Boston’s eldest public housing venture, dating back 90 years, was characterized by its sturdily built, low-rise brick apartments. These units, totaling around 36, were spread over an expansive terrain similar in size to 23 football fields. This massive housing initiative is infamous for setting Whitey Bulger, a notorious criminal, on his path. It’s noteworthy, however, that Whitey’s brother Billy was also a product of these projects, going on to serve as the president of the Massachusetts Senate.
These projects served as home for numerous honorable families over generations. Disappointingly, the development is more known for Whitey, his criminal activities, and the tumultuous resistance to bus desegregation in the ’70s. The image that was nationally portrayed on several occasions was this notorious side ignoring the many good nurtured in these neighborhoods. The time has now come for all 1,016 apartments in what is currently known as Mary Ellen McCormack, named after the mother of former House Speaker John McCormack, to be disassembled stage by stage.
What’s impending is an ambitious effort by the city of Boston to reconstruct every public housing unit that once existed, while adding an additional 2,300 mixed-income dwellings, both apartments and condos. The entire redevelopment is one of the most significant in the city’s timeline and is estimated to cost around $2 billion, extending over nearly twenty years for completion. A makeover of this magnitude, given the state of current conditions, is considered a much-needed improvement.
Contrastingly, Charleston needs to pick up the pace on the transformation of its aging, crime-infested public housing. The city has future plans to remodel Cooper River Courts and Meeting Street Manor. These sites, initially built during Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, akin to Boston’s Old Harbor, are to be redeveloped into the $401 million Morrison Station project.
Resultantly, the number of low-income apartments at the two complexes will see an increase from 286 to a promising 358. Overall, taking into account the market-rate apartments, a novel total of 1,116 apartments is proposed. In essence, the revenue from the market-rate apartments will compensate for the reduced rent of the low-income households.
Next in line for the renovation is the 500-unit Gadsden Green on the West Side, which is viewed as one of Charleston’s least desirable Housing Authority projects. Charleston has an abundance of underused land that now holds a greater value due to the uptick in housing prices, and these lands are believed to be an excellent starting point for much-needed renovations.
Admittedly, executing a redevelopment project of this scale carries inherent complexities. It involves a labyrinth of intricacies with numerous moving elements, but this is not uncharted territory, there are successful blueprints to follow for extensive public housing refurbishments.
The watershed moment for the city came two years prior when it embarked on revamping its largest public housing initiative, the 1,100-unit Bunker Hill in Charlestown. By breaking ground at Mary Ellen McCormack in South Boston, the city signaled a commitment to the betterment of its public housing.
The president of the Mary Ellen McCormack Task Force, Carol Sullivan, emphasizes continuous dialogue with the tenants as a driver for success. This task force comprises resident representatives and serves as a guiding beacon for the redevelopment project.
Collaboratively, the city and developer have meticulously crafted a relocation plan to bring down the instances of forced, temporary exits. The proposed approach suggests that residents may be able to transition directly from their existing apartments into their new accommodation.
Any current resident without serious lease infractions will be allowed to return to the revived complex. Maintaining a line of consistent communication with the tenants will be vital in order to address concerns, manage expectations, and ensure an efficient transition process.
The current state of Charleston’s public housing cannot be deemed acceptable by any standards. It’s high time to discard the flawed systems from the past and welcome a more sustainable and inclusive future.