Developers, Community Challenge Wu Over Roxbury P3 Reversal

The team behind a proposed public-private partnership redevelopment designation project in Roxbury has argued against Mayor Michelle Wu's claim that it was economically unviable and pushed back against her decision to revoke development rights.

HYM Investment Group and My City At Peace asked city officials to reconsider plans announced earlier this month to take away the P3 designation from the group on the 8-acre site in a letter Thursday night, The Boston Globe first reported.

The development team had been working on a mixed-use life sciences and affordable housing project, but the city now said it would consider the site for the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School redevelopment instead.

The letter comes after Wu decided not to renew the team's designation, which is set to expire at the end of January.

The company said it was close to completing a finalized project budget and was in negotiations with the city over its term sheet. The team also said it has met its planning commitments to the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee and the broader community.

The developers plan to host a listening session on Feb. 2 at the Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury to discuss the decision and invited Wu to attend.

The decision to change plans was announced on Jan. 13 during an RSMPOC meeting. The city's chief planner, Kairos Shen, said the city considered using at least a portion of the site for a new school. The city recently won $700M in initial approvals for state funding for the school project.

The Wu administration argued the economics of the original project, which included roughly 700K SF of life sciences space that would help fund a 308-unit affordable housing component, weren’t feasible. The life sciences market has continued to see a supply-and-demand imbalance, which has made it incredibly challenging for landlords across the market.

However, HYM argues the project is still viable and would be a huge loss for the community, which has longed for new opportunities and much-needed housing.

Roxbury community leaders have responded with anger and disappointment, the Bay State Banner reported. Connie Forbes, who heads the Roxbury Neighborhood Council, an elected, state-created community body that weighs in on development and land-use issues, accused the city of disregarding rules seeking community input when it abruptly pivoted its plans for the parcel.

“The city is doing what it wants when it wants,” Forbes told the Banner. “There’s no oversight. There’s no one to enforce agreements. The outcome is that there’s no equity.”

HYM and MyCAP won approval for the site in 2022 after Tishman Speyer dropped its bid. The proposal also included 45K SF of retail space.

The site has long sought redevelopment, being the city's largest contiguous parcel up for grabs. Over the past couple of decades, the site has been proposed for several projects, including a Partners Healthcare corporate office and a BJ's Wholesale Club store.