A controversial housing site for homeless families is coming to West Roxbury “one way or another,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said recently, weighing in on community opposition days before the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals upheld the project’s permit.
“I hear the frustration in the community,” Wu said on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” last week, adding, “The city is not in the role to decide whether this project moves forward or not. This is a state project that they did not consult the city on and did not consult the community on.”
The plans for 5 Redlands Road entail redeveloping a long-vacant nursing home into housing for dozens of families, or an occupancy of about 120 people, according to an attorney for the developer. State contractor Making Opportunity Count has stressed the Redlands site will not be a transient shelter for brief stays, but a congregate living facility with shared amenities such as kitchen and dining areas, playrooms, and a media room.
But West Roxbury neighbors have been split, with some offering full-throated support for the plan and others banding together to raise concerns about traffic and community safety, among other matters.
The ZBA on Tuesday rejected an abutter’s appeal to revisit the permit issued by the city’s Inspectional Services Department. In doing so, members sided against a neighbor who argued the project was misclassified as “congregate living,” when its actual use should be “homeless shelter/transitional living.”
Soon after the board’s vote, the abutter and other neighborhood opponents sued zoning and inspection officials in an attempt to reverse the ZBA’s decision, revoke the permit, and establish a temporary restraining order to pause the project. The Suffolk Superior Court case is pending.
What happened at the ZBA meeting?
Arguing before the ZBA Tuesday, Kevin Cloutier — an attorney for the abutter — suggested the project permit should have been denied on conditional use grounds.
“It’s been made very clear throughout the public process that the applicants are proposing a homeless shelter and transitional housing for this site,” he said. “Any argument to the contrary is simply unreasonable and completely separated from fact.”
Cloutier also noted the zoning process is meant to give neighbors a seat at the table.
“That process has been cut out of this,” he alleged. “We’re asking this board to restore the process, to uphold the law, and to respect the community. Because if we allow City Hall to skip the rules here — as they have done — then they can skip them anywhere.”
But Paul Rufo, an attorney for the developer, contended the difference between a temporary shelter and congregate residence primarily boils down to the length of stay.
“A residence is defined as a stay of 31 days or longer,” he asserted, adding, “And the requirements of any of these families who are either at risk or are experiencing homelessness is that they sign an agreement … that they will stay in this residence for at least 31 days, up to six months. And that can be extended.”
Colby O’Brien, vice president of programs for Making Opportunity Count, said the average length of stay for families is currently 258 days. Eligibility for placement in the state’s Emergency Family Shelter program is up to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and involves extensive background checks, income verification, and residency requirements, he noted.
According to O’Brien, the West Roxbury program’s goal is to provide wraparound support to ensure families have a safe place to stay and access to the services they need to attain self-sufficiency.
“The residents will have their own room,” Rufo explained. “They’ll use this as their address. They’ll enroll their kids in Boston schools using this as their address. They’ll apply for jobs using this as their address.”
O’Brien added: “As the colder months go on, facilities like 5 Redlands are going to become even more critical, particularly because this site prioritizes Boston-based families to keep them close to their community, schools, and support systems.”
According to a presentation shared at the ZBA meeting, there’s a five-year lease in place between Making Opportunity Count and the developer, and no outside guests or visitors will be permitted onsite, other than family service providers.
‘The whole neighborhood would just kind of go down’
Addressing the board briefly, Deputy Building Commissioner Marc Joseph reaffirmed ISD’s decision to issue the permit.
“When all the requirements are met, we have to issue the permit,” Joseph said. “And I don’t see where ISD erred on this, because the use itself — according to the zoning code — is an allowed use.”
Community members’ reactions were more mixed; some neighbors described the project as a “worthwhile” addition to West Roxbury, while others accused the developer of being “secretive” and alleged the process had been “rushed.”
“I feel like … the whole neighborhood would just kind of go down,” said one woman who lives with her children a couple doors down. “Meaning there would be, like, so many people on the street — you don’t know who’s actually going to be living there.”
A representative from City Councilor Erin Murphy’s office encouraged the ZBA to thoroughly review community concerns before making a decision. City Councilor Ben Weber, whose district covers West Roxbury, shared his “strong belief we have an obligation to ensure families in Massachusetts have a safe place to stay.”
He added: “I hope the ZBA will do its job here, which is not to let fear or political pressure dictate its decision; it’s to apply the zoning code.”
In the end, ZBA member David Collins cast the lone vote against upholding the permit, arguing proponents “misled” ISD.
Healey weighs in
Speaking on “Boston Public Radio” ahead of the vote, Wu acknowledged West Roxbury neighbors still have questions and said the city would do its best to help chase down answers.
“I agree with the state’s move under this administration that families who are in need should not be in hotel/motel situations with no kitchen, no way to properly take care of kids or seniors,” Wu said.
She added: “These are our soon-to-be neighbors, and we would not put children in any situation that we believe to be unsafe. That is my most important responsibility across the city of Boston.”
Gov. Maura Healey, meanwhile, emphasized the families slated to move into the West Roxbury site are “Boston families.”
“We still have families who need shelter, and right now the majority of our applications are Boston families. These are Boston families. These are women and children, and they’re from here, and they still need a place to go,” she told reporters Monday, according to State House News Service.
Asked about Wu’s comments regarding communication between state and city officials, Healey reportedly replied: “I know that we had multiple conversations with the city of Boston about this. The city of Boston, in fact, went ahead and issued a permit for this site, and there have been at least five community meetings on this. So that’s the state of things right now.”