The owner of a planned five-story apartment building at 3326 Washington Street in Jamaica Plain is asking the city to loosen the deal that put affordable units on site in the first place. The request would keep 10 units under the city’s affordability rules but flip some into Section 8 voucher set-asides and buy out three apartments through a cash payment instead. The developer argues that tighter lending terms and rising construction costs have blown up the original financing plan, and that reworking the affordability mix is the only way to get the project built. The ask has stirred up a familiar neighborhood worry over whether developers can swap hard-won on-site affordable apartments for off-site money or units that depend on tenants already holding vouchers.
Project background and approvals
The five-story proposal at 3326 Washington St. was signed off to deliver 43 rental units, including 10 income-restricted apartments at roughly 70% of area median income, according to the Boston Planning Department. The site, long home to JP Auto Glass and historically known as the Turnpike Schoolhouse, was purchased by ELDEV Washington in 2024, a sale reported by Traded. The project was first filed in 2019 and went through local review under Article 80 before the change in ownership.
What the developer is proposing
In a filing reviewed by Jamaica Plain News, the proponent says it “proposes maintaining 10 units in the affordability program and adjusting the type of affordable unit or AMI.” The paperwork outlines a reshuffle in which four units would be reserved for voucher holders and three more would be bought out using the city’s cash-in-lieu option, which the developer says would free those apartments to rent at market rates after payment. The filing presents the shift as a financial patch job, arguing that current lender requirements and higher construction costs have made the originally approved affordability setup too hard to fund.
Neighbors push back
Neighborhood advocates and local bodies say the proposed swap from guaranteed on-site affordable units to vouchers or cash payments undercuts the basic deal that got the project approved. The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council and other community groups have put together letters and public statements pressing the BPDA and the Mayor’s Office of Housing to hold the line on genuine, on-site affordability, Jamaica Plain Gazette reports. Advocates argue that cash contributions and voucher-only units do not meaningfully serve the lowest-income residents who do not already have mobile vouchers in hand.
What comes next
The Planning Department is hosting a virtual informational update on Monday, May 18 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., with registration and meeting details available on the department’s online calendar. Under the Article 80 process, changes to a board-approved project are typically submitted as a Notice of Project Change, which can trigger a new public comment period and additional city review under standard planning and land-use guidance. City Councilors and housing officials have already flagged similar affordability revision requests popping up across Boston as interest rates and construction costs climb, and they held an April hearing to dig into how affordability agreements are being adjusted, The Bulletin reported.
