For a long time, the Parent Imperfect has been winding up to write something about the neighborhood controversy over the plan to construct a new charter high school on the border between Roslindale and West Roxbury. The debate about this parcel has been emotional and very public, almost from the day when Roxbury Prep (RP), a local charter school network apparently controlled by a New York charter management organization, proposed to put a large new building on the Clay Chevrolet site at the corner of Belgrade Ave. and West Roxbury Parkway, just a few minutes from my home.
I have had lots of conversations about this project over the past year, but my time to engage directly with this noisy process came on February 13... (Read the whole article on the linke below.)...
To date, Roxbury Prep and their PR firm have been able to control the public discourse on this project.
Roxbury Prep Belgrade Ave, LLC is a FOR PROFIT Real Estate organization, and not Roxbury Prep Charter School, which has submitted a proposal to the Boston Planning and Development Agency
(BPDA formerly BRA).
The BPDA has the sole power to approve this development in our Community when it's 4 Member Board votes on the proposal, based on recommendation from its
Project Team.
All of the information to date has been by the Development Team.
The BPDA meetings have been run by the Development Groups including
Upton + Partners
Legal Counsel and
Northwind Public Relations - "relentlessly focused on winning!"
In depth research has revealed many aspects of concern that would impact the community:
the essence of our communication is to present the research and allow for community discussion and response.
"Because of the challenges this situation has caused, [lack of a permanent facility], one goal for the next five years is to find a permanent home for Roxbury Prep High School, providing Roxbury Prep students a fully scaled and stable 5-12 continuum of education. Roxbury Prep is seeking a site with space suitable for approximately 800 students and 70 staff members (approximately 60,000 square feet)."
" It has created logistical problems for clubs and sports teams trying to meet, as well as creating academic and staffing constraints when students from both buildings need to take the same class. We also know that concern over this issue has caused families to choose other high schools for their students. Families do not want their child to commute to a different neighborhood every year and want a proper facility for their students that has a gym, space for music and theater classes, and a cohesive staff and culture."
And yet the BPDA proposal does not meet the standards the Proposer submitted in their Charter. The submitted proposal is for approx. 550 students and 67 Staff members, and approximately 49,000 square feet. Because the size was reduced, without educational rationale, the students will NOT get the benefits they were promised in the proposed not-so-State-of-the-Art facility.
On the West Roxbury/Roslindale line, this location is the gateway to West Roxbury. A nearby rotary acts as the hub to a major, 4-lane road way (Centre Street) and a major, 4-lane parkway (West Roxbury Parkway) which navigates to Washington Street, an already a confusing,
congested and dangerous intersection.
The result of a traffic study shows the area will boast a(n) F rating for traffic flow, with an additional 550 people only adding to the already troubling
safety situation. Given the recent pedestrian fatality in the area, the proponents are ignoring
safety concerns.
The proposer says:
"With convenient access to public transportation, the proposed site is immediately adjacent to the
Bellevue Station stop on the MBTA commuter rail line as well as being serviced by several bus
routes for the approximately 90% of the students to arrive by public transportation."
But NO train is scheduled to STOP at the Bellevue Station during school hours. And the bus stops are 400 feet from the school.
The Proposer's supporters talk about adjusting the schedule as though it will happen over night, which the MBTA tells us is not the way it works.
" This proposal has many important and unique characteristics. Most significant is the creation of a
new charter high school facility to serve not only existing students from several Boston neighborhoods, but also increasing number of students from Roslindale and nearby West Roxbury
neighborhoods."
But the Lottery Procedure, listed on the Roxbury Prep/UnCommon Schools website, does not simply offer seats to West Roxbury and Roslindale applicants.
"The number of slots available in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grades is determined each year by the school.The lottery will be separate and unique from the lotteries being held by the other charter schools participating in the Boston Charter School Application.
Preference #1 –Siblings of currently enrolled students.
Preference #2 –Residents of Boston.
Preference #3 –Non-Residents of Boston.
The Boston Planning and Development Agency tells us that although the Comments Period on the website says the Comments Period is closed, emails, letters and calls can still be made to the Agency.
You can fill out the form on the BPDA Contact Us page.
You can send a letter to:
Boston Planning & Development Agency
One City Hall, Ninth Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02201
Call 617.722.4300 M-F,
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
You can sign the Petition to
Governor Baker and Mayor Walsh at the meeting on Thursday, April 25, or you can download it, from the Downloads section below,and mail it to the address on the bottom of the form.
And ask your Friends and Neighbors to sign, as well!!
As we talk with members of the Roslindale and West Roxbury Communities, there is a desperate need for elderly housing, near community resources such as food markets and medical facilities.
West Roxbury has one of the highest percentages of elderly in the City of Boston.
361 Belgrade is the perfect place, with consumer goods and medical resources just walking distance away.
Let's consider the Elderly!
Read about how UnCommon Schools - the contracted Management Company which runs
Roxbury Prep High School -
has impacted the taxpayers in NJ.
From page 2-7 of the proposal:
Parking:
76 Spaces
(46 [tandem] in Garage + 20* Surface Parking Spaces or 30 valet-style spaces)
*With valet service, surface parking could increase to 30-spaces, bringing overall parking to 76 spaces.
What, exactly, is valet service?
The requirement directed by the Neighborhood Shopping District is 0.7 spaces per 1,000sf of gross floor area.
This equals 35 parking spaces.
A charter school is an independently run public school granted greater flexibility in its operations, in return for greater accountability for performance. The “charter” establishing each school is a performance contract with the Commonwealths detailing the school’s mission, program, students served, performance goals, and methods of assessment. They must demonstrate performance in the areas of academic achievement, financial management, and organizational stability. Every five years, charter schools undergo a charter renewal process.
The Commonwealth assesses each City or Town for the cost of each student.
Authorized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Education Reform Act of 1993, charter schools are independent public schools that operate under five year charters granted by the Commonwealth's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Charter schools are usually proposed by teachers, school leaders, parents, non-profit organizations, or other members of the community.
The increased freedom coupled with increased accountability infuses all aspects of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's oversight of charter schools, beginning with the rigorous application process that groups must go through to receive a charter. Once the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has awarded a charter on the basis of a successful Application for a Public School Charter (step 1), the new charter school has the freedom to organize around the core mission, curriculum, theme, or teaching method described in the application. It is allowed to control its own budget and hire (and fire) teachers and staff. In return for this freedom, a charter school must demonstrate good results within five years or risk losing its charter.
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is obligated by Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 71, Section 89, and regulations under 603 CMR 1.00 to conduct an ongoing review of charter schools and, by the fifth year of a school's operation, decide whether its charter should be renewed. Specifically, the renewal of a public school charter is based on affirmative information in three areas of inquiry:
Owner: Neal Clay
Developer: UnCommon Schools and Upton and Partners
*** UPDATE ***
UnCommon Schools and Upton and Partners removed their Proposal for a School Building at 361 Belgrade Ave in May 2022.
UnCommon Schools proceeded with a new Proposal at 69-71 Proctor Street near 1010 Mass Ave in Dorchester, which the BPDA has approved.
UnCommon Schools, a for profit organization managing the non-profit Charter School paid $5.4 Million, under the label of Roxbury Prep Foundation. The building is designed to hold 800 students.
The amended and Final Proposal at 361 Belgrade was for 567 students.
Can't find the BPDA Link.
Owner: Neal Clay
Developer: Upton and Partners
Land: 43,014 sq ft
Gross Area: 126,000 sq ft
361 Belgrade Avenue | Boston Planning & Development Agency (bostonplans.org)
Owner: CAD Builders -Claudio and Anthony Diletizia
Developer: Gary Martell - who's listed Company is not properly Registered with the Commonweath of Massachusetts
Date of Involuntary Dissolution by Court Order or by the SOC:
06-30-2017
Proposed FOUR (4) STORY mixed-use building with 21 RESIDENTIAL units, and parking - in a THREE (3) STORY ZONED space.
The Community, through the Highland Neighborhood Organization, has objected to the height and the design of the Proposed Structure.
During a period when the Boston Historic Commission was to decide on the efficacy of the structure, the Developer tore down the "Keith House", and the Bank.
The Developer is in the process of suing the City of Boston (ISD and BPDA) for not providing a permit to build.
1905-1911 Centre Street | Boston Planning & Development Agency (bostonplans.org)
Bellevue Hill Statement:
Go Back To the Drawing Board?
Two years ago, the Bellevue Hill Improvement Association (BHIA), West Roxbury,
voted to oppose a school project proposed by
Roxbury Prep 361 Belgrade Avenue LLC, a for-profit real estate company.
This company is a subsidiary of Uncommon Schools, the Education Management Organization (EMO) contracted by Roxbury Prep, a lottery charter school.
Of primary concern to neighbors was the impact of additional traffic on congested arteries at the gateway to West Roxbury, namely the intersections of the historic West Roxbury Parkway, Belgrade Avenue, Anawan Avenue and Centre Street. A study done by the proponent made light of the dense traffic snarl. Experts say that a traffic study should not be conducted by a proponent’s hire but by an independent firm.
Safety issues are directly connected to urban traffic patterns, especially when children are involved, and especially in a city notorious for traffic and safety problems. Mayor Walsh insists that solving transportation and traffic problems is a priority. There is a train station adjacent to 361 Belgrade and buses run along Belgrade Avenue. The plan is for students to use public transport to and from school. However, MBTA trains do not have the capacity to handle 300-562 additional passengers and there is no bus stop near 361 Belgrade. MBTA tells us that to increase train capacity and/or add a bus stop will take two to three years of planning. MBTA does not currently plan to alter train and bus transport schedules.
Since that vote, however, more serious concerns have arisen. A portion of the land at 357-361-371 Belgrade Avenue is “deed restricted” DCR land. In the 1970’s, DCR (MDC) “loaned” this land to Howard Chevrolet with the stipulation that the land revert to DCR in the event that the business closed.
Howard Chevrolet closed operations and is now called Clay Consolidated. Clay Consolidated is the entity which plans to lease this property to Roxbury Prep 361 Belgrade Avenue LLC, the for-profit real estate company, for 99 years. By the way, state legislators think that the urban land should revert to DCR.
And, who gets to make money off of public land, anyway?
Acquiring information about 361 Belgrade has become a “who’s on third” conundrum. On June 4 we noticed building permit filing information on the windows at 361 Belgrade. The Director of Neighborhood Services did not respond to an information request regarding this filing. Neither the Mayor’s West Roxbury liaison nor the Roslindale liaison knew of the filings. Finally, ISD ( Inspectional Services ) confirmed that on May 17 permits had been filed but not granted because of zoning problems.
The Zoning Board of Appeals had already set a hearing date of July 30.
The problem here is that, traditionally, an abutter’s meeting is supposed to take place after filing and before the ZBA hearing. Although BPDA said that concerned residents would be notified of meetings along the way, the Chief of Staff at Neighborhood Services said that “sometimes these meetings just don’t happen”.
He said he would check into the matter but never called back.
Bellevue Hill Improvement Association is the oldest and largest neighborhood group in West Roxbury and we voted to oppose Roxbury Prep 361 Belgrade Avenue LLC after the proponent sought our support. Then, BPDA claimed that West Roxbury residents did not have the right to object to 361 Belgrade because the school has a Roslindale address. Our mission statement and by-laws call for neighborhood oversight of projects considered detrimental to living conditions in West Roxbury. Within this project there are traffic and safety problems, urban planning that has outgrown its own footprint, City officials who don’t know what’s going on, and profiteers of a 99 year lease of public land, all disguised as a SCHOOL.
BHIA thinks that even a visit back to the drawing board
will not help this questionable plan.
Ginny Gass
Athena Yerganian
Bellevue Hill Improvement Association, Inc.
Atty. Joseph Hanley appeared before the City of Boston Zoning Board of Appeals on July 30, 2019. He was heard to say he represented the "Appellant: Roxbury Prep," and yet both the submitted Proposal for 361-371 Belgrade Ave and the Appeal say
Roxbury Prep Belgrade Ave LLC.
"We've been asked to defer by the Mayor's Office - BPDA," he said.
The BPDA has not voted to approve or oppose the project at 361-371 Belgrade.
The Chairwoman - Ms. Christine Araujo - required the decision by the BPDA
before addressing the project.
Chairwoman Araujo thanked, many times, the obvious attendees - students of Roxbury Prep and neighborhood residents - for attending the hearing. She explained that she lives in the project neighborhood, "but is not impacted by it."
For clarification, she explained that the extension
"allows for a deeper conversation and more chance for a resolution,"
but she did not explain who the participants are of this deeper conversation.
The next hearing date is scheduled for October 8, 2019.
Watch the video on the City of Boston Website
https://www.cityofboston.gov/cable/video_library.asp?id=31252
OR
on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIAuVULSp3E
The 361-371 Belgrade portion starts at about 19:10.
West Roxbury - Roslindale Bulletin
May 2, 2109
Residents meet to say NO to Roxbury Prep
April 4, 2019
Low Turnout at Roxbury Prep Meeting
March 28, 2019
Impromptu Roxbury Prep Meeting Raises Tensions
February 7, 2019
Parkway divided on Roxbury Prep
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