Real estate developer JDMD Owner, LLC has put out a request for proposals to convert two long empty Beacon Hill properties into multifamily affordable housing units.

The private company is looking for an affordable housing developer to gift the adjacent 27 and 29 Hancock Street properties to in exchange for fulfilling its obligation to the city’s Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP).

Created in 2000, IDP requires developers of large real estate properties to create additional housing for low to moderate income households or contribute to the IDP Fund, which the Mayor’s Office of Housing uses to create income restricted housing.

JDMD initially acquired the Hancock Street properties in 2018 to fulfill offsite IDP obligations connected to the development of the Archer Residences luxury condominiums. The initial deal would have seen the Hancock Street properties utilized as 39 single room occupancy (SRO) units that were to be placed into the affordable housing lottery. However, Beacon Hill residents, through the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) and the recently formed Homes on Hancock nonprofit, organized in opposition to the properties being used as SRO housing.

Under the previous deal, Women’s Lunch Place (WLP), a women’s shelter, would have acquired the properties as a permanent supportive housing option for women experiencing chronic homelessness. In SRO housing, residents would have private rooms with shared kitchen and bathroom spaces.

In a June 20 letter to Mayor Michelle Wu, the BHCA said, “We want to reiterate our concerns, initially raised in 2021, regarding the SRO housing model proposed for this development. The BHCA advocates for the development of larger, multi-room, affordable units that provide more optimal living conditions for families.”

That sentiment was echoed in Homes on Hancock’s July 19 letter to Mayor Wu.

“It is our view that the WLP proposal would pose safety and quality of life issues for residents of these properties, and the young families and elderly residents of Hancock Street as well as the surrounding neighborhood,” the letter reads.

The Homes on Hancock website points to a high number of reported incidents of crime at another SRO property, Bowdoin Manor at 37-41 Bowdoin Street, as well as a history of successful community driven affordable housing projects like Beacon House and The Bowdoin School.

In a statement over email, WLP CEO Jennifer Hanlon Wigon said, “We are just learning of this [request for proposals]. Having spent a year doing due diligence on this site, we recognize that the [request for proposals] is ‘exploratory in nature’ and that any project approved for the Hancock Street properties must meet the developer’s IDP requirement and receive the city’s support. Women’s Lunch Place remains committed to creating service rich housing for homeless women and we are reviewing the [request for proposals].”

JDMD decline to comment. The BHCA and Homes on Hancock also called for a more transparent, community involved process in determining the future of the properties. After receiving a 4731 page response to a public records request regarding the properties, Homes on Hancock wrote in its letter to Mayor Michelle Wu, “Neighbors were typically met with silence from city officials, as these city officials instead communicated internally on how to delay a response to the neighbors as well as how to minimize the time for public comment after the WLP proposal became public.”

Under JDMD’s new public call for proposals, plans will be reviewed and evaluated by JDMD and an advisory board consisting of representatives from the BHCA and Homes on Hancock as well as various city officials such as Suffolk County 8th District Representative Jay Livingstone and Councilor Sharon Durkan.

JDMD is asking for proposals that redevelop the SRO units into multifamily housing for rental or homeownership. For affordable housing rentals, plans should be priced between 60% and 70% Average Median Income. According to the City of Boston Planning Department, that is a maximum affordable rent of between $1,325 and $1,559 for a one-bedroom apartment with an income cap of $88,140 to $102,830 for a family of three.

“We’ve been in touch with several affordable housing developers with a proven track record of success in Beacon Hill and greater Boston with solutions for 27/29 Hancock Street that the community would support,” said Victoria Kinnealey, a spokesperson for Homes on Hancock. “We’re optimistic that a solution can soon be reached that would include 12-15 new affordable apartments for homeowners or renters on Hancock Street.”