Dorchester, MA Building on his commitment to build more affordable housing in the city of Boston, mayor Martin Walsh joined U.S. representative Ayanna Pressley, Trinity Financial, other elected officials, community and business leaders to celebrate the official opening of Treadmark – an 83-unit mixed-income, mixed-use, transit-oriented development located in the Ashmont Sq. neighborhood.
Treadmark is inspired by the neighborhood history of the former Ashmont Tire company, a landmark business that operated on the site for 50 years. The building boasts 51 affordable rental units and 32 ownership units designed by HGTV celebrity interior designer Taniya Nayak, who integrated the character of the city and created a welcoming project. The project also features designs from The Architectural Team, Inc. Exterior landscaping was created by the landscape architecture and planning firm Copley Wolff Design Group.
“These aren’t just 83 units, these are 83 families whose lives will be changed,” said Pressley during the event. “This is an incredible community. It’s vibrant. It’s diverse. It’s civically engaged. I’m so excited for our new neighbors that will be able to call this community home.”
The project also includes ground-floor retail with the neighborhood shop, American Provisions. In addition to American Provisions, Trinity Financial will complete the ground-floor retail program, with two remaining retail spaces totaling 2,500 s/f.
“We’re excited to celebrate the official opening of Treadmark and want to thank all of our public and private partners for their hard work and collaboration, which has been vital in bringing the vision of this project to fruition,” said James Keefe, principal at Trinity Financial. “Treadmark is located on the red line in the heart of Boston’s most diverse neighborhood. We are so proud of this project and of the commitment of this community whose support has been instrumental, particularly through the rebuilding process.”
The development for this new building was made possible in part by investments from the City of Boston; the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development; Boston Private Bank; and RBC Capital Markets. Additionally, the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp. played a crucial role in the completion of the Treadmark project.
“We are proud to support Treadmark, a vibrant transit-oriented development that meets the needs of the community, with mixed-income rental and homeownership opportunities for households living and working in Boston,” said acting undersecretary of Housing and Community Development Jennifer Maddox. “Under the leadership of the Baker-Polito Administration, we have helped support the production and preservation of more than 15,000 units across the Commonwealth. We continue to drive momentum in every region of the state to create substantially more new housing that matches the needs of our communities to keep families stable and support a growing economy.”
The ribbon cutting of Treadmark marks a major milestone in the continued growth of Ashmont/ Peabody Sq. following a lengthy process of recovery after a 2017 construction fire. Dedication to the neighborhood led to the commitment to immediately rebuild. In addition to these 83 new units of housing, the City has added more than 200 units of housing to the area.
“Treadmark highlights our long-standing commitment to community investment, and we are pleased to be a key financing source for this type of mixed-used, mixed-income project that will benefit this neighborhood for generations to come,” said Esther Schlorholtz, director of community investment at Boston Private Bank.
“Treadmark exemplifies what can be done through strong public-private partnerships and targeted investments. It advances the transformation of a historic Boston neighborhood into a vibrant, healthy and diverse neighborhood, and it was a perfect fit for a Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund investment,” said Joe Flatley, president of the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp.
Treademark consists of affordable units to low- and middle-class families and strongly aligns with the City’s housing goals outlined in Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030. Mayor Walsh recently increased the City’s overall housing targets from 53,000 to 69,000 new units by 2030 to meet Boston’s population growth. These updated housing goals build on Mayor Walsh’s commitment to increasing access to home ownership, preventing displacement and promoting fair and equitable housing access.
Since the release of the original Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030 plan in 2014, income-restricted housing stock, designed to increase affordable housing, has grown along with overall new production: nearly 20 percent of housing units are income restricted, and 25 percent of rental units are income restricted. In total, after creating an additional 15,820 units of income-restricted housing, Boston will have nearly 70,000 units of income-restricted housing by 2030.
For more information on the City’s work to create more housing, please visit: Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030.
The opening of Treadmark comes following other neighborhood milestones. Last month Greater Ashmont Main Street celebrated the ribbon cutting on a significant Ashmont/Peabody Sq. open space enhancement project. Ashmont/Peabody Sq. is also home to the Dot Jazz Series, the Dorchester Bike & Brew street festival, and local Ashmont Farmers Market.
