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Affordable condos, most meant for artists, approved for site near existing artist work spaces in Dorchester
By adamg on Tue, 06/04/2024 - 12:58pm
Rendering by Icon Architecture
The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved plans for a four-story, 21-unit live/work condo building at 2 Hillsboro St. in Dorchester - with 18 of the units aimed at artists.
The units, which will be split between studios and one- and two-bedroom units, with one three-bedroom unit, will all be sold to people making between 80% and 100% of the Boston area median income.
The project, on what is now a vacant lot, is a continuation of developer New Atlantic Development's work to preserve 45 artists studios nearby on Humphreys Street.
In addition to ground-floor gallery and a shared workspace in the basement, the building will accommodate artists through work space in condos and wider-than-normal front and unit doors.
The building, which will have six parking spaces, will have all electric heating, air conditioning and kitchens.
The BPDA board approved the project in April.
Nobody spoke against the proposal.
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Comments
Who decides what an artist is
Who decides what an artist is?
The Commissars decide
"artist" housing is an avant-garde of gentrification. What's wrong with cooks, cleaners, and clerks? Blatant class and maybe racial discrimination.
Also, those gold and earth-tone panels are to the early 21st century what turquoise panels were to Mid-Century Modern.
You don't disappoint
I figured somebody would make this assertion.
Boston now has tons (if maybe not enough) of "affordable" apartments and condos. The vast majority are not aimed at artists.
If you feel that there is no public good to having artists live locally, find candidates who agree and work to get them elected.
There's no question that it's class discrimination
Art education and the entry into grant, fellowship and exhibition circles heavily favor the upper-middle class and above, whose children have the financial security to pursue their dreams and the connections to leverage their career.
The "certification" requires a letter of recommendation from another "arts professional."
I'm not joking when I say "commissars" because the "housing certification" requires submission of work for approval. "Approval" in the sense that "the committee approves of your work," and not just "ok, you've proven you can do some 'art'."
I have no objection to artists being able to apply for affordable units.
It is a moral hazard to favor them over hospital orderlies, nursing home caregivers, and auto mechanics, who are also a "public good."
The city decides who can get artist certification for housing
Artist housing certification:
I happen to know perfectly
I happen to know perfectly well that there are people who are claiming to be artists living in special artist housing who are most certainly not. Maybe they're kinda artsy, but I don't think that's what people think it means when they hear this. Actually, they're not even artsy sometimes.
Cool anecdote
Any system is subject to some misuse, for example look at the Boston Police Department's overtime records. However, if you agree with the goal of providing affordable housing for artists, then the link Adam posted seems to be be a fair way to go about it.
If you DON'T agree with the goal, muttering darkly about "people who claim to be artists" seems a little dishonest to me.
Bureaucrats decide
And the decision is final !
I'm one upping them and building Housing aimed at artists.
With 3 units aimed at retired airport baggage handlers (they must be retired and over 65) and one level for life sciences and an open meetings room for the community of cat lovers, hopefully one unit in the basement will be set aside for a misanthropic public school teacher.(Windowless unit) . And a partridge in a pear tree.
Good for you. Send Adam a
Good for you. Send Adam a press release when this project gets going and I'm sure he'll write about it.