Public Improvement Commission - Regular Meeting

Good morning. Welcome to the Public Facilities Commission. Before us today is the mayor's office of housing. Sebastian, please take over.

Good morning. This meeting is being recorded and broadcast live. I will now ask Colleen Daley, the PFC secretary to please conduct the roll call of the meeting participants.

Thank you, Sebastian. Participants, unmute your device and confirm your presence. Wanna call your name. Beginning roll call with the commission. Larry Mamoli, commissioner? Present. Donald Dreich, commissioner?

Present.

Sebastian Darien, assistant court counsel?

Present.

Catherine Pendleton, article clerk?

Present.

Violetta Paniotova, Paralegal? Present. Next with the Mayor's Office of Housing, Paola Pelletier Ouzana, Director of Operations?

Present.

Min Nguyen, project manager, real estate management and sales division. Present. Theresa Strachilla, development officer, Grow Boston division. Present. Sylvia O'Dono, senior project manager, Boston Home Center Division.

Present.

I'll read for the record the remainder of the individuals who are in attendance but will not be presenting in today's meeting. Attendees, you don't have to unmute your device. Lauren Forbes, assistant corp counsel, law department. Lily Bullet, Assistant Corporal Counsel, Law Department Rosemary Chung Dell, Director, Real Estate Management and Sales Shani Fletcher, Director, Grow Boston Christine McCrory, Assistant Director, Boston Home Center, Ben Dailey, Administration and Finance, Operations Manager. And this concludes roll call. Thank you.

Thank you, Colleen. The first order of business before the commission this morning concerns draft meeting minutes for 04/29/2026 for the public facilities department. Is there a motion to take a vote via roll call for the PFD meeting minutes?

Motion to take a vote via roll call.

Commissioners, when I call your name, cast your vote. Commissioner Momoli?

Yes.

Commissioner Wright?

Yes. Thank you.

The meeting minutes for 04/29/2026 for PFD are hereby approved. And today for the mayor's office of housing, we have Paola Pelletier Ozuna, director of operations for MOH. MOH has three votes on the agenda for today. I will read each vote for the record and there will be a presentation by the named individual. At the conclusion of each vote presentation, the commission may make

a motion to take a vote via roll call. If such motion is approved, Colleen will conduct a roll call for each commissioner's vote for the record.

Vote one is being presented by Min Nguyen, project manager with the real estate management and sales division of MOH. This is a request for tentative developer designation and intent to sell to eight thousand seven hundred eighty nine Mountain Ave LLC for vacant land located at 94 Willow Wood Street in Dorchester. The purchase price is recommended at $55,100. Minh, if you

would please present vote number one.

Hello. My name is Minh Nguyen. I am a project manager in the real estate and management sales division of the mayor's office I am here requesting POC approval for the tentative developer designation to 8789 Mountain Ave LLC for the parcel identified in the vote package Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. Mayor's Office of Housing conducted a public process that resulted in the developer designation and this tentative designation vote request. Community notification letters were mailed in 01/23/2026 to inform of mayor's office of housing's intent to issue an RRFP for the parcel.

MLH has also attended the 11/20/2025 Woodrow Avenue Neighborhood Association meeting to discuss the RFP guidelines for the parcel. A request for proposal was issued on 02/23/2026 and advertised in the state central register on 02/13/2026. And herald on February 2026. The city record on 02/23/2026, and 03/02/2026. Proposal was received to the by March 2026 and was determined to meet the eligibility criteria.

The offer was appraised value. The vote package includes a comprehensive memo about the project and PFC vote request. I have also provided handouts related to this vote request, which are displayed on the screen, the first being a site map and the second image of the current site. Eighty seven and eighty nine Mountain Ave LLC will utilize the site and maintain it in its current condition, preserving it as open space. They intend on maintaining and keeping up with the landscape of the parcel.

In summary, if PFC approved this forward, quite a result of following public benefits, return a vacant property in MOH's inventory for thirty four years back to productive use, back on the tax rolls. This sale will also generate 55,100 in initial revenues from the sale. I'm here to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.

No questions. It's great to get properly up our roles. Commissioner? Yes. Same here. No questions. Good job, man. Thank you. Motion to approve the roll call.

Commissioner Wright?

Yes.

Commissioner Mamoli?

Yes.

Thank you.

Vote number one is approved. Vote two is being presented by Teresa Strachella, development officer with the Grove Boston division of MOH. This is a request for conveyance to Urban Edge Housing Corporation for vacant land located at 7 Waldron Road in Roxbury. The purchase price is $100. Theresa, if you would please present vote two.

Thank you, Sebastian, and good morning, commissioners. I'm here requesting PFC approval for the conveyance to Urban Edge Housing Corporation, hereafter referred to as Urban Edge, for the parcel identified in the vote package in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. This matter was last before you in May 2025 when PFC voted to approve the time extension of the tentative developer designation of Urban Edge. To refresh the commission's memory, MOH conducted a public process that led to that vote and this subsequent request. MLH held a community meeting in July 2023 to discuss with community members the preservation of this parcel as open space.

Support by the community was strong. A request for proposals was issued on 12/18/2023 and advertised in the state central register, the Boston Herald, and the city record. One development team applied to the RFP and was determined to meet the eligibility criteria. PFC approved that the tentative developer designation of Urban Edge Housing Corporation on 05/22/2024, and does and the designation was advertised in the city record on June 24 and 07/01/2024. Since their initial designation, Urban Edge has finalized the site design and development budget with community input.

They phased the site design into two phases to allow for initial site accessibility and safety improvements while fundraising continues for phase two of the project. They've also completed fundraising for phase one of the project, including a $125,000 award of grassroots funding. The vote package includes a comprehensive memo about the project and POC vote request. I've also provided four slides related to this vote request, which will be displayed on the screen. The first is an aerial map of the parcel.

The second is a satellite view of the parcel. The third is the design for phase one of the project, which includes the removal of existing knee high fence posts that are scattered amongst the site and currently present a safety hazard. It also includes a new shade structure with wheelchair accessible picnic tables and the resurfacing of pathways with stone dust to restore accessibility. And the fourth slide shows the design for phase two of the site, which includes additional plantings of shade trees, the restoration of decorative permeable pavers into an accessible format, the addition of benches and seating areas, and overall site landscaping improvements. The project has the support of residents of the nearby building affordable housing buildings also owned by Urban Edge as well as other neighbors and neighborhood associations.

In summary, if POC approves the vote request, it will result in the following public benefits. It will preserve approximately 4,095 square feet of land as protected open space after more than thirty four years in MOH's inventory. It will improve a gathering in green space in a densely populated neighborhood and increase the tree canopy with the addition of new shade trees. I'm here to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.

No questions. Great project. Just as you say, protected open space. That's the deed restriction, I assume, that says they can only use it.

Yep. Yes. This will have a deed restriction.

Commissioner Wright? Excuse me. No questions. Great project. Good job, Theresa.

Thank you.

Motion to approve via roll call.

Commissioners, when I call your name, please note your vote for the record. Commissioner Mamoli?

Yes.

Commissioner Wright?

Yes.

Thank you.

Vote number two is approved. Vote three is being presented by Sylvia Adorno, senior program manager with the Boston Home Center. This is a request to accept and expend a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts division of banks to implement foreclosure prevention counseling services. The grant amount is $127,442. Sylvia, if you

please present vote number three.

Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you everyone for your time. My name is Sylvia Adorno, and I have the privilege of overseeing the foreclosure prevention and intervention counseling program, which assists homeowners throughout the city of Boston who are facing foreclosure and provides intervention counseling to help them avoid losing their homes. The mayor's office of housing, MOH, has been awarded a grant totaling a $127,442 to support foreclosure prevention and intervention counseling services for Boston homeowners.

While this year's award reflects a reduction from prior years due to statewide budget cuts, MOH remains committed to ensuring these funds are utilized effectively and responsibly to support homeowners in need. Statewide funding decreased from 3,500,000 last year to 2,100,000 this year. This marks the nineteenth consecutive year that MOH has received this grant award. The funding will support services throughout calendar year 2026. Grant funds will be used to provide technical assistance to m o h m o h's nonprofit partner agencies, which are contracted to deliver free foreclosure prevention and intervention services to the public.

MOH selects its nonprofit partners through a publicly advertised request for proposals process. Current partners partner agencies include Urban Edge, ABCD, Mattapan Family Centers Service Center, and ESAC. Due to inflation and rising interest rates, demands for our services has remained consistently high. These funds will provide greater flexibility to increase support for our nonprofit partners as needed, enabling us to better assist Boston homeowners who may be at risk of foreclosure because of rising nonhousing expenses associated with inflation. Funding will also support expanding marketing and outreach efforts to reach more households across the city.

You may have noticed our marketing efforts are enhanced outreach campaigns, including more than 35 bus shelter advertisements placed throughout Boston neighborhoods. Additionally, resources will enable MOH to expand home preservation services for homeowners facing housing cost burdens amid ongoing economic challenges. To date, MOH has assisted 48 homeowners through these services during the current fiscal year, the majority of whom are elderly. Additionally, MOH has completed ninety ninety four new client intakes this fiscal year. During the same period, 98 homeowners received assistance that helped them avoid foreclosure, including 44% of who obtained loan modifications and four percent who received home preservation services.

Among new clients completing intake assessments, 44% were delinquent on their mortgages, 40% were identified as at risk, and 60% 16% had already been petitioned. MOH's foreclosure prevention and intervention services remain critical in helping homeowners address financial challenges early in the process before their homes are petitioned for foreclosure or lost entirely. Many homeowners continue to face financial hardship due to inflation driven increases in non housing expenses and stagnant incomes, which impact their ability to meet mortgage obligations. Our services play a vital role in helping homeowners navigate these challenges, negotiate with lenders, and pursue loan modifications and other solutions that can prevent foreclosure and preserve homeownership. I am now open for questions or comments.

Thank you.

No questions. Congratulations on another year of funding. Always happy to

take money and spend it. Commissioner Wright. No. No. Just comments. Great work. Work. I had the pleasure of sending folks your way, and the results always seem to be promising between you and Jeff and others on the team. So congratulations on the the hard work, and I'm glad we have this resource here in the city. Motion to approve via roll call.

Commissioners, when I call your name, please note your vote for the record. Commissioner Mamoli? Yes. Commissioner Wright?

Yes. Thank you.

Vote number three is approved. This concludes PFC's meeting. Is there a motion to adjourn the meeting?

Motion to adjourn. Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank

you, commissioners.

Thank you, folks.

Have a good day.

Thank you all.