New affordable homeownership opportunities celebrated in Chinatown

Mayor Kim Janey and the Chinatown Community Land Trust yesterday welcomed first-time, low-income homebuyers who purchased the Chinatown Land Trust’s (Chinatown CLT) first permanently affordable condo units on a 99-year community land trust ground lease. The Chinatown CLT preserved and renovated these seven units with funding from the City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development and the Community Preservation Act. These seven homes on 20 Oak Street (three units) and 95 Hudson Street (four units) are the Chinatown CLT's first permanently affordable homes created on the land trust.

“I'm proud that together with our partners, we've preserved and renovated these affordable homes for Chinatown residents and families,” said Mayor Janey. “These homes are an example of our commitment to growing our affordable homeownership options in our City, and making sure those options are near public transit hubs.”

The Chinatown CLT row houses are transit-oriented development, being a two-minute walk from the MBTA Tufts Medical Center station.  

“Through community ownership of the land, we are protecting Chinatown's historic brick row houses as permanently affordable housing for lower-income families,” said Lydia Lowe, Executive Director for the Chinatown Community Land Trust.  “Many of these homes were lost to short-term rental investors in recent years, but today we are working to reclaim Chinatown's small-scale row houses to continue to be an anchor for working-class families for generations to come.”

"We are a family with two young children who have been living in Chinatown since 2016,” said new homeowner Meidan Lin. “We can now have a stable home for our children's education, medical care, our jobs--we feel a sense of security in our heart."

The renovation of the row houses is part of how Chinatown is using historic and cultural preservation as an anti-displacement strategy.  In addition to reclaiming individual properties, the City is investing in the creation and protection of affordable housing, as well as supporting local businesses.  An Immigrant History Trail is slated to launch this year as a transformative public art project that lifts the stories of immigrant, working-class families since the 1800s.

The Department of Neighborhood Development is responsible for housing people experiencing homelessness, developing affordable housing, and ensuring that renters and homeowners can find, maintain, and stay in their homes. As part of the ongoing coronavirus response, the Office of Housing Stability is also conducting tenant’s rights workshops to educate residents about the eviction moratorium and their rights. The Boston Home Center continues to provide down payment assistance to first-time home buyers and home repairs for seniors and low-income residents. The Supportive Housing Division works with various partners around the city to rapidly house individuals who are experiencing homelessness. For more information, please visit the DND website.