32 new affordable apartments for families in East
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EAST BOSTON (August 9, 2017)– Mayor
Martin J. Walsh today joined the East Boston Community Development
Corporation, East Boston residents and local elected officials to
celebrate the groundbreaking for Paris Village, a $14 million
residential community that features 32 affordable apartments for working
families in East Boston.
The new apartment building will be
located on the former Salesian Boys Club site on Paris Street in the
heart of East Boston.
"High quality, affordable housing for
working families is the key to opportunity. Creating equitable housing
like Paris Village preserves the rich character of Boston's
neighborhoods," said Mayor Walsh. "I want to thank our partners for
their work to make these homes possible. These are the 2- and 3- bedroom
homes working families in Eastie have been calling for, and I'm proud we
are continuing Boston's drive to make sure all families can live and
work in the City of Boston."
Paris Village is located in one of
Boston's fastest growing neighborhoods, near restaurants and a variety
of arts, cultural and outdoor amenities and activities. The development
will feature 32 new transit-oriented apartments located close to the
MBTA blue line, downtown Boston and Logan International Airport.
All of the new apartments will be rented to individuals who are
earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), with
four of the families earning 30 percent of AMI or below.
"As we
see so much change in East Boston it is important that we create and
preserve affordable family housing for all of the hard working residents
of East Boston," said Albert Caldarelli, President and Executive
Director of the East Boston CDC. "I am grateful that the Mayor Walsh is
so committed to that goal. Without that strong leadership a wonderful
development like this would not be possible."
When complete,
Paris Village will include 22 two-bedroom and 11 three-bedroom family
units, an elevator for accessibility, central air, on-site laundry
facilities, a large community space for programming for residents on the
ground floor, a rear courtyard and playground with a play structure for
children. Construction of theParis Village apartments willgenerate
approximately 250 new construction jobs.
"As a long-time
resident and tenant of East Boston CDC I am grateful for help we've
received from City of Boston. Because of your assistance me and my
family have the opportunity to reside in a nice apartment," said East
Boston resident Blanca Ayala. "I am also grateful that I was invited to
sit on the Board of Directors of EBCDC, Inc. As a Board Member, I have
the opportunity to have a say in all of the decisions that affect my
tenancy and the close to 1,000 other tenants in our buildings. In my
role I also have a chance to work with the CDC and the Mayor of Boston
to implement all of the housing initiatives the City supports."
In accordance with the City of Boston's Green Affordable Housing
Program, Paris Village will utilize high efficiency heating and cooling
systems fixtures as well as Energy Star rated appliances. The
development will employ environmentally friendly design features
throughout and earn the distinction of being LEED-Homes "Silver"
certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The development will also
meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star standards.
Paris Village has been made possible in part by a contribution
of almost $2 million from the City of Boston, as well as $2.1 million
from the State's Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
and the Affordable Housing Trust.
Today's groundbreaking builds
on the recent release of Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030; Boston's
latest quarterly housing report, which highlights gains in stabilizing
the housing market, accommodating housing growth, improving housing
accessibility and increasing affordability. Since 2014, the
implementation of the City's housing plan, 13,551 new units of housing
have been created. With an additional 8,412 units currently under
construction, the City has secured housing for an estimated 25,000
residents, making significant progress in meeting Boston's rapid
population growth.
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