After securing an $85 million grant from the Ray and Joan Kroc Foundation, the Salvation Army built a new community center in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, providing fitness facilities, an indoor aquatics park, a gymnasium, a performing arts center, and a chapel. The Salvation Army entrusted VHB to guide the project through the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s Article 80 environmental review process, as well as historical permitting and Public Improvement Commission approvals.
The development team faced a challenging design and permitting schedule. In collaboration with the client, the design and legal teams, and the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, VHB’s efforts helped to gain support for the project from the area’s residents and secure the necessary permits and approvals for the project.
Every week, the Kroc Community Centers serve more than 150,000 people across the United States. Joan Kroc’s vision and extraordinary philanthropy has resulted in the development of 26 community centers where children and their families are exposed to diverse people, activities and arts that would otherwise be atypical of their day-to-day experience.
