Man shot at Roslindale house where alleged pot dealer was arrested in October

The address has been the subject of numerous police visits and more for almost 10 years. It is a well-documented issue.

The local neighborhood association was against DENSITY - not development. It was doing well in negotiating a well-reasoned quantity of homes, keeping in mind that the Paradigm building (corner of Florence and Blakemore) and Urban Edge's other development at 449 Hyde Park Ave across the bridge, was also underway. In total, as many as 45 new units of housing were being planned by separate developers in a very small area.

A number was reached for the Rowe Street parcel (27 units) and design was advancing. It was supposed to have used prefabricated modular construction with 27 units to be built from the lot adjacent to 74 Rowe down to about 10 Rowe in the vacant land that abuts the railroad.

Unfortunately, several items prevented follow-through.

For one, local residential testimony given to the developers and city questioned the quality of the land to support construction. It was a sheer drop-off to the level of the railroad until the early 60s when a past owner started to fill it in. At one point the sidewalk of Rowe Street was actually undermined and roped off until the filling started. However there were no laws to control the type of fill so everything including the kitchen sink went over the cliff, including what we might deem hazmat today. There are at least 2 automobiles under there. I played in them as a kid until they were covered over. In those days stolen autos were deemed a "total" in situations like that and there was no mechanism to compel the owners to get a crane and drag them up. There are also washing machines, road construction debris, demolition debris, and pretty much everything else you can think of.

While 35 ft test drills found that the land was sound, based on the testimony of locals who grew up there and knew the parcel's history, a set of 50 ft test drills were made. The finding was that the developer would have had to drill in very deep support pilings to support the weight of new housing. That alone was a deal-killer.

Then further testing of soil quality found petroleum contamination at the bottom of the hill, likely from people dumping motor oil there after changing it on the street. Soil mitigation to remove about 10-15 feet of topsoil was adding an additional $300K to the cost.

Then the nation's economy dropped out (you may remember that?), the developer delayed due to problems securing private funding, and the public money funds time ran out and had to be granted to other projects asking for funds. At the time even the Paradigm building stopped all construction due to funding problems.

Since then, serious questions remain as to whether that brownfield is buildable.

The last developer who tried in the last 2 years, and who proposed 2 small group homes for handicapped people at the bottom of the hill, pulled out. That plan would have seen the field cleaned up and made usable by the home's residents and neighborhood. So as of now that parcel remains in the hands of the BRA.

The neighborhood was supporting that project.

Prior to the BRA holding that parcel, it was in the hands of the state transportation department. It was one of many parcels taken by eminent domain for the extension of Rt 95 into Boston from Westwood. The elevated highway was planned to follow the railroad from the Rt 128 station and the present interchange of Rts 93 and 95 into Boston. Thankfully that project was stopped. There are still several parcels behind #74 Rowe and at the end of Fowle Street that are in the hands of the MBTA to be eventually sold for development.