Three plans for Dudley Square land plot

A Roxbury community meeting last week gave Dudley Square residents the chance to weigh in on three different proposals for the development of a parcel of vacant city-owned land. While all three proposals — from Waldwin Group, Urbanica Inc., and Placetailor — were for mixed-use developments that combined residential and commercial uses, they offered up significantly different visions for the property and the surrounding neighborhood.

The land in question is located at the intersection of Washington and Bartlett streets, across from the B-2 police station. It is known as the Archer-Bonell site and consists of 7 vacant parcels totaling 14,037 square feet.

Rental housing and commerce

A proposal by the Waldwin Group would include two ground-floor commercial properties, one of them a Dunkin Donuts. The Waldwin Group is an independently owned and operated franchisee of the Dunkin Donuts company. The group has worked since 1992 on Dunkins properties throughout the Boston area, including locations in Dudley Square, Egleston Square, Ruggles Station and Logan Airport.

Waldwin founder and CEO Clayton Turnbull said he could not comment on whether the proposed Dunkins shop for the new mixed-use building would replace the Dunkins that currently sits in Dudley Square Station.

He said the new store would employ 70 people.

The second commercial occupant for the Waldwin proposal has not yet been determined.

The building would have three floors of residential units for a total of 12 units: nine two-bedroom units and three one-bedrooms. Fifteen percent of them would be marketed as affordable in accordance with the city’s Inclusionary Development Policy requirements. He estimated the market-rate apartments would run for about $1,800 for a one-bedroom and $2,000 for a two-bedroom.

Turnbull said he designed the apartments to be spacious, in accordance with what he would want if he were a tenant.

“I want to give [the tenants] some room,” he said.

The building would come with 15 parking spots, which would be utilized by both renters and Dunkins customers.

When discussing the construction phase, Turnbull underscored his deep roots in the community to say he was confident the project would be able to meet the city’s diversity requirements.

He added, however that he couldn’t necessarily commit to a level higher than that. “I have hesitancy when it comes to talking about exceeding the city’s requirement when it comes to people of color,” he said. He added that the project likely would be non-union.

Rental housing and community arts

A second proposal from Urbanica, Inc. would provide a mix of housing and a community arts space. That space, which Urbanica president Kamran Zahedi said he would sell to local nonprofit Discover Roxbury for one dollar, would serve as a kind of multipurpose center that local artists could use to showcase work, have rehearsals, and sell their products.

The Urbanica plan would have 24 residential units: 12 one-bedrooms, 8 studios and 4 two-bedrooms. Zahedi said that while they are currently committed to the city-mandated 15 percent affordability rate, they are looking at ways to further increase that percentage. These include grants offered through the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Department of Neighborhood Development. Planners estimated that the market-rate rents would be somewhere between $1,200 and $1,900 for a one-bedroom.

The plan is estimated to create 20 construction jobs and 45 permanent jobs, including those tied to Discover Roxbury.

While Urbanica’s plan raised some audience questions about the impact on traffic — particularly on nights when Discover Roxbury hosts functions there — the developers said they did not anticipate such problems.

“Most people take the T or bike [to Discover Roxbury events],” said Derek Lumpkins, executive director of Discover Roxbury. He acknowledged, however, the need for further planning.

“As it gets denser, we’ll have to figure some of that out,” he said.

In terms of diversity concerns, Zahedi sounded a confident note.

“I think we can basically promise 50 percent minority and 50 percent Boston residents,” he said of the construction process. “We feel very confident we can achieve 50 percent.”

He noted that the women’s quota would probably remain at the 10 percent mandated level, saying it is difficult to get higher numbers than that when dealing with the building trades.

Home ownership and biz incubator

In contrast to those two proposals, a third plan from Placetailor features only housing for purchase, with a stated commitment to affordability.

“Ownership — we kept hearing that word,’” Placetailor founding member and owner Declan Keefe said of the group’s previous conversations with community members. “We asked ourselves, ‘How can we figure out how to help people with that?’”

The space would have 27 units for sale — 14 of them (52 percent) would be sold at market rate. The most expensive within this group would be the three-bedroom units, which would go for approximately $335,000.

Of the remaining units, four would be sold at 80 percent of the Area Median Income ($233,000 for a 3-bedroom) and nine would be sold at 100 percent of the Area Median Income ($299,700 for a 3-bedroom).

The commercial space for this third project would be a business innovation center, similar to the innovation districts that are quickly becoming popular in Dudley Square and across other parts of Boston, like the Seaport District.

The group does not yet have a specific commercial tenant in mind, which Keefe said was part of the group’s commitment to community process.

“There’s no specified tenant because we’d like to work with the community to find the right tenant,” he said.

He added, however, that they would focus on getting someone who would stay in the space long-term.

“[People] are creating a business and then leaving,” he said, citing rising local rents. “We want to create an office space where they can potentially stay. We’re trying to create wealth creation.”

The project is estimated to create 20 permanent jobs.

However, that presentation elicited some frustration from community members in attendance when Keefe would not give a firm number in terms of hiring goals. He said that while he felt confident in the company’s current diversity numbers, he didn’t want to promise anything beyond that, out of a desire to avoid giving empty promises.

“I’ll say 50 percent [people of color] because we’re already there,” he said. “I can’t promise anything beyond that because I don’t have that [currently].”

His explanation, however, did not sit well with some in attendance who wanted to hear a firmer estimate that could inspire their confidence.

“Your stating a number demonstrates your commitment, and without that, it’s nothing,” said one audience member.

Another man who said he had worked on the new Bolling building agreed.

“We got a lot of contractors saying ‘We’ll do our best faith effort,’ and it didn’t mean anything,” he said.

Although that conversation focused on the hiring goals of Placetailor — mostly, it seemed, in reaction to Keefe’s insistence on not providing a number —none of the three projects have promised a diversity quotient for construction beyond the fifty percent mark, which Keefe did say he could deliver.

Competing visions

Another conversation sparked during the Waldwin presentation occurred when some in the meeting raised questions about the suitability of the chosen commercial enterprise for the neighborhood.

Local resident Kai Grant questioned whether Dunkin Donuts was the appropriate choice for the neighborhood, citing concerns about dietary health, environmental impact from litter — especially styrofoam cups, and relatively low wages.

“I don’t see this having any community benefits besides benefitting you,” said Grant.

Turnbull responded to such concerns in turn.

“We won’t be having styrofoam cups,” he said.

He added that Dunkins has a menu with items deemed to be healthy, but that ultimately it was up to consumers to decide what to buy.

“This is America, you can choose,” he said.

When pressed by Grant and a few others on the wage issue, including whether any Dunkins employees would be able to afford the building’s units, Turnbull said that such individuals would likely be able to afford rent in one of the two affordable units in the building.

“We’ve never paid minimum wage,” he added. “Every small business in the country is struggling trying to figure out how to [meet new mandated requirements]. We see $15 per hour coming.”

While some might find it surprising to hear Dunkin Donuts described as a “small business,” Turnbull clarified for the Banner that 99 percent of Dunkins restaurants operate as franchises. Each location sets its own wages and product prices independent of the corporate structure, he said.

Massachusetts’ new minimum wage law enacted in January increased the minimum wage to $9 per hour, with increases each year until it reaches $11 in January 2017.

Turnbull added that he didn’t see complaints from those worked for the company. “People aren’t running away from us,” he said.

Others in attendance said that they had come to express their support for Turnbull because of their faith in the Waldwin name.

“You need a company who’s been around for a long time and supports those who no one else wants to hire,” said one person. “The Waldwin Group has been here for years — you gotta support people who have been here for years.”

“I’d hate to see them lose, especially because of their commitment to our young people,” added another woman.

Some, however, were less convinced.

“The implication that Dunkin Donuts will leave Dudley if they don’t get this [project] bears examination,” said one man.

Turnbull was quick to reply.

“We do close stores,” he said, referencing the now-closed Dunkin Donuts in Mattapan across from Simco’s. “I’m not saying that’s what we’re going to do, but just to let you know.”