Posted on May 14, 2003
BOSTON --- The Massachusetts Housing Partnership is committing $4.8 million in permanent financing toward the rehabilitation of the Dartmouth Hotel in Dudley Square.
Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation is developing the landmark building, which towers over one of Roxbury’s major intersections. The building currently houses several businesses at street level, but its second, third and fourth floors have been vacant for decades, its characteristic bay windows boarded over. The building is at the corner of Dudley and Warren streets, across the street from the historic Palladio Hall, which was redeveloped into business and office space by Nuestra in 2000.
The Dartmouth project involves renovating the hotel and constructing an annex for housing and commercial space resulting in 65 units of rental housing and 12,000 square feet of commercial space. When completed, the building will house 45 low-income residents and 20 moderate-income to market-rate tenants, including six artist lofts. A ceremony marking the beginning of the project was held on Thursday, May 8, hosted by Nuestra executive director Eveylyn Friedman and attended by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
This is the fourth time MHP has helped finance Nuestra’s efforts to bring affordable housing to the Roxbury area. All told, MHP has committed or is committing over $6 million in financing to Nuestra, creating or preserving a total of 125 affordable units.
In addition to MHP, other institutions funding the Dartmouth Hotel effort include the state Department of Housing and Community Development, the city of Boston, Fleet Bank, Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation, Boston Community Capital, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, MassDevelopment and the state’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is administered by MassHousing.
For more information about MHP’s rental financing programs, call 1-877-MHP-FUND.