Looking out over sweeping views of Boston across Chelsea Creek, they came together to celebrate a remarkable achievement led by three nonprofits—GreenRoots, Mass Audubon, and The Neighborhood Developers (TND)—the acquisition of what will become the Chelsea Creek Sanctuary.

The site will include a nature center and outdoor classroom, permanently protected and publicly accessible green space, waterfront access, and up to 225 affordable homes. Chelsea residents will be able to access educational programming, recreational activities including kayaking, and community gathering spaces. Restored wetlands will enhance climate resilience and help shield the neighborhood from rising sea levels.

Although this win for Chelsea is well-deserved and long overdue, it was anything but predetermined. Communities like Chelsea—whose residents tend to have low incomes, be immigrants, or from other historically disenfranchised groups—have long borne disproportionate burdens of pollution and climate change. Just 3 percent of the city’s land is devoted to green space, far below the national median of 15 percent, and the entire city is designated as an urban heat island.

The leaders present were united by the shared conviction that Chelsea deserves more.Their work to realize the full potential of the waterfront site reflects an understanding that people’s lives are not neatly divided into categories like climate education or housing. As Rafael Mares, Executive Director at TND, noted during the celebration, access to “green space, clean air, and a beautiful waterfront” are all things that the tenants TND serves need and deserve. His message was ambitious yet unequivocal: “We can do it all.”

Realizing this vision for Chelsea, however, will require more of the kind of deep collaboration that was celebrated throughout the morning. Fortunately, each partner brings distinct strengths to the effort. Mass Audubon, the largest nonprofit landowner in Massachusetts, took on a level of risk that smaller organizations could not, acquiring the blighted property and drawing on decades of expertise in ecological restoration and climate resilience. GreenRoots brings deep roots in Chelsea, an environmental justice perspective, and years of organizing experience in frontline communities. Those strengths helped sustain a determined coalition through years of challenges, including bankruptcy, receivership, and a devastating fire. With Chelsea native Roseann ("Rosie") Bongiovanni at the helm, GreenRoots envisions the site as a "sanctuary in our sanctuary city," as she described it during the celebration. TND complements those efforts with its over 40-year track record of developing affordable housing and advancing economic mobility for residents. 

Just $10 million stands between this community and long-awaited waterfront access. The nonprofit partnership leading this effort has already raised more than $26 million toward a $74.1 million site development budget. While project completion will require additional funding, only $30 million is needed to open the site to the public — and just $10 million of that amount remains to be raised.

As speakers looked ahead to what the site could become, there was equal appreciation for the perseverance and civic leadership that made this moment possible. Senator Sal DiDomenico praised Roseann Bongiovanni’s “tenacity” and “never-give-up attitude” through even the most difficult times for the project. Recalling childhood days spent sneaking on to the property with her father to fish, Roseann spoke with excitement about the opportunity to focus on serving the Chelsea community. Her remarks underscored the lesson echoed throughout the morning: The most enduring solutions emerge when civic leaders, nonprofits and philanthropy work in partnership with, and are representative of, the community members whose lives they aim to benefit. 

If you'd like to ensure the future of Chelsea Creek Sanctuary with a grant from your fund at TBF, please contact us. You can also give to the effort directly at: Mass Audubon | Chelsea - Mass Audubon