I would like to clarify a point made in the June 7 Northeastern News story “Roxbury Site May Yield 1,400 Beds.” The story mentions the development of Parcel 3 on Tremont Street as part of the Northeastern Institutional Master Plan, which is inaccurate. In fact, the site development is the first step in the Roxbury Master Plan. There is no connection between the Parcel 3 development process and the Northeastern University Institutional Master Plan.

As a bit of background information: the City of Boston, in close partnership with the Roxbury community, has sought proposals to develop Parcel 3 – an eight-acre parcel of land on Tremont Street across from the Boston Police Headquarters. The development of Parcel 3 is a vital first step in the implementation of the Roxbury Master Plan.

The Roxbury Master Plan is the culmination of years of work by our neighbors, elected officials, community leaders and the City of Boston to lay out development guidelines, goals and vision for a community this institution is proud to be a part of. As an abutter, Northeastern looks forward to seeing this and other sites in Roxbury be developed in ways that will ensure the neighborhood and those who live there thrive.

Northeastern University is part of two of the three proposals submitted to the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The proposal highlighted in The News story is a project headed by Trinity Financial and Madison Park Development Corporation – our partners in the Davenport Commons project. The proposal calls for the creation of both student housing and housing for families. It also seeks to develop permanent space for Health Careers Academy, Whittier Street Health Center and a cultural gallery as well as retail space for businesses. While Northeastern would provide funding for the project, the university is not the only funding source, as reported in the story.

The development of Parcel 3 is an important step in furthering Roxbury’s success. I hope the members of the Northeastern community not only continue to follow this story but also play an active role in making this community a great place to live and work – whether it be by getting involved in the many community initiatives through volunteerism or scholarly work, or frequenting the many shops and restaurants in the area.

– Jeffrey Doggett is the director of government relations and community affairs.