SUMNER HILL—Two condos still under construction at a former Community Caring group home are already up for sale, according to real estate agent Stephen Lussier. “One is already under agreement,” he said. Owner Paul Donovan told the Gazette the house is being converted from a two-family group home to two condos. The Boston Redevelopment...
Monthly Archives: March 2012
Apartment project plan is filed
S. HUNTINGTON AVE.—The high-end apartment building proposed for the Home for Little Wanderers site will have about 196 units and stand 65 feet tall, according to a plan filed this week with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). The Home is moving out of its three-building complex at 161 S. Huntington Ave. this year. Boston...
Foundation chief talks JP’s success and challenges
As president and CEO of The Boston Foundation (TBF), Paul Grogan is one of Boston’s top policy-makers. He is also a Jamaica Plain resident who recently told the Gazette that JP embodies Boston’s urban revival, while now sharing its challenge of a shrinking middle class. “ a uniquely special place in Boston because...
Condo building nears opening
GREEN ST.—Residents will begin moving into the new Bartlett Square condominium building in about two weeks, while the ground-floor retail spaces still await tenants. “We will wait and be selective” on the commercial tenants, said Chris DeSisto, whose Maple Hurst Builders created the new building at 154-160 Green St. diagonally across from the Green...
JP’s CDCs are nationally renowned
Urban Edge in Jackson Square and Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) on Amory Street are national standouts and are held in high-esteem in the non-profit development community, according to Frank Woodruff, director at National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA) in Washington, D.C. NACEDA represents more than 3,000 community development corporations throughout...
Foreclosed property garners fines
EGLESTON SQ.—A house at 25 Chilcott Place continues to accrue fines due to its lack of maintenance, stemming from unclear ownership. On the Problem Properties list since last year, the property’s issues stem from its disputed ownership. The list is maintained by the Jamaica Plain Problem Properties Committee—an advisory group that identifies private properties...
Banking on Affordable Housing
How one bank’s mission helps JP The Urban Edge-owned apartment buildings around Egleston Square are easy-to-see neighborhood assets, preserving affordable housing and, in many cases, attractive historical facades. Look a little harder, and you can spot some of the renovation work that is improving them and making them greener, such as the heat-reflecting white...
BPS grad rates don’t tell the whole story
Boston Public Schools (BPS) recently touted its “all-time high” four-year graduation rate of 64.4 percent. But the Gazette has found both the measure and the context are coming into question. The BPS’s graduation rate report included a 100 percent rate for the Kennedy Academy for Health Careers. But the Gazette has learned that at...
Bike racks to be redesigned
Jamaica Plain residents will have to wait a little longer to secure their bikes to racks in the shape of a lock after concerns about their design. Three such bike racks have already been installed in Mission Hill. Similar racks were next slated to come to Hyde/Jackson Squares and Central JP. But when Randace...
Workshops teaches kids photography
Jenny Connelly felt there were not a lot of after-school activities for middle school children. That’s why she started running workshops to teach them photography last year. “It’s just great to have kids work in small groups and think about art,” she said. “They can develop their eye for communicating in pictures.” The workshops,...