A thousand here, a thousand there
Thomas M Menino, has done a lot to help the lower- and middle-class in the city during the 15 years he has been mayor (and the four months he was “acting” mayor).
His staff does him no favors, then, when they say things that are blatantly untrue; or, at the very least, misleading.
From yesterday’s Boston Globe:
The city’s efforts, and the mayor’s continued attention to affordable housing issues, were praised by Daniel O’Connell, secretary of the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. According to a spokeswoman from the Department of Neighborhood Development, since Menino unveiled his “Housing 2000″ initiative in 1999, Boston has seen more than 22,000 new units of housing created; more than a quarter of them considered affordable.
However, the way I understand it, 22,000 new units of housing may have been “created” over the past nine years, but during the same time several thousand “affordable” units have been demolished.
A prime example of this is the West Broadway housing project, in South Boston. Several years ago, one third of the buildings were torn down and replaced with buildings of less density; correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe fewer people live there today than a decade ago.
Also partially demolished and rebuilt:
Mission Main: original constructed in 1940; reconstruction completed in 2000
Orchard Gardens, originally constructed in 1942; reconstruction completed in 2000
Maverick Gardens, originally constructed in 1942; reconstruction completed in 2006
Franklin Hill, originally constructed in 1952; reconstruction underway
Loading ...