The Neponset Health Center is negotiating with the owner of a vacant property on Holbrook Avenue to either purchase or lease the real estate and possibly use it for parking.

Located behind the center, 13 Holbrook Ave., widely considered a rotting eyesore, carries some historic value. It is said to have been a part of the Holbrook Tavern, one of Dorchester’s earliest carriage houses, according to a 2009 Reporter article. Its decrepit backside is visible to drivers rounding Neponset Circle.
“It’s not a secret that parking is an issue on Neponset Avenue,” said Dan Driscoll, CEO of Harbor Health Services, the agency that administers services at the Neponset Health Center. “We’re at least going to look at this.”

The current owner is Brian Rehrig, who took control of the property through a deed in lieu of foreclosure about 17 months ago. He has proposed creating four duplexes on the property, but his attorney told city officials that they were in “no rush to demolish” the building and that they continue to negotiate with the health center.

“He just wants to do what’s right for the neighborhood,” said Brian Devellis, Rehrig’s attorney, at a meeting of the Boston Landmarks Commission last week.

Devellis told the Reporter that Rehrig was “open to anything at this point,” and that he had submitted the proposal for duplexes because of city regulations requiring a plan.

A community meeting was held outside the property on July 22, where residents heard about the proposed demolition.

But the commission, which oversees preservation of historical buildings and places, voted to deny the application for demolition and called for the owner to return to the community process, saying the Friday meeting was insufficient.

Devellis said he was open to another meeting, including one with the Dorchester Historical Society.
The community meeting, held during a heat wave, drew a handful of local residents. Rose Qualtieri, a direct abutter, said she was open to having the building rehabbed. But she expressed concern about the potential for a large apartment building in its place, saying parking will become a bigger problem.
Earl Taylor, a member of the Dorchester Historical Society who would like to see the building preserved if possible, also attended the meeting. He noted that the owner wasn’t present and no alternatives were presented.

Instead, a representative of the owner handed out a review of rehabilitation costs and a structural inspection, written in April 2010 for the previous owners, developers Robert Raimondi and Ray Muise, who had planned to use the site for eight units of new housing.

“The as-built structure has been vacant and unoccupied for at least ten years and has experienced a great deal of structural deterioration to the foundation and superstructure,” wrote Daniel Platcow, vice president of Boston Building Consultants. “Due to the amount of time the building has been unoccupied the existing building must [be] reinforced to meet current floor, roof, wind and earthquake loading requirements applicable to new construction.”

Platcow deemed renovation, repair or re-use of the building as “structurally impractical” and recommended it be razed “to prevent further decay and prevent a potential hazard to life safety.”

Driscoll, the CEO of Harbor Health Services, said they have looked at the area a few times over the years and had looked at the costs of buying the property and turning it into a parking lot eight to ten years ago. “I remember at that time, it was a sobering number, so we didn’t proceed,’ he said.

Turning it into a parking lot is different than an addition to the health center, he said as an example: “When you’re looking at a parking lot, it’s all cost and no revenue.”