Trinity Financial Inc. acquired the Fitzpatrick Brothers Auto Body property on Centre Street next to Shawmut MBTA station last Tuesday (Dec. 10) for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition is the culmination of a seven-year process in which Trinity— a Boston development firm led by Dorchester’s Jim Keefe and his business partner Patrick Lee— has sought to redevelop the site at 150 Centre Street, replacing the longtime auto repair yard and garages with a 4-story, 72-unit affordable housing complex.

The proposal has continued to be the source of an extended controversy, even after city officials approved Trinity’s plans for the new building in 2023. Foes of the plan, including the leadership of the adjacent Epiphany School and several other neighbors, have sought to block the redevelopment by filing lawsuits against the developer and the city of Boston.

Those legal actions are still pending, but on Tuesday, Jim Keefe said today’s acquisition was a clear signal that Trinity intends to follow through with its construction plans as soon as the judicial process is resolved.

“There is no way we would have finalized this acquisition if we weren’t very sure that we will prevail legally,” Keefe told The Reporter.
Keefe said that Fitzpatrick Bros. Auto Body will continue to operate on the site through the purchase agreement until construction is ready to begin.

Epiphany School, an abutter of the 150 Centre St. site, had hoped to buy the Fitzpatrick site and combine it with a parking lot that it owns to expand the school, a plan that drew support from many neighbors through a petition. But the site has been under agreement to be sold to Trinity since 2017.

The 150 Centre St. proposal was the subject of several public meetings and intense debate for most of 2023. Public comment on the matter was split, with opponents arguing that the building is too dense and out of place in a residential neighborhood largely comprising single or smaller multi-family homes and proponents noting that the site— right next to a Red Line subway station— is ideal for so-called “transit-oriented development.”

Trinity downsized its original plan and its 91 units to 72 and lowered the building’s height by one floor. The BPDA board voted 4-0 on Nov. 16, 2023, to move the project ahead with Trinity.