Project Reference File, Volume 22, #17

Home , Boston Housing Authority

Reprinted from Project Reference File, Volume 22, #17. published by ULI-the Urban Land Institute, VOLUME 22 NUMBER 17 625 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE PROJECT REFERENCE FILE

RESIDENTIAL

HARBOR POINT BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

PROJECT TYPE A 45 acre community created by redeveloping the largest federal public housing project in New England. The community is jointly owned and operated by a private development team and the community's residents. One-third of the 1,283 units are reserved for low-income families.

Harbor Point is located on the Boston Harbor with excellent views of the Boston skyline. This was the first federal housing project to be transferred toaprivate SPECIAL FEATURES developer for mixed-income housing. • Joint venture between private developer and tenant GENERAL DESCRIPTION they had to the increasing land val- organization ues on the peninsula. In 1978, the • On-site private social service Harbor Point, a 1,238-unit mixed- residents of Columbia Point joined programs income rental community on Bos- with architects, private developers, • Waterfront park and upscale ton's waterfront, was redeveloped and housing officials to begin the amenities from Columbia Point, a 1,500-unit long process to transform the area • Mixture of market-rate and public housing project built in the into a strong community. affordable housing early 1950s. The community is now Amenities now include parks, up- owned and operated jointly by the scale recreational facilities, neighbor- Harbor Point Community Task hood play areas, free parking, and OWNEtyDEVELOPER Force (HPCTF) and Peninsula Part- shuttle service to nearby public ners, whose managing general part- transit. Resident services, provided A partnership of: ner is Corcoran, Mullins, Jennison, on site by private firms, include in- Corcoran, Mullins, Jennison, Inc. Inc. (CMJ). HPCTF is a nonprofit tervention programs, tutoring, job 143 Wood Road organization with an 11-member and education referrals, outreach Braintree, Massachusetts 02184 board elected by Harbor Point resi- programs, health center, youth cen- 617-356-3100 dents. ter, daycare services, and services The Columbia Point public hous- for the elderly. These services are Harbor Point Community ing project opened in 1954. By the supported in part by the Harbor Task Force 1960s, the project was deteriorating Point operating budget. The part- Dorchester, Massachusetts physically and serious social prob- nership also maintains and repairs 617-288-9766 lems existed. In 1984, when Penin- streets and is responsible for snow Cruz Construction Company sula Partners took over the manage- removal. Security provided by pri- Boston, Massachusetts ment of Columbia Point, only vate officers with the power to make 617-445-8117 350—predominantly minority- arrests has made this one of the saf- Keen Development Corporation families remained. Columbia Point est neighborhoods in Boston. Cambridge, Massachusetts was considered so dangerous that 617-661-9100 ambulance crews and fire fighters SITE would not enter without police escorts. Residents were ashamed to Harbor Point is located on the admit where they lived, frustrated Columbia Point peninsula, which is by earlier attempts at renovation, also home to several large institu- and fearful of losing what housing tions, including the Boston campus OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1992 and adjoining neighborhoods were all skeptical about the possibility of success. Columbia Point was so de- teriorated that it was hard to believe that market-rate apartments could ever be rented there. The redevelopment team worked closely with key public agencies to develop strategies to quickly move the project through the permitting process. The project required 35 separate approvals. Contentious issues included everything from the amount of retail to the size of the bricks on the new buildings. The permit to fill part of the Dorchester Bay to enlarge the park area on the east end and the delineation of the line between the park and Harbor Point also required lengthy Harbor Point, only ten minutes by car from downtown, is organized around a new grid of streets that lie at a 45-degree angle to the waterfront. negotiations.

PLANNING/DESIGN of the University of Massachusetts, experience and commitment to The development team, particu- the Boston Globe, the Kennedy mixed-income developments led to larly the HPCTF, was intent on de- Library, and the Bank of Boston. The the selection of his firm, Corcoran, stroying the Columbia Point image. peninsula workers and residents are Mullins, Jennison, Inc., as the gen- The yellow brick exteriors, flat roofs, separated from each other by an in- eral managing partner of the private uniform heights, and building faces complete street network and a for- development team. Joan Goody's were all reworked. The goal was to tress mentality that originated when firm, Goody, Clancy, & Associates, make the buildings and streets more the area was developed. Inc., was hired as site planner and closely follow the design of the sur- Harbor Point, the only residential one of the two project architects. rounding Boston neighborhoods— area on the Columbia Point penin- The newly named Harbor Point and thus remove the stigma of pub- sula, is located on 45 acres adjacent Community Task Force, the devel- lic housing. to a six-acre waterfront park. The opment partnership, and the archi- Beyond these considerations, the site was first used as a landfill and tects worked to design a neighbor- old site design provided no sense of then as a prisoner-of-war camp in hood that would be attractive and the water's edge or views of the World War II. The Bayside Expo safe and would emphasize the water- Boston skyline. The decision to reno- Center is located immediately west front. During the long and difficult vate or demolish the original build- of Harbor Point, and two public process, the media, many residents, ings was driven by the need to open schools are located to the south. A largely vacant area lies to the east. A waste water pumping station, built in 1883, is the only structure in this otherwise vacant area. The Kennedy Library is located farther to the east.

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS The redevelopment of Columbia Point largely began with the residents' dissatisfaction. The Colum- bia Point Community Task Force (CPCTF) exerted considerable pres- sure on the Boston Housing Author- ity and City Hall. In 1981, CPCTF signed a memorandum of agree- ment outlining conditions for redevelopment of the project. Joseph E. Corcoran, a local developer who had grown up in the adjacent Dor- chester area, teamed up with Joan Goody, an architect and planner, to One-third of the original buildings were retained and 43 buildings— ranging from support CPCTF's work. Corcoran's two-story townhomes to seven-story apartment buildings—were constructed. up the site and to form a more logi- cal street system. The new buildings are a mix of three-story townhomes, and new five-, six-, and seven-story apartment buildings. Several considerations were essential to design. For example, residents wanted play areas within sight of their homes. Townhouses with individual entrances for the family units not only provided residents with a sense of ownership but also with a sense of increased security by limiting the number of families using a single entrance. Locating parking spaces close to each unit was important to residents (who had experienced considerable auto vandalism) and to increasing the level of activity on the streets.

MANAGEMENT The Harbor Point clubhouse, with two outdoor pools and a fitness center, is located next to a six-acre waterfront park. Tennis courts are located in the mall area. CM] took over management of Columbia Point early on to gain the trust of the remaining residents. A lished to guide the planning, con- the HPCTF. Rule enforcement is governing board, composed of two struction, and day-to-day operations tough because residents want to as- CMJ representatives and two HP- of Harbor Point. The board enforces sure that the conditions that led to CTF representatives, was estab- the community rules developed by Columbia Point's decline will not

PROJECT DATA

LAND USE INFORMATION RESIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Site Area: 1,952,047 square feet (44.8 acres) Range Floor Area Number of Units of Rental Gross Building Area (GBA) before Renovation: 1,100,000 (Square Feet) Market Low Income Prices1 square feet Cross Building Area (GBA) after Renovation: 1,703,975 1 Bedroom . 625-670 308 63 $800-930 square feet 2 Bedroom . 815-980 531 122 $930-1,050 Residential: 1,652,751 square feet 3 Bedroom .1,250-1,320 42 141 $1,100 Retail: 5,093 square feet 4 Bedroom . 1,650 2 57 $1,200 Health center: 12,000 square feet 5 Bedroom .1,770-1,880 0 13 NA Community building/clubhouse: 34,131 square feet 6 Bedroom . 1,950 0 4 NA

Residential Units before Renovation: 1,500 ECONOMIC INFORMATION Residential Units after Renovation: 1,283 New low-rise units: 214 Development Costs: Demolition $ 5,850,000 New mid-rise units: 760 Building construction 106,850,000 Residential rehabilitation: 309 Site work/landscaping 12,740,000 Gross Density: 28.6 units per acre Earthwork/piles 7,900,000 Total Parking Spaces before Renovation: 1,150 General conditions/bonds 9,535,000 Total Parking Spaces after Renovation: 1,150 Surveys, permits, testing 3,155,000 Architecture, engineering 5,350,000 Construction interest 29,655,000 Taxes/insurance 1,490,000 LAND USE PLAN Financing fees 2,065,000 Legal/title 2,050,000 Acres Percent of Site Relocation/social services 3,495,000 Marketing 2,340,000 Buildings 10 22% Operating reserve account 57,525,000 Driveways and parking 15 Total $250,000,000 Landscaped and recreational areas 20 44 Total . 45 100% Financing: MHFA coinsured loan $121,000,000 MHFA supplemental loan 30,000,000 Note: Urban Initiatives loan 9,000,000 UDAG loan 12,000,000 1 Average monthly rents for 1992—do not include rents for the 400 low- State Chapter 884 grant 3,000,000 income units, which are calculated at 30 percent of residents' income. Investor equity 75,000,000 rr Old Site Plan (Columbia Point)

Boston Harbor

400 Ft. Mount Vernon Street Primary Secondary Entry Entry New Site Plan (Harbor Point)

Key: DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE New Townhouses (3-Story) Task Force Began Work with Architect: 1978 RFP Issued: September 1982 New Residential Buildings (5-, 6-, or 7-Story) Developer Selected: October 1983 • Rehabilitated Residential Buildings Private Management of Columbia Point Began: October 1984 Land Lease Signed: December 1986 Nonresidential Buildings (Low-Rise) Construction Started: January 1987 Leasing Started: June 1988 Project Completed: April 1990

ARCHITECT/PLANNER SOCIAL SERVICES DIRECTIONS David I. Connelly From Logan International Airport: Take tunnel to downtown Goody, Qancy & Associates, Inc. Boston. Follow signs to Route 93 south. Exit at Columbia Road Boston, Massachusetts Housing Opportunities (Exit 15), turning left at bottom of ramp. At rotary, go halfway 617-262-2760 Unlimited, Inc. around to Day Boulevard. Take an immediate sharp right on Dorchester, Massachusetts Day Boulevard Connector Road. Travel one block to Mount Mintz Associates 617-288-4569 Vernon Street and turn left. Harbor Point's main entrance is Boston, Massachusetts one-half mile ahead on the left. 617-523-3709 Driving time: Approximately 20 minutes.

FRF STAFF PROJECT REFERENCE FILE is published quarterly and is intended as a resource tool for use by its subscribers in improving the quality of future projects. Data Frank 11. Spink, Jr., Nancy H. Stewart, Managing Editor contained herein were made available by the development team and constitute a Staff Vice President, Publications Helene Y, Redmond, report on, not an endorsement of, the project by ULI-the Urban Land Institute. HYR Graphics, Layout D. Scott Middleton, Copyright 1992 by ULI-the Urban Land Institute Jeff Urbancic, Graphic Artist Editor, Project Reference File 625 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004-2930 Kimberly M. Fisher, Report Author Subscriptions are available at $70 per year for ULI members, $85 per year for nonmembers. Single issues are available at $4 each to FRF subscribers; $10.50 each to nonsubscribers. ISSN 0364-2925 METRIC CONVERSIONS

meters - feet x 0.305 kilometers • miles x 1.609 square meters * sq. ft. x 0.093 hectares = acres x 0.405 (1 hectare - 10,000 square meters) The residents of the largely burned-out and boarded up Columbia Point project were not only physically isolated from Boston by their retnote location, but also were socially isolated from each other by crime and drugs. occur again. The HPCTF board con- leased the land for 99 years on a cash tinues to be very involved in policy flow participation basis. State and issues and has hired as staff two federal rental subsidies are pro- HPCTF members who are available vided for low-income residents. for daily decision making. Financing for the entire develop- The rental application process at ment was arranged prior to the be- Harbor Point is identical to most ginning of construction, rather than apartment complexes. The eviction in several phases as is commonly process, however, is quite different. done for projects of this size. The A "residents at risk" committee of development partnership felt it was the HPCTF meets with tenants who essential that the completion of the are in danger of being evicted. These entire project be guaranteed to as- residents are offered support from sure its success. the resident service staff and conditions for their continued residence MARKETING at Harbor Point are clearly spelled out. Although this effort is difficult The marketing staff was closely and time-consuming, it has been involved from the beginning. Sev- successful in helping many families eral design and construction deci- to avoid eviction. sions were made to facilitate the Management and resident ser- marketing effort. For example, the vices at Harbor Point are separate fitness center was added after a mar- functions. The partnership felt it keting study identified its impor- was important to keep the manage- tance. The overall marketing ment focused on the profitable op- strategy drove the phasing of rede- eration of the development. Resi- velopment from east to west. This dent services are critical: for Harbor strategy has emphasized the posi- Point to be successful, residents tive aspects of the location by direct- must be able to change their lives, ing prospective renters along the not just their physical environment. waterfront, through the university, and to the eastern side of the development. FINANCING The most difficult part of the mar- A complex package of public and keting effort was to overcome Co- private loans and grants was assem- lumbia Point's reputation—the bled to revitalize Harbor Point. early apartment advertisements did Most of the funding came from the not even include an address. Once Massachusetts Housing Finance prospective renters visit the com- Authority (MHFA) in the form of munity, the amenities, design, and coinsured and supplemental loans. high-quality management sell the Additional funding came from a neighborhood. The marketing staff Boston Housing Authority loan, a addresses safety concerns by using UDAG loan from the U.S. Depart- police recommendations and by ment of Housing and Urban Devel- emphasizing the current tenants' opment, and a state grant. Private strong interest in maintaining com- equity of $75 million was raised munity safety. through the sale of tax credits to 36 It was important to the project corporations. Chevron Corporation partners that the low-income resi- invested one-half of this amount. dents not be easily identified. There- The Boston Housing Authority fore, the marketing program had to The waterfront park, whichserves the general public and Harbor Point residents, is part of a regional system of parks bordering the Boston Harbor,

attract middle- to upper-income mi- White families will be attracted to nority renters and white low-in- market-rate housing in racially come renters. In this, the program mixed, mixed-income develop- was largely successful—approxi- ments if the community has supe- mately 35 percent of the market-rate rior design amenities and man- households are minorities. agement. Marketing efforts have been rein- Both low-income and market-rate forced by the meeting rooms and tenants live in the same types of other facilities that are rented to lo- units and have access to the same cal businesses, civic groups, and in- amenities and resident services. dividuals. The use of these facilities The tenant mix includes low-in- and other activities offered at Har- come whites and upper-income bor Point are changing the image of minorities. This overall strategy the entire peninsula. Another indi- makes "low-income" labeling im- cator of the program's success is that possible. Harbor Point's average market-rate Honest and complete involvement household income is $43,000, ap- of the tenants on a day-to-day basis proximately the same as the Boston has been achieved by establishing metropolitan area's average house- a true legal partnership. Tenants hold income. By working together, control 50 percent of all decisions, the project's marketing program, its which guarantees active involve- management, and its resident serv- ment of the HPCTF and its board in ices have achieved an occupancy policy decisions. rate of over 90 percent. Social services are crucial. One measure of the success of the de- EXPERIENCE GAINED velopment process is that, of the 350 public housing families liv- • The mixed-income housing model ing in Columbia Point at the be- worked when applied to a very ginning of the redevelopment, large-scale, urban, and troubled approximately 325 continue to project, as it had in more suburban, live in the Harbor Point neigh- smaller-scale projects. borhood.