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Developer proposes new apartments at Fox Hall in Uphams Corner; existing SRO tenants would get new studios

Rendering of possible Fox Hall project in Uphams Corner

Rendering of possible final building by the Architectural Team.

A Hingham developer is proposing to put up a new residential building behind Fox Hall on Columbia Road at Arion Street that would include an upgrade for occupants of 15 single-room-occupancy units in the current building - their own studio apartments.

In a letter of intent filed with the BPDA, Mike Rooney's JLCD Development says the project would include construction of a four-to-six story building on what is now a parking lot behind Fox Hall, which dates to the late 1800s.

Current SRO residents would get to stay in their existing units until this building is finished, at which point they would be offered studios there, according to the letter from JLCD's lawyer. The company would then renovate Fox Hall's upper floors, while letting existing ground-floor commercial tenants stay in place.

All of the units in the new complex would be marketed to people making between 30% and 100% of the Boston area median income.

The new complex would have 24 parking spaces.

The letter signals that JLCD expects to file more detailed plans soon.

554-562 Columbia Rd. documents and meeting calendar.

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Comments

“ All of the units in the new complex would be marketed to people making between 30% and 100% of the Boston area median income.”

Unless the current occupants of the SROS are paying this much rent already, how does this proposal help them? The developer conveniently avoids mentioning this.

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Yeah, the Letter of Intent just says "The existing SRO tenants at the Fox Hall building will be upgraded to larger studio apartments in the new building (without displacement). "

That sounds nice. But ...

The existing residents will be displaced during the construction. Will they able to find that temporary housing at the same rate they are paying now? Or will they have help paying the difference? If so, whom? The same questions apply for when they move back into the new studios.

And if the existing residents do get some deal for the studios, how long will it last? A year? Two? Or until the residents choose to move out?

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The way I read the letter is that the current tenants would stay in their rooms in the existing building while the new building is put up. Then they'd move into the new building and only then would renovations to the existing building start.

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Why do you think the building owner will continue to run and SRO ad infinity? Don't you see him selling the building right now?

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But I think most SRO tenants fall under the 30-40% AMI thing. We’re talking 25/33k per year. http://www.bostonplans.org/housing/income,-asset,-and-price-limits

Might be 1 or 2 ppl who don’t make that’s much and could be worked with for Argentine being. But honestly?? Folks with an income below 25k aren’t expecting or anticipating long term rental stability anyway. They know what’s up.

Build it. Any building that’s all affordable, I’m for it.

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.... for most low income folks. Lots of people living in rooming houses are living in poverty and not making anywhere near the minimum required to qualify.

“Affordable” is a misnomer.

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Developer - Proposes to add a pile of units to the neighborhood.

UHub Vanguard Socialist Never Picked Up a Hammer Elite - Hey developer, you are a stupid head.

You can't win.

I can't wait for Lee's Commune to be built with rents so low even church mice live in luxury. Hop to it guy. We are waiting.

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I'd say more, but I'm late for the monthly vanguard meeting.

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They play the same song over and over again.

There is a refrain common on many commentators when someone proposes to invest money in housing in Boston:

Too big, too ugly, too not enough housing for the poor, displacement....

Someone is investing money in an area, which hasn't exactly seen a lot of in the past 70 years, and we get complaints. What a wonderful world some people live in their heads that "someone should" and not they should get off their ass and see if they can alleviate the housing / eviction / displacement crisis that they see, from formerly working class neighborhoods where they live...and displaced poor people when they moved in (re: Cambridge, Somerville, JP, and Roslindale).

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“you should just be grateful that someone tried to help your poor ass” has been playing on repeat for at least 400 years

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My family came here after The Beatles. Take the 400 year crap and put it where the sun doesn't shine.

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You all might learn a thing or two about the other people out there and their experiences. And then maybe you can do some thinking, and consider whether there's any relevance between what's happened in the past, and what's happening now.

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I want to send you a new hairshirt so you can beat yourself for everyone's sins a bit more that you already are.

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Does this mean the bowling alley/pool hall/whatever it was on the upper floors is gone for good?

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I played there once. It was so old school it was really kind of nice. I kept expecting a pinboy to come running out the back at some point.

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