BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today announced that it is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the redevelopment of the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Campus in Jamaica Plain. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), the Department of Public Health (DPH), the Department of Mental Health (DMH), the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness (ICHH), and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) collaborated over the course of the last 12 months to prepare the RFP for development of the site.
To gather necessary input to inform plans for the Shattuck Hospital campus site, the Commonwealth has spent nearly four years engaging neighbors, advocates, elected officials, a community advisory group, and other stakeholders. In 2018-2019 a robust Public Health Needs and Services Assessment was conducted to plan for the programs and services on the campus and in the region. Following more than a year of extensive community engagement, the Commonwealth published a Vision Plan for the Redevelopment of the Shattuck Campus at Morton Street in February 2020 which outlined a “person-centered place, designed to promote health, reduce barriers to treatment and integrate care across physical and behavioral health and housing systems, while also prioritizing connections with the natural environment.” The use of the site is restricted to public health purposes, per the statute transferring Shattuck to the Commonwealth.
The project includes the lease of approximately 13 acres for the purpose of creation and operation of a minimum of 75-100 units of new permanent supportive housing for individuals with substance use disorders and those who may be experiencing chronic homelessness and/or mental health issues. This project will allow for a continuum of services including behavioral health treatment, a limited scope of complementary medical services and dedication of a portion of the campus to publicly available open green space.
“This project will ensure that a campus long-devoted to improving the health and well-being of Massachusetts residents will continue to serve its primary purpose,” said Secretary of Health and Human Service Marylou Sudders. “The Commonwealth worked closely with frontline healthcare and housing providers, civic and neighborhood groups, municipal leaders and our network of community partners to craft a thorough and thoughtful redevelopment approach. This is a vital step in our effort to sustain behavioral health services to Massachusetts residents where and when they need it.”
The redevelopment process will include ground-leasing the site to a development partner(s) who will lead the design, planning, construction, and operation of the new campus in partnership with the Commonwealth. The project will help meet housing and substance use treatment needs throughout the city and region, promoting harm reduction and reducing barriers to treatment. Rejuvenated green spaces on the site and more sustainable systems and buildings will promote environmental health and wellness on the campus, advancing environmental goals and contributing to improved health outcomes.
“This redevelopment partnership will represent a creative and cost-effective way to take a state asset beyond its useful life and leverage it for improved resources for those most vulnerable in our communities” said Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance Commissioner Carol Gladstone. “By prioritizing supportive housing on this site, integrating access to vital programs and services, and improving connections with surrounding greenspace, this project has the potential to meet a key regional demand in a transformative way.”
