Mayor Walsh Announces Partnership Between Madison Park High School, YouthBuild Boston and the City

BOSTON - Wednesday, September 23, 2015 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh has announced that a model partnership between Madison Park High School and YouthBuild Boston has been established and will be responsible for the rehabilitation of a formerly-blighted Dorchester property into a single family, 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home in Dorchester.    

"Through innovative programs like our partnership with Madison Park High School and the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, we are not only building middle income housing in Dorchester, but we are also giving a new generation of students the tools they need for a bright future and good jobs," Mayor Walsh said. "This project is the kind of opportunity these students need in order to turn their education into real, tangible opportunity. These students will learn the tools of the trade from union workers and can take the lessons they learn in the process and use them to gain a foothold in the field after graduation. It's creative partnerships like this that will continue to make our city's future strong."   

The City of Boston's Public Facilities Commission has voted to grant Tentative Developer designation to YouthBuild Boston (YBB) and its partners, Dudley Economic Empowerment Partners (DEEP), to begin the renovation of 556 Park Street in Dorchester.  This vote allows YouthBuild to begin working with the City to finalize the design and financial aspects of their plan.  The property will be conveyed to the YouthBuild team after it has satisfied design and financial conditions.    

Once the property is conveyed to YouthBuild, Madison Park High School students will be working alongside union carpenters from the New England Regional Council of Carpenters and other trades, who will be providing on-site instructional training services.  The unique program will allow students to apply technical study and skills learned at Madison Park to the day-to-day activity at the job site.  Currently YouthBuild and Madison Park are implementing a similar program at 14 -16 North Avenue in Roxbury; the single-family home is nearly complete.   

The property at 556 Park Street is currently vacant and owned by the City through foreclosure.  The  Walsh administration's focus is to return City-owned property to its highest and best use, the property's tentative designation was accelerated so the property could be rehabilitated. The renovation will meet the City's standards for design and green building.  The proposed homebuyer sales price will be set at $300,000, which is affordable to a household earning at or below 100 percent of Area Median Income. "I look forward to these students gaining valuable experience and insights as  they renovate this property into a home that a working class family can afford and be proud of" Mayor Walsh said.   

DND issued a Request for Proposals for the property in May of 2015, after facilitating an inclusive community process.  During this process, DND met with residents to ascertain the neighborhood's wishes for potential development at a site.  YouthBuild was the preferred developer based on a review of applications against RFP Evaluation Criteria, and was invited to present their proposal to the community.  More information about the proposal and community process for the project can be found by using the City's CoUrbanize platform.