2.6 min readBy Published On: December 5th, 2018Categories: News10 Comments on Groundbreaking: O’Connor Way Senior Housing in Southie

From the Mayor’s office:

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), and the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) today celebrated the groundbreaking of the O’Connor Way Senior Housing Development. Caritas Communities and the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation will co-develop 46 one-bedroom units of affordable housing for adults age 62 and older on donated Boston Housing Authority land.

“This is a great day for the people of South Boston. As the city grows, it’s critically important that our older adults and long-time residents have the chance to stay and thrive in the communities where they have lived for much of their lives,” said Mayor Walsh. “This development will secure that opportunity for dozens of our residents.”

O’Connor Way Senior Housing will be built on a lot that has been vacant for over 50 years adjacent to the Mary Ellen McCormack Development. The development will include 24 units for households at or below 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), which is around $45,300 for a single person, and 22 units for households at or below 30 percent of AMI, which is around $22,650 for a single person. There will also be fully accessible units set aside.

The $20.8 million project was funded in part through the Inclusionary Development Program (IDP) contributions from the 150 Seaport Boulevard and Pier 4 development projects on the South Boston Waterfront, and financed by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Other funders include MassDevelopment, Rockland Trust Corp., and TD Bank.

The property will also include a community room, a laundry room, a management office, and a patio. The building will be sustainable at a LEED Silver certifiable level, and the apartments will be supplemented with onsite property management staff, as well as scheduled support services from the South Boston Neighborhood House. In addition, the BHA is providing 22 project-based vouchers to provide long-term subsidies for very low-income units.

“I am proud to celebrate the groundbreaking of the O’Connor Way Senior Housing Development, which will be the future home for senior residents,” said BHA Administrator William McGonagle. “This project takes a vacant lot and transforms it into safe, affordable housing for 46 residents, and will serve the South Boston community for years to come.

“South Boston has a tremendous need for affordable housing for the elderly, especially as high demand puts upward pressure on the cost of rent,” said Donna Brown, executive director of South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation. “O’Connor Way Senior Housing will provide an opportunity for our seniors to continue to live here, in our community, with the resources they need. We are grateful to have had strong support from the City of Boston through the Boston Housing Authority and the Boston Planning & Development Agency, as well as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to begin this project.”

“We are proud to be a co-developer of this exciting and much needed housing effort,” said Mark Winkeller, executive director of Caritas Communities. “This is our third partnership with the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation. When O’Connor Way is complete, our partnership will have created 87 units of affordable housing at three South Boston locations.”

The construction is expected to generate over 40 full-time jobs by its completion in February 2020.

10 Comments

  1. Oldtimesouthie December 6, 2018 at 8:23 am - Reply

    Real good..!!! NOW, how about some LOW/NO income housing DOWN THE SEAPORT/WATERFRONT..That area is a
    virtual city ..Yet, with all the NEW housing being built there is NO “AFFORDABLE” HOUSING is being built in that section of SOUTHIE!!…A.K.A.=”SNOB ZONING!! ( “keep the poor in the SOUTHIE neighborhood , not near me)..im glad to see the housing being built, HOWEVER let’s spread the AFFORDABLE HOUSING around ALL sections of SOUTHIE.

    • Not so New to The Hood December 6, 2018 at 1:49 pm - Reply

      You harp on this issue all the time, oldtimer. There are some “affordable” designated units in the seaport, not many, but they do exist. The reality is, while the unit itself may be affordable, there real isn’t much else that you can consider “affordable”. And quite frankly, the seaport is not convenient in any way when it comes to doing traditional errands. Where would they grocery shop? Roche bros? That’s not affordable.

      I will agree that the variance agreements with the city to build affordable dedicated housing at other sites in lieu of on the main site is misleading and unethical….but that is the city agreeing to that, the people we have elected into office. If you want something different then vote for someone different.

      This is a great development though, we need to get seniors in this type of housing so they can have stability, and so someone else can buy their home that they probably owe back taxes on and in the future will be able to defer said taxes for 5 additional years if this councilor flynn/edwards thing actually works out.

  2. Eddie December 6, 2018 at 10:37 am - Reply

    This is a great thing. Do you really think the seniors want to live down the waterfront. They like the area where they grew up. Stop and Shop, Bells, etc. I’m 59 years Southie and think its great.

  3. Oldtimesouthie December 6, 2018 at 2:09 pm - Reply

    Im a senior and i would love to live at 22 or 50 LIBERTY WARF..and so would many people i know..see in life theirs more than that FILTHY BELLS MARKET ( that by thr way is going CONDOS) or that second rate stop & shop SEAPORT IS SOUTHIE..just admit the TRUTH…i say buils a nice public housing project RIGHT BEHIND THE BLUE HILLS PAVILION..keep all the low income people ” DOWN ON THE FARM!!

  4. Oldtimesouthie December 6, 2018 at 2:13 pm - Reply

    “SOME” affordable housing..give me the address and HOW MANY IS SOME”??

    • Not so New to The Hood December 6, 2018 at 4:34 pm - Reply

      Less than 10% of the housing stock & more than 0 units.

  5. Oldtimesouthie December 6, 2018 at 2:23 pm - Reply

    The prices at filthy BELLS MARKET and that filthy STOP & SHOP are the same as ROCHE BROTHERS..nobody is against affordable housing but WHY not some DOWN THE WATERFRONT??..guess your saying unless your in the ” neighborhood ” you cant survive..that’s what i call ECONOMIC DISCRIMINATION!!

  6. Oldtimesouthie December 6, 2018 at 5:41 pm - Reply

    No address..not so new…wonder why??

  7. mary cooney December 10, 2018 at 10:09 am - Reply

    Well done, Donna Brown, your patience and persistence are admirable.

  8. Eleanor A Adams December 10, 2018 at 6:23 pm - Reply

    Are we sure this housing will be only for seniors?

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