“Stop I-95. People Before Highways!”
In the 1960’s, interstate highways were the key development strategy for so-called Urban Renewal. An eighthh-lane highway (I-95) was planned for Boston, with a cloverleaf to be placed at the center of Roxbury. Under the power of eminent domain, thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed. Entire neighborhoods were obliterated. As the far-reaching impact of the plan became evident, a broad coalition of community champions began working on a way to stop the highway. While mobilizing large-scale demonstrations, they also collaborated on a land-use plan that focused on modernizing mass transit and strategically redeveloping vacant parcels. After more than 25 years of sustained civic engagement, a moratorium was declared on further highway development, and a voice for affected communities was mandated to be a part of the community planning and development process.
With the enactment of Chapter 443 of the Acts of 1990, the state legislature earmarked proceeds from redevelopment to establish community trust funds for the benefit of the people of Chinatown and Roxbury, whose homes and businesses were lost during the clearance of parcels 3 and 18. That same year, the Boston Zoning Code (Article 50 of Text Amendment #152) established a policy that “[t]he role of community participation in determining appropriate land use regulations and zoning is critical to the success of any zoning article or development plan.” (Roxbury Strategic Master Plan, page 102.)
Under these legislative and regulatory guidelines, a multi-ethnic group of real estate developers negotiated a parcel-to-parcel linkage agreement that connected the development of Ruggles Center in Roxbury to the development and sale of One Lincoln Street in Chinatown. The development team pledged a percentage of their profits to benefit non-profit organizations in impacted communities. In 2004, a portion of those community benefit dollars seeded the Roxbury Trust Fund, which is a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. It is administered by the Roxbury Trust Fund Committee, a volunteer board of Trustees who include appointees of the Governor of Massachusetts and the Mayor of Boston, and elected officials who represent Roxbury at the State House, as established by Chapter 443, above.
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