By Adam Swift
The proposed renovation of seven housing units from 145 to 157 St. Alphonsus St. would provide affordable housing for the neighborhood and help alleviate student housing overcrowding, according to representatives from Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services (MHNHS).
MHNHS was before the Community Alliance of Mission Hill at its January meeting to give a presentation on the project and the zoning relief it needs from the city.
“The multi-family building at 145-157 St. Alphonsus St. was originally constructed in the mid-1960s and included three townhouses, two flats, and two duplexes over the flats for a total of seven units,” said Ricardo Sanchez from MHNHS. “Prior to our involvement the building had been operated for decades as speculative student housing. On our inspection, units were overcrowded and with significant code violations.”
Sanchez said MHNHS is looking to acquire the property and is pursuing the development because it presents a unique and highly unlikely opportunity for the organization to reclaim the units from the speculative and transient student market and convert to affordable, code compliant, and sustainable rental housing units for extremely low income families at 30 percent of Area Median Income. The number of units and income eligibility are similar to the organization’s property on Calumet Street it has operated since the 1980s, he added.
The project is near the intersection of St. Alphonsus and Tremont streets and is immediately adjacent to the 5.5-acre Kevin Fitzgerald Park and Arboretum.
“In fact, it is still located within park property and is being subdivided as part of the ZBA process,” said Sanchez. “The subdivision is what triggers the zoning requirement and the need for zoning relief.”
The project reconfigures the units internally, but maintains the same unit count, height, footprint, and square footage as before, Sanchez. The project does reduce off-street parking from 11 to seven spaces.
“It’s intentionally limited in size and project scale to what has historically been the residential use,” said Sanchez. “Mission Hill NHS proposes to fully rehabilitate the property, including taking a deep energy retrofit and electrification, enhancements to the building envelope for sustainability, all new interior finishes, and the creation of a new fully handicapped-accessible unit and ramp.”
Sanchez said the Mission Hill NHS has applied to the city for financing, and has been invited to apply to the state funding round for the project. He said the organization has the property under an option agreement.
In other business, the CAMH voted to support the addition of a lower level rental unit at 37 Calumet St. to convert that building from a three-family to a four-family.
The CAMH also voiced its support for a project at 175 Heath St. that would convert a single-family dwelling to a two-family. The proposal calls for four bedrooms and three baths in one unit, and three bedrooms and two baths in the second. The property owner said the intention is to market the units as condominiums.