ARCHITECT’S RENDERING
The Boston State Hospital Citizens Advisory Committee’s backing of a planned 367-unit development has raised concerns among Mattapan residents, some of whom say they were left out of a key decision-making process that could have profound implications on the future of the neighborhood.
But the CAC was established by the state legislature in 1985 to ensure members of the Mattapan community had a voice in the redevelopment of the former Boston State Hospital campus, which at that time was the largest tract of vacant land in Boston.
While developers are required to present before the CAC as part of the land disposition process, they’re not required to meet with other local neighborhood associations.
Because community groups were not privy to the questions asked of developers during the April 29 meeting, Ali-Salaam says Mattapan residents don’t know what commitments developers made to hiring people of color in the construction process.
Lopes said community groups routinely ask developers for commitments on the percentage of people of color involved in a project and factor those percentages into their decision-making processes.
