The following letter was sent to Mayor Thomas Menino:
Last week, the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) was able to close on the financing for two of our long-awaited projects on Centre Street—the mixed-use building at the Blessed Sacrament campus that we are developing in partnership with New Atlantic Development and the mixed-use building at 270 Centre right across from the Jackson Square T stop. On behalf of the board and staff of the JPNDC and the community we serve, we are writing to thank you for the tremendous leadership that you and your administration demonstrated in helping move these projects forward.
Because the City was willing to stick its neck out and advance funding for these two projects and the Creighton Commons homeownership project, several families have already moved into their beautiful new homes at Blessed Sacrament. In fact, we expect that three-quarters of the new condominiums will be occupied by the end of this month. In addition, because the City was willing to invest some of its money up front, construction on both mixed-use buildings is well on its way, and we have avoided the worst of winter conditions that would have delayed the projects until spring.
Director Evelyn Friedman and her team at the City’s Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) have been terrific partners all the way through this difficult process. No obstacle was too great for them to overcome, and they were strong advocates with other public and private funders, which gave those parties confidence that it was worth investing in these important projects. We deeply appreciate Evelyn and her team’s can-do attitude, which we know is a reflection of your leadership and your desire to keep Boston moving forward during tough times.
Thank you again, and we look forward to celebrating the ribbon-cuttings with you later this year.
Michael Gondek
President
Richard Thal
Executive Director
Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation