A proposed 60-unit affordable housing rental building by TND at the French Club site has prompted fierce neighborhood opposition in the Mill Hill area. Residents are organizing a community meeting at the Burke Complex for Monday to coordinate their response.
The controversy erupted at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Tuesday, June 9, after the project was announced in the paper on April 9. Multiple neighbors attended to express their concerns about the development.
Opposition intensified at Monday’s City Council meeting, where two residents spoke during the Public Speaking portion against the TND proposal.
The backlash has fueled a petition effort involving neighborhood residents and parents who depend on the former Spencer Avenue extension for drop-offs at the Burke School Complex. In early May, the City Council discontinued that portion of the street without objection, returning it to TND, which holds property on either side of the extension as well as owns the French Club and parking lot.
The community gathering is scheduled for Monday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m., immediately preceding the Planning Board’s review of the proposal on Tuesday, June 23, at City Hall. Local residents indicated they plan to attend both events.
Councillor Matt Frank, a preliminary supporter of the development, indicated he would be present. He emphasized the value of dialogue, stating: “fblikebutton_button” “Obviously, there are a lot of resident in the neighborhood with a lot of concerns,” and continued, “My philosophy is if there are concerns, people need to be able to discuss them. My hope is the project can be put back so residents can have this meeting and discuss the concerns…This could also be an opportunity to discuss pick up and drop off and general traffic flow around the school during key times of the day. Nevertheless, it has been great to see the engagement because many of those who had concerns are folks I’ve never heard from before.”
The neighborhood’s objections center on several key issues. Residents expressed particular dissatisfaction with the rental-only nature of the units. They argued that their area is already stable, predominantly composed of homeowners, and would more readily accept a project offering ownership possibilities, such as low-income or moderate-income condominiums designed to stabilize the neighborhood.
Some neighbors are exploring legal remedies, questioning whether the street discontinuation was properly announced and potentially unlawful. The April passage of the overlay district zoning change, the RPOD, which permits denser development like the TND proposal, has also drawn criticism.
Additionally, residents regard the Spencer Avenue extension as a critical neighborhood route to Broadway. This long-standing traffic pattern—whereby residents travel up Spencer to connect with Broadway—has been eliminated by the street’s closure, neighborhood members contend.