"For several years, leadership at the Somerville YMCA has tried to strike a deal with its neighbor, an unassuming two-story home at the corner of Highland Avenue and School Street. Their plan to replace the city's crumbling old facility with a gleaming new one four times its size, and with scores of new units of affordable housing, hinged in part on buying the family home and building on top of it."
"Immigrants from Greece, they raised four children in the home and lived comfortably in the neighborhood despite never being fully confident in their English. They gave their corner of the intersection curb appeal, planting dahlias, hibiscus, and peonies in a lush garden and surrounding it with decorative stone and a wrought-iron fence."
"At this stage in their lives, stability, sunlight, privacy, and peace are more important than ever to them. Their preference remains to continue living in the home they have cared for and cherished for more than four decades."
The Somerville YMCA has pursued a multi-year effort to acquire a neighboring two-story home owned by the Topouzoglou family to facilitate a major expansion project. The planned development would replace the aging YMCA facility with a new building four times larger and include affordable housing units. The Greek immigrant family, who settled in the home during the 1980s and raised four children there, has consistently declined all purchase offers, prioritizing stability and peace in their long-established residence. After years of negotiations and escalating financial proposals, YMCA leadership decided to proceed with construction around the existing home rather than continue waiting for a sale.
Read at Boston.com
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