OppCo Member Nuestra Comunidad awarded a national EPA Phoenix Award

The Bartlett Station Project, a Roxbury neighborhood development by Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation (NCDC) and Windale Developers, has won a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Phoenix Award for the successful and impactful remediation and transformation of this important Boston site.

The award was announced on August 17th at the ICMA (International City/County Management Association) Brownfields 2022 Conference in Oklahoma City. Nominated by environmental consultants Weston & Sampson of Reading, MA, the Bartlett Station Project was one of 10 regional winners in this national competition with more than 60 nominees. The other nine award recipients included important projects such as the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma, which took the National Phoenix Award that evening.

“It was an honor to be recognized among such an amazing group of impactful projects,” said NCDC Director of Real Estate Development Diane Clark. “I was truly inspired by the years—even decades—of work and dedication each awardee demonstrated in completing these projects for their communities. It reinforced the importance of the Bartlett Station Project, the voice of the community and our responsibility in bringing positive change where we live and work.”

The Bartlett Station Project is an exciting development plan that started with a community vision for the former MBTA’s Bartlett Yard on Washington Street in Roxbury. The Roxbury community viewed the 8.5-acre site as an opportunity to revitalize the neighborhood by bringing not only housing to the site, but also quality goods, services and economic opportunities.

Led by Nuestra Comunidad and partners Arnold Johnson and George Chin of Windale Developers, the Bartlett Station Project, slated for completion in 2025, will provide 380 new affordable, moderate and market-rate rental and homeownership opportunities, as well as 26,000 square feet of commercial and retail space offering goods and services to the Roxbury community that residents would formerly need to travel to find.

The team’s strong partnerships with public and private funders, including the EPA, Mass Development and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), made it possible to transform this 8.5-acre brownfield into a sustainable community offering homes, retail, jobs, development opportunities for local minority businesses, generational wealth-building opportunities, art, open space (at the 15,000-square-foot Oasis Park) and more to the Roxbury community.

“It's been a privilege to work with the community of Roxbury and the entire Bartlett team to help develop a site that was once a health and environmental hazard into a cultural and community asset,” said former Bartlett Station Project Manager Mark Matel. “Thank you to Windale, Nuestra, Weston & Sampson and the EPA for creating a safe environment and place for many to call Bartlett Station home.”

The Bartlett Team (Nuestra and Windale Developers) thanks the Roxbury community for its vision and the Bartlett Project Review Committee for its input and commitment, and wishes to recognize consultants Kim Vermeer of Urban Neighborhood Initiatives; Henry Joseph and Associates; Davis Square Architects; the MBTA; Michael Washington Associates; Goulston & Storrs Law Firm; DeVellis Zrein Civil Engineering and Landscape Architecture and the highly skilled and professional team at Weston & Sampson. Special recognition goes to the former NCDC staff who initiated this project: Evelyn Friedman, Marcia Thornhill, David Price and Mark Matel.

Also crucial to Bartlett Station’s success is the support and patience of its public and private funders, the City of Boston–Mayor’s Office of Housing; Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Housing and Community Development; Frank Gardner and the EPA; DEP; Mass Development; Enterprise Community Partners; Neighborworks; LISC; Blue Hub Capital; CEDAC; MHIC; Eastern Bank; Bank of America and Federal Home Loan Bank, among the many others who make important projects like Bartlett Station possible for people and communities who have worked hard to make their collective vision a reality.