We told you a couple of weeks ago that the old Blessed Sacrament Church off Hyde Park had exited nearly a decade of developmental limbo and was on its way to becoming at least 32 condos priced from $269,000 all the way to $725,000. The condos would have certain architectural flourishes you can only get in a converted church (as we told you about when we ran down these holy sites in June). Well, the idea of higher-end condos in the heart of JP is not kosher with some: namely, those who wanted to see the church's campus converted into mostly affordable housing.
Frustration spilled out during a meeting this week of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council. "I don't think we see things the same way on the campus," Hyde Square Task Force co-founder Ken Tangvik told the head of the church's re-developer. "We need to re-look at the whole campus. Thirty-two luxury condos will not fit into the Latin Quarter vision that we have." Tangvik, for his part, sees the church becoming a Latin American Arts/Cultural Center (other ideas include a school or a housing co-op). The developer, however, says that the shifting economy and that old bugbear of changing neighborhoods, gentrification, makes affordable housing unfeasible. Light a candle, it's going to be a while.
· Blessed Sacrament Condo Plan Splits Affordable Housing Backers, Neighborhood Development Corp. [Patch]
· Old JP Church Exits Limbo, Finds Salvation in Luxury Condos [Curbed Boston]