Leaders from 16 non-profit organizations that will split more than $352,000 in funds contributed by the owners of the Dot Block development gathered last week to highlight the grants, which were awarded through a process administered by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA).
The meeting at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester’s Paul R. McLaughlin Center included officials from the BPDA and the key Dot Block developer, Samuels & Associates.
There were 32 applicants for the grants, according to Aaron Hallquist, who supervised the program for the BPDA. He described the distribution process as the first of its kind, with the city planning agency offering a competitive bid process to consider beneficiaries for the developer’s negotiated “community benefits fund.”
Dot Block will eventually include 488 units of rental housing, artist live/workspace, and restaurant and retail space. The first phase — with 245 apartment units— was completed last fall.
