The Dainty Dot, the Developer, and the Park

April 3, 2007 by Chinatown Blogger.

Developer Ori Ron purchased the old Dainty Dot building on Essex Street last year for $9 million with the intent of converting it into high-end condos. His proposal is for 30-stories in an area zoned for 10-stories and 27 units of affordable housing on another lot in Chinatown to fulfill his 10% affordability requirement. Whether people are against another large-scale project that exceeds the zoning codes (again) or proponents who say this project will convert an abandoned building for better use, all agree that Boston Chinatown is changing.

Boston Chinatown has a history of being changed by outside forces. In the 1970s, it was the “Combat Zone”, or red light district, when it was moved from what is now City Hall/Government Center to Chinatown. The 1980s-1990s was the age of institutional expansion as Tufts and New England Medical Center expanded. This decade has been high-rise developers that are shaping Chinatown: Millennium/Ritz Carlton, Archstone-Smith, Metropolitan, Kensington, State Street Financial, Lincoln Place and now the Dainty Dot.

Past developers would meet with City Hall, get their tacit approval (wink, wink) and then host a public meeting for community comments. What makes Ron a little different than other developers has been his energy and commitment to winning community support for the Dainty Dot. Even though he has a team of lawyers and consultants, it is Ron who does most of the talking. It also seems like he is everywhere in Chinatown, going to the meetings and banquets for: The Chinatown Coalition, Safety Committee, Chinatown Main Streets, Leather District Neighborhood Association, Chinatown Neighborhood Council, and the Chinatown Residents Association – and this was before Ron filed a Project Notification Form (PNF) with City Hall stating his intent to build. The public meeting for the PNF will occur on April 12 at the Double Tree Inn hotel.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet him at some of these events. Ron has consistently stated that he doesn’t want any problems and he is here to work with the community. In his words, “If there was a lawsuit, I would not build it.” He then told me a bit about his history, how he left war-torned Israel to seek a better life here in the U.S. He has two kids, one of whom is going to college.

Word On the Street:
“Too big,” one said. Another person said, “It will set a precedent for other projects. Ron Druker who owns the building next to it will want to build something similar if Ori Ron gets the approval.”

An interesting twist to the story is that the Dainty Dot is adjacent to the Chinatown Gateway Park, also known as Parcel 23D, which links with the Rose Kennedy Greenway throughout the city. A person at the Leather District meeting spoke that the neighborhood had endured years of the Big Dig and traffic to get the Chinatown Gateway Park. Now that the Park is almost completed, the Park has inadvertently increased the value of the adjacent Dainty Dot. What was not said but implied was – is this what we waited for, a 30-story tower?

However, not everyone sees it this way. A long-time Chinatown activist said, “It’s good for Chinatown because they are offering to build more affordable housing.” In order to win community support, Ron purchased several parking lots on Essex and Oxford Streets to build the affordable housing. When the affordable units are built, a Chinatown agency will manage the project. It seems like there will be different opinions – both for and against the proposal.

We will continue to monitor the situation and report back with further news.

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