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Zoning Board rejects plan for birth center in Roxbury
Despite winning the majority of the board’s approval, the project still fell short of receiving the five affirmative votes it needed to pass.
Boston’s Zoning Board of Appeal voted against a proposed birth center on Winthrop Street in Roxbury this week that would’ve been the city’s first non-hospital birthing facility.
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Neighborhood Birth Center would have been part of a larger building at 14 Winthrop St. with office space for six other nonprofits, according to the plans.
Its director and founder, Nashira Baril, is the daughter and great-granddaughter of midwives, and the project is inspired by elder midwife Dr. Jo-Anna Rorie, who first proposed a birth center in Roxbury in 1980.
At birth centers, pregnant people give birth in a more home-like environment. Neighborhood Birth Center would offer a full scope of midwifery care for up to four individuals at a time in private suites with a shared kitchen and outdoor space, according to the plans.
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At the meeting, members Hansy Better Barraza, Norm Stembridge, Giovanny Valencia, and Katie Whewell voted in favor of the project, while members Alan Langham, David Collins, and Sherry Dong voted against it. Despite winning the majority of the board’s approval, the project will not go through because state law requires there be five affirmative votes for a proposal to pass. The board then voted 5-2 to deny the project without prejudice, meaning it is temporarily dismissed but could be refiled later.
The proposal was first discussed at a Zoning Board of Appeal meeting on Feb. 4, but the vote was pushed back to allow more time for discussion. The plan includes razing two former residences, one of which has been condemned by the city, to make space for the new building, and some neighbors took issue with the idea of one more commercial building on a residential street.
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“[They] believe they have the right to decide what gets demolished and built in our neighborhood,” said Nadine Poindexter Riggs, who lives at 43 Winthrop St. “This is a blatant attack on our community, and everything we have fought to protect. This neighborhood is our home. Its future should be shaped by those who live here.”
Likewise, Roxbury resident Sophia Burks said it’s “not okay” for others to come in and “dictate the future of our neighborhood while disregarding the people who live, work, and advocate for this neighborhood every single day.”
“Wiping out two historic homes within a recognized historic district and replacing them with an office building: This isn’t a community-driven process,” Burks said. “It’s about a business-driven agenda that ignores the voices of the direct abutters…the neighbors, and even some of our state and city officials, all of whom have strongly opposed this project.”
But other neighbors said they wouldn’t mind the addition.
“I would take that center over any type of housing in that specific area, mainly because it’s so congested,” said Charles Justice, who lives at 13 Winthrop St. “I’m in full support.”
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Several opponents said they support the concept, but not the location. City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson advocated for the birth center to be placed elsewhere, such as Nubian Square, where there are vacant office spaces already available, rather than in a historical residential district.
“I want to be very clear that I support the project wholeheartedly and I want it to be at another location,” Fernandes Anderson said.
Baril said the birth center would be a huge benefit to the Roxbury community, and described the process of connecting with Roxbury residents as a “long and rewarding journey.”
Architect David Saladik acknowledged that there is “deep history” on the site and said this project isn’t at odds with that history.
“This project honors that history in its form, its materials, and its mission, while also looking ahead to the future to birth a better tomorrow,” said Saladik. “If approved, this will be Boston’s only birthing center, a historic achievement, the first of its kind.”
The project has received letters of support from medical facilities and public health organizations like Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and Boston Public Health Commission,and from abutters including Boston Day and Evening Academy and Dearborn STEM Academy. Rep. Ayanna Pressley has pledged her support along with state senators, state House representatives, and Boston city councilors.
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It would have been the second birth center in Massachusetts and one of only a few birth centers nationwide “rooted in reproductive justice.”
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