On Wednesday at 12:00 p.m., the Boston City Council will entertain a hearing order filed by Councilor Josh Zakim to gauge the relationship between Northeastern University and Anwar Faisal’s Alpha Management Corp. Faisal’s real estate management company is at the epicenter of Boston’s subpar rental units, so poorly managed that Councilor Zakim’s order refers to it as a “slumlord.”
Faisal and Alpha have been the subject of numerous pieces by local publications exposing how decrepit many of the city’s more affordable housing units have become. Back in January, Boston magazine published a substantial five-page exposé about Faisal, aptly titled “Lord of the Sties.”
Currently, the Boston Globe is running an investigatory series highlighting many of the same aspects as Boston: unkempt living spaces at unreasonable prices with no accountability from both Faisal, similar landlords and the City of Boston. As the Globe writes, “[Faisal’s] tenants, meanwhile, enjoy rather different amenities: doors without working locks; heat that doesn’t work; vermin of every vintage.”
Faisal is one of the largest renters to Boston students in the city. Councilor Zakim hopes to reveal the details of a master lease agreement between Northeastern and Alpha. More hearings are expected to follow after Wednesday’s inaugural session.
Councilor Zakim’s District 8 spans much of the Back Bay, the West End, Beacon Hill, Kenmore Square, Fenway and Mission Hill – in close proximity to where much of NU’s student population resides. Given the recent revelations surrounding Boston students’ standards of living, needless to say Councilor Zakim is appalled.
“I believe that the City of Boston, along with our colleges and universities, has a responsibility to protect the health and safety of the young people who come here every year as students,” Councilor Zakim said in a statement.
The hearing is intended to give voice to NU personnel so they can better relay the provisions of the lease agreement, as well as outline ways to quell any condemnable aspects of the properties in question. Councilor Zakim also invited Faisal and members of Boston’s Inspectional Services Department to the hearing, likewise giving them ample opportunity to testify on their behalves and respond to the Globe‘s incriminating series.
“I expect an open and honest discussion, along with the participation of all the parties involved,” added Councilor Zakim. “The General Laws of the Commonwealth grant the City Council subpoena power, and I will not hesitate to invoke this authority if necessary to get the answers we need.”
For more information about Wednesday’s hearing, you can take a look at the order below.
Order for Hearing – Northeastern Master Lease
Image via Josh Zakim Facebook
