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From YouTube: Committee on Government Operations February 16, 2017
Description
Dockets #0179-0180- An Act Relative to affordable housing in East Boston and the South End
A
It's
0180,
which
is
a
message
in
order.
Moving
a
home
little
petition,
the
General
Court
entitled
an
act
relative
to
certain
affordable
housing
in
the
south
end
section
of
the
city
of
austin.
The
matters
were
sponsored
by
Mayor
Walsh
and
referred
to
the
committee
and
governor
operations
background
January's,
25th
2017
and
basically,
both
formal
petitions
seek
to
use
federal
funds
for
redevelopment,
specifically
the
clippership
units
and
aerated
housing
developments
in
eSports
forces
in
Council
of
lemon
tina's
district,
as
well
as
the
West
Newton
rutland
east
springfield,
public
housing
development
in
the
south.
A
These
redevelopments
necessitate
certain
exemptions
from
the
Commonwealth
contract
and
procurement
award,
Louis
award
laws
so
and
we've
seen
through
the
council.
Very
similar
legislations
have
happened
for
a
widia
street
orion
height
bromley.
He
mission,
Main,
orchard,
gardens,
maverick
gardens,
west
broadway
development
that
old
colony,
washington,
beach
in
franklin,
he'll,
just
the
name.
A
collaboration
of
our
housing
development
here
in
the
city
and
we're
also
joined
here
by
my
colleague
to
the
counselor
Tim
McAfee.
So
joining
us
today
is
Lady
agro
chief
of
staff
of
the
AJ
and
Kate
Bennett
was
the
deputy
administer
for
planning.
B
You
thanks
for
having
us
dear
chairperson
clarity
and
members
of
the
committee.
My
name
is
Lydia
agro
I'm,
the
chief
of
staff
at
the
Boston
Housing
Authority
I,
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
come
here
today
and
testify
regarding
the
critical
importance
of
this
legislation
to
the
Boston,
Housing,
Authority
and,
more
importantly,
to
the
residents
of
the
clippership
and
West
Newton
rutland
east
springfield,
public
housing
sites
in
east
boston
in
the
south
and
respectively.
While
these
are
technically
two
different
bills,
the
bills
have
both
been
filed.
B
For
the
same
reason,
the
BHA
will
not
be
able
to
redevelop
or
provide
substantial
capital
upgrades
to
these
sites
in
a
cost-effective
way.
Without
passage
of
this
legislation.
The
BHA
filed
similar
legislation
in
the
past
and
when
its
passage
was
able
to
successfully
redevelop
its
mission,
main
orchard,
gardens,
maverick
Gardens,
Franklin,
Hill,
Washington,
Beach
and
west
broadway
homes,
Family
Development.
B
In
addition,
the
BHA
is
in
the
midst
of
redeveloping
the
old
colony
site,
with
the
use
of
similar
legislation
passed
in
2010
and
will
redevelop
the
whittier
street
development
with
similar
legislation
passed
last
year.
As
with
these
projects,
approval
of
these
Home
Rule
petitions
is
solely
and
specifically
for
the
redevelopment
of
clipper
ship
and
the
BHA
sells
em
properties
along
West
Newton
Rutland
in
East
Springfield
streets.
B
Although
there
have
been
reforms
to
the
state
statutes
regarding
filed
sub
bids
under
Chapter
149,
the
changes
are
insufficient
to
allow
the
BHA
to
move
forward
and
redevelopment
efforts
of
this
kind
without
passage.
The
projects
must
adhere
to
an
extremely
structured
filed,
sub
bid
process
with
separate
general
contractor
and
subcontractor
selection.
B
The
BHA
and
its
developers
would
have
no
ability
to
value
engineer
and
or
redesign
the
project's
food
costs
increase
beyond
the
funding
available
for
the
redevelopment
efforts,
the
value
engineering
is
where
significant
savings
can
be
made
by
allowing
the
developers
to
negotiate
pricing
with
various
subcontractors
under
existing
statutes.
Changes
in
design
made
to
reduce
costs
may
require
that
the
bid
process
begin
all
over
again.
B
Putting
the
entire
project
at
risk,
both
clippership
and
the
south
end
properties
are
severely
distressed
and
our
residents
who
live
there,
many
of
whom
are
children
and
elderly,
deserve
better
at
West
Newton.
Our
developer
partner
will
undertake
a
comprehensive
renovation
of
the
existing
Brook
townhouses
at
clipper
ship.
The
existing
housing
will
be
demolished
and
rebuilt
along
with
an
additional
30,
affordable
home
ownership
units.
At
both
sites,
we
will
ensure
one-to-one
replacement
of
existing
deeply
subsidized
unit
and
prioritize
existing
residents
for
new
units.
B
As
with
other
bha
redevelopment
efforts,
listing
residents
have
a
number
of
options
from
which
to
choose
regarding
relocation
and
return
to
the
site
they
may
choose
to
temporarily
or
permanently
move
to
another
bha
development
of
their
choice
or
to
utilize.
The
section
8
voucher
to
relocate,
also,
families
at
wish
to
return
to
the
original
site
will
be
able
to
do
so.
B
In
addition,
bha
will
continue
to
own
the
land
on
which
the
buildings
will
rebuild
and
lease
it
to
our
development
partners.
The
new
housing
will
replace
distressed
townhomes
with
completely
renovated
buildings
in
the
case
of
West
Newton
and
a
completely
new
building
at
clipper
strip.
That
fits
the
neighborhood
and
needs
of
the
families
elders
and
those
with
disabilities.
In
both
cases,
critically
needed.
Affordable
units
will
be
preserved
for
future
generations.
The
south
end
based
affordable
housing,
nonprofit
eva,
has
been
selected
as
the
developer
for
West
Newton
Rutland
street
properties.
B
Wind
development
has
been
selected
to
redevelop
the
clippership
site.
Our
residents
deserve
to
live
in
suitable
in
decent
housing
as
well
as
feel
that
they
are
part
of
the
neighborhood
around
them.
We
ask
for
your
support
of
this
legislation
so
that
we
are
able
to
make
this
vision
a
reality
for
them.
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
A
A
A
A
B
A
D
Is
very
limited:
it's
and
it's
not
clear
to
what
degree
the
section
8
vouchers
will
be
available
for
relocation
for
these
properties.
We
expect
to
have
some
in
each
case,
typically
about
twenty
five
to
thirty
percent
of
the
residents
want
to
use
a
section,
eight
verses,
going
to
a
beach,
a
property
so
on
a
month-to-month
basis,
we're
kind
of
working
our
way
out
of
the
shortfall
that
we're
in
on
section
eight.
D
We
won't
need
relocation
vouchers
for
some
months
and
in
the
case
of
what's
Newton,
possibly
even
a
year
or
more,
so
we
hope
to
essentially
have
them
available
for
relocation
at
the
time.
If
we
don't,
those
residents
will
still
be
offer
to
place
within
bha
poor,
though
they'll
still
have
affordable
housing
during
and
after
the
redevelopment,
and
then.
D
E
Thank
you
both
for
being
here
today,
so
equipped
ship
walk
20
units
here
today
when,
when
developed
this
property,
did
it
make
50
us?
Yes,.
D
E
D
D
B
B
D
E
C
D
Secondly,
it
allows
the
developer
partners
to
engage
in
a
design,
build
the
process
with
their
architects
and
contractors
which
the
chapter
1
49
process
doesn't
allow.
You
have
a
GC
who
has
to
go
with
the
lowest
bid
subs
and
therefore
you
have
a
GC,
that's
not
picking
their
stuff
and
it's
very
cumbersome
and
almost
impossible
at
times
to
negotiate
changes
to
the
scope
which
could
result
in
cost
savings.
So
it's
really
those
two
factors
that
are
most
important
great.
F
D
D
We've
started
a
process
with
them
around
relocation.
We
have
a
meeting
actually
Monday
the
27th
to
kind
of
formally
kickoff
that
process.
Although
we've
been
in
discussion
with
them
about
it,
we
expect
most
of
those
moves
to
occur
over
the
summer
summer
and
into
the
fall
prior
to
the
to
the
closing
and.
E
Insult
them
they
will
be
moving
with
them.
There
yeah.
D
Will
will
renovate
those
first
and
then
you
know
kind
of
use
them
as
hotel
units
to
move
folks
around
as
we
need
to
and
we're
hope
we're
hoping
to
avoid
doing
off-site
relocation
at
all
there.
It
may
be
due
to
some
roof
issues
that
we
have
to
get
people
out
of
there
for
for
a
longer
period
of
time
when
some
of
the
townhouses,
but
we're
hoping
to
do
it
all
on
site.
Relocation.
D
F
F
We're
going
to
do
retail
space
on
the
first
floor
of
the
rental
building
on
facing
sumner
street,
which
we
think
will
activates
on
their
street
yeah
they're
important
thing.
I
think
this
is
a
requirement
of
the
BHA
RFP,
but
a
good
one
was
to
create
a
new
corridor
down
the
middle
of
the
site
so
that
looking
down
verse,
3
from
six
or
seven
blocks
back
in
DS,
plus
and
you'll
be
able
to
see
the
harbor
in
a
way
you
weren't
before
so
I.
Think
that's
going
to
be
an
attractive
feature.
Great.
D
For
those
I,
don't
we
don't
have
them
with
us
today
and.
F
D
They're
building
in
new
community
space
into
that
housing,
which
doesn't
currently
have
its
own
community
space,
they
use
the
heritage
community
room,
but
now
there
will
be
some
ground
for
gathering
space
for
folks
at
West
Newton.
Those
are
all
you
know:
units
in
town
houses.
There
won't
there
won't
be
any
new
community
space
built.
But
one
of
the
reasons
we
designated
eva
is
that
they
have
a
lot
of
facilities
and
programming
within
the
neighborhood
that
our
residents
will
now
be
able
to
avail
themselves
up.
E
E
F
At
the
clippership
work
project
yeah,
in
fact,
this
is
one
of
the
sort
of
fortuitous
things
that
happen
with
respect
to
the
timing
of
the
clippership
departments
field.
Is
that
the
clippership
wharf
project
across
the
street
as
an
affordable
housing
obligation
and
is
making
a
six
million
dollar
equity
contribution
towards
the
clippership
apartments
redevelopment
which
is
going
to
allow
us
to
take
it
from
20
units,
the
50
units?
So
it's
it
just
happened
to
work
out
that
way
that
the
the
timing
was
right,
that
that
could
happen.
D
D
E
C
F
C
A
Good,
so
that
this
anyone
else
in
the
chamber
wishing
to
offer
public
testimony
may
do
so
now
or
forever
hold
your
peace.
Seeing
and
hearing
no
desire
for
any
additional
public.
Testimony
want
to
take
this
opportunity
to
thank
Lydia,
nigro,
Kate,
Bennet
and
Chris
Fleming
for
participating
today
with
respect
to
these
two
dockets,
and
our
hope
is
that
so
gets
the
MIDI
report
in
two
weeks.
Very
that's
our
next
formal
council
meeting
in
two
weeks
so
get
a
committee
report
turned
around
and
then
it
before
the
council
for
vote.