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The Clarendon Hill Development Team consisting of the Somerville Community Corporation, nonprofit affordable housing developer Preservation of Affordable Housing and Redgate Residential would like to share information in response to questions and concerns raised on social media and in the community about the new affordable housing planned for the redevelopment of Clarendon Hill.
Clarendon Hill was built in 1948 as housing for single veterans returning from World War II. The Somerville Housing Authority has responsibly maintained these buildings with limited resources but over the years the buildings have become functionally obsolete for the families that live in them. With very little state spending authorized to renovate state-funded public housing units of this type, the State of Massachusetts has been evaluating ways to revitalize these properties in a way that protects the rights of the residents to this affordable housing and improves the safety, comfort and appearance of their apartments and common spaces.
Therefore, for the past 18 months, the development team has been engaged in conversations with Clarendon Hill residents, community members, state and local officials, and many others to ensure that the redevelopment meets the needs of residents and improves the neighborhood and quality of life for this residential community.
There is little doubt that these buildings need serious repair and we have committed to rebuilding the existing 216 deeply low-income public housing units that currently occupy the site with quality affordable apartments that will have state-of-the-art appliances and amenities.
Redevelopments of the scale of Clarendon Hill are never easy, but they are successful when there is common understanding, listening and engagement and collaboration by all parties.
Working collaboratively with the State, the City, the Somerville Housing Authority, the residents, and each other we have developed a financially feasible plan that allows full replacement of the existing affordable units within a healthy, attractive mixed-income community. Along the way, as with any complex redevelopment project, a number of issues and concerns have been raised by community members and Clarendon Hill residents. We are committed to finding responsible and mutually acceptable solutions that will protect all residents and advance the much-needed redevelopment of Clarendon Hill.
Some of the issues raised during our planning together include the temporary relocation of tenants during construction and the potential temporary reassignment of school children to nearby schools during the renovation. These are processes which the team has successfully carried out in a number of other redevelopments of this type in cities and towns across the country. We are working with the school department to ensure the least disruption possible.
Yesterday’s online dialogue raised questions with respect to the safety and future residency status of the existing Clarendon Hill residents. In order to carry out the redevelopment of Clarendon Hill, the partners anticipate utilizing federal subsidies for one quarter of the 216 replacement affordable units. This critical funding will ensure that these apartments remain affordable. The units assisted with federal subsidies will come with different requirements for eligibility that are set by the federal government.
The development team has committed to ensuring that there will be an affordable apartment for each current family to return to and the vast majority of these apartments will remain available to both documented and undocumented families going forward. As members of this community, we respect and are proud of Somerville’s sanctuary city status. We think it is a critical part of being a welcoming and inclusive community. The potential use of federal funds for this redevelopment effort in no way compromise the Housing Authority’s or the Development Team’s commitment to protecting the rights of the residents of this property.
To summarize – the proposed redevelopment preserves each and every one of the 216 public-housing units, at their current affordability and in perpetuity. No families will be evicted or face any negative consequences due to their immigration status as a result of this redevelopment.
We remain available to answer questions and concerns as they arise from residents and community members and we will host on-site office hours for anyone with questions over the course of the next few days. The location and times of those office hours can be found here.
Our next community meeting will take place in early January at which we will discuss next steps for the proposed redevelopment.