June 12, 2024 - Celebration of the Groundbreaking of 150 River Street Village

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll Joins Community Partners and Planning Office for Urban Affairs and Caribbean Integration Community Development to Celebrate the Groundbreaking of 150 River Street Village in Mattapan

150 River Street Village will include a mix of 30 units of mixed-income, age restricted housing to be built on a long-vacant site in Mattapan

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll was joined by Bill Grogan, President of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA), Donald Alexis, President of Caribbean Integration Community Development (CICD), and Bishop Peter Uglietto, Former Vicar General, Archdiocese of Boston, to break ground on 150 River Street Village, a mixed-income senior housing development in Mattapan.

The development will be located at 150 River Street, Mattapan, MA, which was a vacant lot, owned by the City of Boston for the last dozen years. The Planning Office for Urban Affairs and Caribbean Integration Community Development were selected as the Co-Developers by the City of Boston, and the design and development underwent an extensive community engagement process. 150 River Street Village will provide 30 units of housing that serves households with incomes ranging from 30% AMI to 70% AMI.

"Repurposing public land for housing is one of the creative solutions we have in our toolkit to lower the cost of housing for all," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. "The new River Street Village will allow people to age in place with dignity and bring them a stable place to call home. This is how we invest in community and housing at the same time, and I'm thrilled to support this project." 

“150 River Street Village will help ensure that our older residents can age in place and build with the community they know and love,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “As we continue our work to make Boston a home for everyone, the City is thrilled to support the creation of new income-restricted housing in Mattapan. I’m grateful to our partners for all their work to move this project forward and ensure that we creatively use available public land to create more housing across our communities.”

“Access to a secure and safe home is a basic human right. We look forward to the construction of this new community being completed and welcoming the new residents,” said Cardinal Seán O’Malley. “We are very grateful for the collaboration of our partners in the community, City and State government, as we continue to work together to bring desperately needed affordable housing to Boston neighborhoods.”

Together, POUA and CICD are re-activating this long vacant property and converting it into a restful and regenerative senior building with a community garden. The building and its units will be designed to focus on aging in place while ensuring residents have access to on-site services, passive open space, and community spaces. 

“We believe strongly in the importance of having a safe and comfortable place to call home for everyone in our community, including those aging in place,” said Bill Grogan, President of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs. “An affordable place to call home, especially for those who are getting priced out of the City of Boston, will allow our residents to age comfortably within their community of existing supports.”

“After many years of grassroots planning and community engagement, CICD is grateful that the development of new age-restricted, supportive, affordable homes is underway for our community's elders,” said Donald Alexis, President of Caribbean Integration Community Development. “With so many seniors in our community facing financial hardship and chronic health challenges that render them homebound, the 150 River Street development could not be more necessary. We look forward to ensuring that construction is swift and that residents are settled in their new homes as soon as possible.”

The River Street Civic Association (RSCA) and the direct abutters worked with the City and development team for years providing input to make the best possible project. Special thanks to Valerie Burton, president of RSCA, and to all the direct abutters who continuously worked towards the development of this property.

“Every effort to build affordable housing for seniors who want to age in our state is meaningful and should be celebrated,” said Acting MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan O’Connell. “MassDevelopment was proud to partner with Eastern Bank to deliver a $9.2 million tax-exempt bond to help POUA bring this project to life and carry out its mission of catalyzing social justice through housing development.”

“Helping to support the creation of quality, affordable housing is a central part of CEDAC’s mission. This project will give seniors in the local Mattapan community more affordable housing options and is a major accomplishment by our non-profit community development partners,” said Roger Herzog, Executive Director of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC). “CEDAC was proud to provide critical predevelopment financing that helped to advance the project to this groundbreaking milestone.

We look forward to continuing to work with POUA, CICD, and our federal, state, and city funding partners as the project moves forward into construction.”

Financing for 150 River Street Village includes funding from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development; the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities; Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation; MassDevelopment; the City of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Housing, and Neighborhood Housing Trust; Red Stone Equity Partners; Eastern Bank; and MassHousing. POUA and CICD received one of the few local awards of Section 202 funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support the development and operations of the project. 150 River Street Village is projected to open in 2025. 

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.

###