$12 Million Housing Complex to Rise from Former Junkyard in Boston

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The 2.5-acre junkyard is becoming the Village at Cleary Square, a project of 59 town houses and duplexes
By Chris Reidy

The Boston Globe

RISMEDIA, June 14- (KRT) – For part of its 70-year history, it was known as “Unky the Junky,” a place near the Hyde Park railroad tracks in Boston where locals could buy spare parts for a beat-up Chevy. Now the 2.5-acre junkyard is in the process of becoming the Village at Cleary Square, a project of 59 town houses and duplexes that are expected to sell for $285,000 to $349,000.

Robert Matthews proudly introduces himself as “a fourth-generation junkman.” He’s a grandson of Unky, who got his nickname for raising a nephew. Albert Andrews Jr. — a.k.a. Unky or sometimes just Unk — was a Hyde Park character. Ebullient and generous, he knew nearly everyone in the neighborhood before his death in 1994, his sons said.

Along with Matthews, Unky’s sons, Albert Andrews III and Richard Andrews, have teamed with developer David Raftery to turn a junkyard that opened to help the family get through the Great Depression into a $12 million housing complex.

As they see it, the changing use of what is formally known as Hyde Park Auto Replacement Parts Co. is the result of two converging trends. One is a hot real estate market. The other is a junk business going the way of the Oldsmobile.

When Richard Andrews came home from the Navy in 1971, there were 50 salvage yards in Boston, compared with a handful today, he said. Stricter environmental rules thinned the ranks. But the real cause was changing consumer habits. Before computerized engines made backyard auto repairs too tough for do-it-yourselfers, frugal folks often bought spare parts to keep an old car running.

“People don’t fix old cars anymore,” Matthews said. “They buy new ones.”

As junkyards faded, real estate values rose. According to Warren Group, the median sales price for a Hyde Park condo was $194,800 for the first four months of 2004, compared with $145,000 for the same period a year ago. Raftery thinks the Village at Cleary Square will attract buyers priced out of Roslindale and Jamaica Plain.

According to City Councilor Rob Consalvo, whose district includes Hyde Park, the Village at Cleary Square enjoys strong community support. No matter how kindly and colorful the owner, a junkyard is an eyesore.

“Anytime you remove a junkyard from a neighborhood and replace it with housing, you have a good project,” Consalvo said.

One drawback is that the project abuts railroad tracks, though Raftery said tree plantings and soundproofing will screen out noise from passing trains. On the plus side is the nearby Hyde Park commuter rail station. During morning rush hour, a local train takes 19 minutes to get to South Station, according to the MBTA schedule.

The hope for the Village at Cleary Square is that some units will be ready for occupancy this year and that the project will be completed by the end of 2005. Six units will be set aside as affordable housing.

Richard Andrews, 55, grew up in a two-family home near the junkyard, hearing some immigrant neighbors speak Polish. The neighborhood has seen changes. Today there’s a wok restaurant in Cleary Square and a beauty salon specializing in African braids.

Because his family has such a long neighborhood history, it’s important to Andrews that the project be done just right. After all, the village is part of his father’s legacy, and plans call for an access road to be named “Unk’s Way.”

? 2004, The Boston Globe. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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