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Stonewall Communities moves to Dorchester? by Ethan Jacobs
associate editorMonday Apr 7, 2008 UPDATE April 10, 2008: There have been major updates to this story since this blog post went live, including the release of a statement by the developers of the Schoolhouse at Lower Mills. For the latest on the story check out the article in this week’s Bay Windows.
Stonewall Communities announced last February that it was shelving plans to build an LGBT retirement community in Audubon Circle due to the gloomy real estate market, but today the organization announced to its members that it is contemplating purchasing a 62-unit condo development in Dorchester, the Schoolhouse at Lower Mills. Stonewall Communities has asked its supporters to complete a survey gauging how interested they would be in moving to into the building. In an e-mail to members Stonewall Communities president David Aronstein urged people to fill out the survey by April 11, writing, "There is a very limited amount of time to structure a deal with the developer so your immediate feedback is critical."
On the surface the Schoolhouse at Lower Mills is a very different setting for an LGBT retirement community than Audubon Circle. While the latter was located in the heart of the Fenway area, right near Landmark Center, Kenmore Square, and Fenway Park, with easy access to the Green Line, the Schoolhouse at Lower Mills is located on the outskirts of Dorchester near the border of Milton. It is also far less accessible to downtown. According to the developer’s website promoting the Schoolhouse the development is a free trolley ride away from Ashmont Station on the Red Line, which is eight stops away from the heart of downtown Boston.
Aronstein said in his letter if Stonewall Communities purchases the Schoolhouse the condos will range in price from $250,000 to $400,000 for one and two-bedroom units. By contrast the proposed Audubon Circle project condos were planned to be priced at between $400,000 and $800,000. Stonewall Communities first proposed the Audubon Circle project in 2006, and it was approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority in 2007. Last August Stonewall Communities offered prospective buyers the chance to put down a refundable deposit to reserve a unit in Audubon Circle, and construction had been slated to start at the 23 Miner Street property this spring. In February Stonewall Communities announced that construction had been put on hold until the real estate market improves, but at the time Aronstein told Bay Windows it was unclear how long it would be before construction begins.
Aronstein declined to comment for this story through spokesman Tony Fusco, citing ongoing negotiations with the developer of the Schoolhouse, Urban Capital Partners. It is unclear how the purchase of the Schoolhouse at Lower Mills would impact plans to construct Stonewall Audubon Circle. But in his e-mail to supporters he urged them to complete the survey within the week.
"Don’t delay. Respond now so we can make the right decision about this potentially ground-breaking housing community for LGBT seniors and their friends," wrote Aronstein.
Ethan Jacobs can be reached at ejacobs@baywindows.com
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