The site is part of a once-defunct public-housing project that has been redeveloped in quadrants by the Boston Housing Authority. Laboure is the last quadrant to be redeveloped and necessitated taking down 244 units of low-income housing. The city plans on redeveloping a 133-unit public housing complex next to the Community Center.

According to Lydia Agro, communications director for the BHA, "It's impossible to remain with the same number of housing units when there is redevelopment because of new housing codes and density issues. When we did the first three quadrants of the site, that happened also."

But Councilor Peggy Davis-Mullen, who is running against incumbent Mayor Thomas M. Menino in the next election, contends that the city is not maintaining its level of affordable-housing units. "There are not enough housing units," Karen Sherman, spokesperson for Davis-Mullen, tells GlobeSt.com, "and the current administration has not placed a high priority on developing units."