MTK Breaks Ground on Marzuq Muhammad Plaza II

The Grove Hall project will add 18 affordable homeownership units and ground-floor retail on a long-vacant city-owned lot.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Construction

Editorial photograph of a cleared urban lot with concrete foundation footings and rebar grids on bare earth, backed by weathered brick rowhouses in a Boston neighborhood. — MTK Development broke ground Friday on Marzuq Muhammad Plaza II, an 18-unit affordable homeownership project and retail space on a long-vacant city-owned lot at 391 Blue Hill Avenue in Boston's Grove Hall. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

MTK Development broke ground on Marzuq Muhammad Plaza II at 391 Blue Hill Avenue on October 16, 2026. The project will offer 18 affordable homeownership units and ground-floor retail space for the FAMILY Movement non-profit.

Why it matters

The development turns a city-owned vacant lot into housing and retail in Grove Hall, a Roxbury neighborhood in Boston. Its financing combines state and city housing programs, and it is expected to spur further investment in the area.

The project includes 18 affordable homeownership units, chosen from five developers that competed for the site in a 2022 public process. The stub does not specify the expected completion date or the sale prices of the units.

The players

MTK Development

A development firm formed by four childhood friends that is building the project on the former city-owned lot.

Mayor Michelle Wu

The mayor of Boston, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the project.

Liz Miranda

A Massachusetts state senator whose district office is located near the project site.

The details

Construction at 391 Blue Hill Avenue began in August 2026, and the groundbreaking ceremony followed on October 16 with Mayor Wu and local officials. MTK Development, formed by four childhood friends, won the site over four other developers and also controls the abutting property on the corner of Intervale Street.

In 2018, Marzuq Muhammad died at age 35, and the project is named in his honor.
In 2022, MTK Development was selected for the city-owned lot through a competitive public process.
In August 2026, construction on the site began.
On October 16, 2026, the groundbreaking ceremony was held.

Construction Context

The project follows Boston's practice of selling city-owned vacant lots through competitive public processes to developers who commit to affordable housing. It is an example of that approach being applied in Grove Hall, where it is expected to attract further investment.

Residents in Grove Hall and the surrounding Roxbury area may see 18 new affordable homeownership units and new ground-floor retail space once the project is complete. The project's completion timeline is not stated in the extraction.

The takeaway

Publicly owned vacant land can be returned to productive use through competitive developer selection, and projects like this one can bring affordable homeownership and local retail to neighborhoods that have waited years for investment.