"offensive shadows" and reduce the value of its property, so it's asking a judge to "annul" the Zoning Board of Appeal's approval...
www.universalhub.com www.universalhub.com
 
obvious_bicycle said:
NIMBY neighbors Tropical Foods aren't too happy about all their new customers

www.universalhub.com

Tropical Foods on Melnea Cass Boulevard sues to block construction of residential building next door

Tropical Foods on Melnea Cass Boulevard in Roxbury says a ten-story residential building next door would cause parking and driving problems for its customers, created"offensive shadows" and reduce the value of its property, so it's asking a judge to "annul" the Zoning Board of Appeal's approval...
www.universalhub.com www.universalhub.com
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"....... In a lawsuit filed today in Suffolk Superior Court, Tropical Foods says the proposed building with 64 affordable apartments, 30 affordable condos and 2 market rate condos is simply way too big and tall for the site and the parking lot that would sit between them......."


Seriously - - opposing this desparately needed community-housing seems extremely out of character for a business that portrays itself to the public like Tropical Foods does. I can't help but think this is just a hard ass negotiating tactic to get a few more concessions before dropping their opposition. It makes zero sense for this type of business, given it's hard fought community image, to piss off housing advocates.

Otherwise, it's one of the worst public relations fuck-ups Tropical Foods can make, given their clientele.
 
This initially strikes me as somewhat similar to Turtle Swamp's opposition to affordable housing projects near their brewery. Yes, they had some valid business reasons for concern, such as loading dock access. But in their fight with Pine Street and Community Builders, they alienated a lot of their customers. So in the end, did it make sense to harm public image in a fight for operational desires?

But maybe this is not so similar to that. Maybe Tropical Foods doesn't take the same kind of hit. Are housing activists also shopping there? Or does their main customer base see new construction, even when it is entirely for low income residents, as a harbinger of gentrification? Then there's the point being pushed by Tania Fernandes Anderson, that Roxbury has already done its job on low income housing, and that it should now be built mostly in other neighborhoods.
 
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"...the proposed building with 64 affordable apartments, 30 affordable condos and 2 market rate condos..."

I'm all for the project but is there a good reason that just 2% of the units are market rate non-income restricted units? Is it to satisfy some stupid benchmark to qualify as "a mixed-income development." I've said this before in this forum but it would be nice if more market rate units were built in Roxbury as the area already includes a disproportionately high number of income-restricted units and it just seems like bad policy to congregate these units in a single area of the city.
 
Was crazy to me is, was it not Madison Park that helped get Tropical Foods into that new, larger location?? I'm annoyed that they would do this, but also shocked that this relationship soured so much!
 
DAVE said:
Was crazy to me is, was it not Madison Park that helped get Tropical Foods into that new, larger location?? I'm annoyed that they would do this, but also shocked that this relationship soured so much!
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Yeah this is nuts. The City gave tropical foods a lot of help getting their new store
 
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