Menino's Manifest Destiny Is a No-Go

Boston will not be biting off a chunk of Dedham after all. Boston had been considering annexing 40 acres of Dedham's land so a developer could build 1,800 units worth of affordable housing and Dedham wouldn't have to worry about the cost of educating any kids that moved in.

The annexation would have allowed the land, which was originally zoned industrial, to be zoned residential under Boston's rules, and the developer could start building the housing. Menino was favorably inclined toward the plan.

But the developer, Campanelli Companies, pulled out on Wednesday after it offered Dedham $5 million for the annexation. Dedham didn't think that was enough, but Campanelli wouldn't give any more. What did Campanelli expect? If Dedham was already worried about how much it would cost to educate the kids in the housing and didn't want it zoned residential, then they are obviously hard up.

Campanelli owns that land, but it will build on the land following Dedham's original zoning. We checked the original website for the project, but they haven't offered any updates or specific new plans.

Image of the land in question from the Neponset Village site.