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Boston's Morning Newsletter
In Southie, Boston's oldest public housing project is getting a makeover
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Tomorrow is the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Click here for a look at what many people get wrong about the historic event in American history. But before we spill the tea, let’s get to the news:
McCormack makeover moves forward: The city of Boston is set to raze and rebuild its second-largest — and oldest — public housing development. Last night, the Boston Planning and Development Agency voted to approve the first phase of a $2 billion plan to redevelop the Mary Ellen McCormack complex in South Boston. First built in 1938, the massive 31-acre public housing community was where Whitey Bulger grew up; it has also faced recent scrutiny over its conditions. However, Boston Housing Authority administrator Kenzie Bok says it’s about to undergo a “real transformation.”
- Bigger: The entire project includes replacing all of the existing 1,016 apartments, and adding more than 2,000 units at middle-income and market rates (in a mix of both apartment buildings and row houses). It will also add a community center, retail space (maybe a grocery store) and new streets to make the insularly designed complex more accessible. “It’s going to be knit back together into the street grid of the rest of the larger neighborhood,” Bok told WBUR’s John Bender. You can check out the renderings on the project website.
- Greener: The complex — located next to Southie’s Moakley Park — is in a flood plain, according to Bok. So, the plan also includes key climate resiliency measures, like raising the ground floors of buildings throughout the complex and installing green infrastructure, like rain gardens and berms to protect against flooding.
- What’s next: The first phase of the project will replace 529 public housing units and add 781 new mixed-income apartments over the coming decade. Bok says the multi-phased approach aims to minimize the disruption to current residents. “The very first building that we build will actually be located on what’s currently a blank pad … so that we can have a bunch of families make a one-way move from their current public housing apartment into a brand-new apartment,” Bok said.
- Zoom out: The McCormack makeover is just one part of a major overhaul of the area around Carson Beach and Moakley Park, which Bok calls a “gem” of the city. Southie’s nearby Old Colony public housing complex is finishing up its own redevelopment project. And to the south, the “Dorchester Bay City” project will turn the old former Bayside Expo Center into a totally new 2,000-apartment neighborhood on Harbor Point.
Rhode rage: Two-way traffic has resumed on I-195 in Rhode Island, after officials reopened two emergency westbound bypass lanes this morning on the Washington Bridge. The news comes after all westbound lanes on the Providence bridge — located over the border from Massachusetts — were abruptly closed Monday due to a critical structural failure, paralyzing local traffic and even closing some schools.
- What’s next: Repair work on the bridge is expected to take several months. To help relieve the traffic, Rhode Island plans to run a temporary ferry service between Bristol and Providence.
Jobs in jeopardy: More than 600 Boston Public Schools jobs could be on the line, as millions of dollars in federal pandemic funding runs out next year. The Boston Globe reports the cutoff is likely to spur budget cuts and at least one school merger in the district — even with additional city funding to make up for some of the loss.
- BPS principals are planning to meet with teachers, students and parents over the next month to decide which cuts to make, according to the Globe.
Brew news: Two local breweries are merging to form a new company. Aeronaut and Dorchester Brewing announced yesterday they will form a new company next year called “Tasty Liquid Alliance” to pool resources and expertise. Dorchester Brewing CEO Matt Malloy told WBUR’s Dave Faneuf that the two breweries have a lot in common: “We share a similar culture, we celebrate diversity in our taprooms and with our staff, and the real important thing is we both care rabidly about making high quality products.”
- What stays the same: The two breweries will continue to function as separate and independent brands, and both taprooms (in Somerville and Dorchester, respectively) will stay open.
- What changes: Aeronaut plans to close its production site in Everett and shift most of its brewing (and production workers) to Dorchester Brewing’s facility. Aeronaut’s “Cannery” taproom in Everett will also close at some point next spring.
P.S.— Two top managers at the state’s ___ were suspended this month. Do you know what embattled agency it was? Then take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week’s stories.
