BOSTON — A new shopping center is being planned for one Dorchester neighborhood, but it is facing stiff resistance from residents because of the parking.
The new center at Codman Square would be mixed-use retail, with high-end boutiques and apartments. The current space is a flat top parking lot, with 50 spaces.
"Everybody's scrambling for parking," said Global Ministries Christian Church Pastor Bruce Wall.
Wall said the plan hurts the community rather than help it and many want the lot to become a city managed municipal lot.
"We have businesses. We have churches. We have residents. And we have agencies that all need parking,” said Wall.
Pastor wall says the project would also hasten the spread of gentrification, pushing locals out.
Nailing down data is tricky because the definition of gentrification controversial and it takes time track housing trends
“I am pro-development. I think the city should look at all of our open lots,” said State Rep. Russell Holmes, D-Mattapan
A 2015 report using census data estimates 21 percent of Boston neighborhoods are in the process of gentrifying, up from just under seven percent from data collected a decade before.
"I think this lot has been a parking lot for about 30 years. So the church, obviously Codman Square Health Center is also very interested in it and just the community said yes, we want to have parking, but we still need to say is parking the only solution,” said Holmes.
City leaders like Holmes said the development project has the potential to revitalize the community and bring in new revenue.
"I don't like to just tell developers no. I don't like to just say no to an opportunity until I know exactly what an opportunity is,” said Holmes.
For now, the city has put the project on hold after hearing the concerns from the community. Wall and other members have requested a meeting with the city ahead of a meeting and rally next Wednesday.
Cox Media Group
