JACKSON SQ.—The $52 million mixed-use development at 225 Centre St.—the first phase in the redevelopment of Jackson Square—has finished construction. The development has 103 apartments, including 35 affordable housing units, and retail space, though no stores have been selected yet.
Meanwhile, the developer for the project said some residential- and minority-hiring goals were met or exceeded, while others missed the mark.
The Community Builders (TCB) teamed up Mitchell Properties for the project. Bart Mitchell, a Jamaica Plain resident, founded Mitchell Properties and is the head of TCB.
“The 225 Centre St. [development] is the first completed milestone in the Jackson Square redevelopment,” said Mitchell in an email to the Gazette. “It’s bringing vitality back to the Square with apartments for working families, retail opportunities, broad sidewalks, Zipcar and landscaped public spaces, including 44 new trees.”
He said about half the apartments have been rented so far. None of the retail spaces have been leased yet.
Minority and Boston resident hiring on the construction was a controversial issue with local activists, including the now-defunct Jackson Square Community Advisory Committee formed and disbaned by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
For hiring numbers, a goal was set of 50 percent Boston residents, 40 percent minorities and 10 percent women. Construction workers on the project included 279 people of color, 226 Boston residents and 43 women, according to Mitchell. He said that out of the total hours worked, 44 percent were performed by Boston residents, 44 percent by workers of color and 8 percent by women.
A goal for the project was set of 25 percent for minority-owned businesses and 10 percent for women-owned business. Mitchell said that the project had 19 percent minority-owned business, while 13 percent for women-owned business.
About 11 acres of land in Jackson Square is being redeveloped by a team that includes Mitchell Properties, the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation and Urban Edge.
The completed 225 Centre St. building in Jackson Square. (Gazette Photo by Peter Shanley)