July 1, 2022 - Cardinal O'Malley Joins Others in Celebration of Cote Village in Mattapan

Ribbon cutting for Cote Village celebrates the opening of 76 units of mixed-income, affordable housing built on the long-vacant Cote Ford site in Mattapan

Cardinal Seán O’Malley was joined Tuesday, June 28th by Bill Grogan, President of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA), and Donald Alexis, President of Caribbean Integration Community Development (CICD), to celebrate the opening of Cote Village, a transit-oriented development that has created 76 new mixed-income residences, as well as new commercial and community spaces, in the heart of Mattapan. In 2019, the Cote Village Development team of The Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc. and the Caribbean Integration Community Development acquired the former Cote Ford car dealership, a property that had been vacant for decades, from the City of Boston, and have transformed the site into much needed housing and community-oriented spaces.

“I am proud that the former Cote Ford Dealership has been transformed into a vibrant and welcoming transit-oriented community that is now part of the diverse and lively Mattapan neighborhood,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We supported this incredible transformation as part of our commitment to keep housing affordable and keep our neighborhoods strong. I’m grateful to our partners for their work to create this new development, which will expand affordable housing for a variety of income levels, and build more spaces for the community.”

Cardinal Seán O’Malley joined Mayor Wu in recognizing the property’s transformation, “Safe and secure affordable housing in the midst of one of Boston’s important neighborhoods is critically important,” he said. “I am so grateful for the collaboration among the many partners, including the Caribbean Integration Community Development and the Archdiocese’s Planning Office for Urban Affairs, whose creativity and hard work have resulted in the creation of new homes for these families.”
The unique partnership of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc. (POUA) and Caribbean Integration Community Development (CICD); the City of Boston; and the State of Massachusetts created a mixed-income, mixed-use development that comprises 76 units of affordable and workforce housing, commercial space, and community-oriented activity space. The 76 homes are part of 5 buildings with a mix of 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom units. Cote Village also includes a rental office, community room, ground-floor commercial spaces, and 84 parking spaces.

Twelve units will be for residents with incomes below 30% of the area median income (AMI) or an individual making less than $28,200. Of these 12 units, 8 units will be set aside for formerly homeless individuals and families; 2 units will be for residents with incomes below 50% AMI or an individual making less than $47,000; 42 units will be for residents with incomes below 60% AMI or an individual making less than $56,400; 12 units will be for residents with incomes below 80% AMI or $67,700; 8 units will be for residents with incomes below 100% AMI and at the rates of $2,300 (1 bedroom), $2,500 (2BR), and $2,800 (3BR). At a time when we are in the midst of a housing crisis and an ongoing pandemic, the Cote Village Apartments created a true mixed-income community that is providing housing opportunities to a diverse range of households in an integrated setting. This new, inclusive community will contribute to the vitality and prosperity of the neighborhood. As such, Cote Village represents an important step in creating new housing opportunities across Boston’s communities.

“Congratulations to the team at the Caribbean Integration Community Development Corporation and the Boston Archdiocese Planning Office for Urban Affairs on reaching this milestone,” said Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox. “This partnership transformed an old car dealership into new affordable housing, leveraging major public transit investments the Commonwealth has made since Cote Ford closed. We are so proud to support projects where residents will have access to the assets of their neighborhood and the greater region with public transit.”

“Our partnership with CICD, a vibrant local community development organization, has allowed us to expand our portfolio to the diverse and growing community of Mattapan,” said Bill Grogan, President of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs. “The Cote Village Townhomes and Apartments offers a much-needed mix of affordable and workforce housing and retail space in a traditionally underserved community. We are grateful to the Commonwealth, the City, our funders, and supporters who have helped to make Cote Village possible.”

"Cote Village is a perfect example of how community can be transformed when stakeholders come together to create positive, meaningful change,” said Donald Alexis, President of Caribbean Integration Community Development. “We are grateful to the City, State and private funders who believed in our vision and joined us to make this development possible. The revitalization of this section of Cummins Highway and the creation of transit-oriented affordable housing will have a profound impact on Mattapan for generations to come and enable working class people to commute to work without the burden of a car.”

In accordance with the City of Boston’s Green Affordable Housing Program, Cote Village includes energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as Energy Star rated appliances and environmentally friendly design features throughout. Cote Village Apartments and Cote Townhomes are located near shopping centers; a variety of cultural and outdoor amenities, including Franklin Park and the Mattapan Dorchester rail trail; and the Blue Hill Avenue commuter rail stop. The new building boasts an elevator for accessibility in the larger building, central air, an on-site laundry facility, a large community space for programming for residents on the first floor, and a courtyard with green space for residents.

“Cote Village has helped transform a neighborhood by taking a blighted, vacant property and creating a new housing community for households with a range of incomes who will be able to live and work in Boston,” said MassHousing Executive Director Chrystal Kornegay. “The development of Cote Village is a testament to the vision and tenacity of the Mattapan community, the development team, and Boston and state officials, who took a long-neglected parcel and converted it into a true housing and economic asset for residents of Mattapan. We congratulate them on this important achievement, and MassHousing was proud to be part of the team that made their vision for Cote Village a reality.”

Financing for Cote Village includes funding from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development and MassHousing; the City of Boston Neighborhood Housing Trust and Mayor’s Office of Housing; Bank of America; and the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.

About the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc. (POUA)
The Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc. is a social justice ministry affiliated with the Archdiocese of Boston that creates vibrant communities through the development of high-quality affordable and mixed-income housing and economic development efforts. As a prominent regional non-profit developer and a leading diocesan housing development ministry for the Catholic Church in America, POUA has completed over 3,000 units of affordable and mixed-income housing and has undertaken several neighborhood revitalization initiatives in Massachusetts.  
 
About Caribbean Integration Community Development (CICD)
Founded in Mattapan, Caribbean Integration Community Development (CICD) is a community development organization that works to improve the economic, social and physical well-being of the Caribbean community and other marginalized populations throughout the greater Boston area. CICD's primary focus is the revitalization of underserved communities through the development of affordable housing projects. Working with government agencies, real estate developers and other partners, we create homes that are environmentally conscious, ethically financed and built with the health and well-being of residents as the first priority.