City planning officials last week hosted a virtual public meeting on the proposal to build a youth-focused facility in Dorchester’s Columbia Point neighborhood. The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), which is reviewing the proposal, held the session on Thursday (Jan. 27) where proponents of the 75,000-square-foot facility, known as the Dorchester Fieldhouse, made their pitch.
The Martin Richard Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester, two local nonprofits focused on youth development, are collaborating on the proposal, with RODE Architects handling the design. The $55 million plan for 315 Mount Vernon St. calls for indoor playing fields, an outdoor roof garden, classrooms, a teaching kitchen, a public cafe, outdoor seating, and a 45-vehicle parking lot.
Dot Joyce, a former spokesperson for the late Mayor Thomas Menino and a consultant working on the project, led the proponents’ presentation. The pandemic, which drove people indoors at its beginning and caused schools to shut down for weeks, sharpened the argument for youth-focused facilities such as the Dorchester Fieldhouse, she added.
The indoor fieldhouse is an amenity that doesn’t exist in the area, and children are often forced outside in the winter months, said Joyce.
The site, adjacent to the McCormack Middle School and Dever Elementary School, has 1,000 student neighbors next door and 50,000 young people within three miles, Joyce said. “This is a very intentional site.”
The current footprint, compared to the original design, is now farther away from the sidewalk, more angled and taller in order to maximize outdoor space, Joyce said, in response to public requests for more green space for the McCormack and Dever campuses.
The BGCD and the Martin Richard Foundation are leasing the property, a former schoolyard, from Boston Public Schools.
RODE Architects’ Kevin Deabler, a Savin Hill resident, attended the Jan. 27 meeting and said the site, once built out, would create a publicly available “front yard” for Mount Vernon Street.
Referring to the Dever and McCormack schools, Deabler said, “The geometry of those two buildings is something we’ve had to grapple with in how to position this building and over time expand and enhance as much open space as possible.”
John Forry, who was at the meeting, is a Boston College High School senior and the son of Reporter executive editor Bill Forry. He is a member of a youth advisory group for the project. Linda Dorcena Forry, the former state senator who is married to Bill Forry, is a member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester board of directors.
Asked by a member of the public about solar panels, Deabler said they are looking into installing them to help the site achieve low energy use. “We see this building as a teaching tool about sustainability,” he said.
Cindy Rosner, a Savin Hill resident, praised the design but asked about outdoor water features, such as a splash pad. She noted that she has a niece and nephew who live by Ronan Park, and the splash pad there is popular in the summertime.
Deabler said the water feature question came up the day before during a meeting with BPDA officials. “We’ve already started working on it,” he said.
Depending on the timeline of the city approval process, construction could get underway later this year and finish by late 2023. Quincy’s Lee Kennedy, whose family members are on the BGCD board, is listed as the construction manager.
