Renovated Wayne at Columbia development earns hearty praise

Officials from Cruz Companies joined Mayor Walsh and other city and state officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a Wayne on Columbia apartment building in Mattapan last Wednesday. Photo by Isabel Leon/Mayor’s Office.

In a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Wednesday in Mattapan, local politicians and officers of the Cruz Companies celebrated the unveiling of the newly renovated Wayne at Columbia housing development on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan.

Cruz Companies president and CEO John B. Cruz, III called the $33 million rehabilitation a “milestone,” adding that “the re-development of Wayne will help preserve affordable housing for the next generation of Boston’s … residents.”

Joining him at the site were Mayor Martin Walsh, state Secretary of Housing and Economic development Jay Ash, state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, and City Councillor-at-Large Ayanna Pressley.

The renovation —new roofs, kitchens, baths, energy efficient windows and doors, plumbing, flooring, masonry, paint and security systems — cost $33 million and employed 258 workers. The lcation of last week’s ceremony— 1451 Blue Hill Ave.— is one of numerous properties included in the “scattered site” development project.

“Preserving and improving communities has major benefits across our city, and I’m proud we were able to renovate these 83 homes,” the mayor said. “I thank all partners involved in this project as we work to ensure all Boston families have access to housing that is affordable and accessible.”

Funding support for the project came from the Mayor’s Department of Neighborhood Development, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, MassDevelopment, Eastern Bank, and Cambridge Trust Company.

“This is a great example of the tremendous impact that public-private partnerships can have in our communities,” said Ash.


Subscribe to the Dorchester Reporter