The Boston Housing Authority, the city’s public agency that provides subsidized housing, is working with its residents, local neighbors and private developers to fully redevelop many of its large, old and obsolete housing developments by bringing them into the 21st century and re-integrating them into the historic streetscapes. Integral to that work is embracing greener building methods to promote improved health, lower operating costs, increased resident comfort and greater resident retention; in other words, a better building to live in, own and manage.
With BlueHub Capital’s help, affordable housing developments are not just participating, they are leading the way. In 2011, BlueHub Capital financed the installation of solar panels for Beacon Communities’ redevelopment of this South Boston public housing development. In addition to tapping into solar energy, the new buildings are highly energy efficient, greatly decreasing costs and improving comfort. Before the redevelopment, Old Colony Development was paying over $4,000 per unit per year for utilities; the newly developed units have a fraction of that cost.
