Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston joined state and city officials, community groups, and neighbors on June 22 to celebrate the opening of a new public walkway to the Roslindale Urban Wetlands. It was the latest milestone in the transformation of a vacant property that will also include construction of four affordable, highly energy-efficient homes.

The celebration was hosted by the Longfellow Area Neighborhood Association and the Roslindale Wetlands Task Force, which spent years advocating to protect and improve access to the wetlands, and to designate the neighboring property for development of affordable housing.

The city selected Habitat Greater Boston to redevelop an adjacent parcel by renovating an empty single-family home into two affordable condos and build a new building on the site of a former barn with two additional condos. All four units will be sold at an affordable price to local families with low-to-moderate incomes.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the walkway and future affordable housing show “that we can reject the false choice between protecting our environment and building homes for our residents and building wealth in our communities.”

“This is a dream-come-true project on every front,” she said.

Attendees at the event included Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, City Councilor Enrique Pepén, and state Rep. Bill MacGregor. Habitat Greater Boston’s plan for the property won the annual Best in Sustainability award from Habitat for Humanity International for its incorporation of Passive House technology that will reduce the future homeowners’ utility costs and help reach Boston’s climate resiliency goals.

“This is a special project,” Habitat Greater Boston President and CEO Jim Kostaras told the crowd. “We’re very excited.”

Kathy McCabe, president of the Longfellow Area Neighborhood Association, thanked the many supporters of the wetlands preservation and affordable housing for years of advocacy and commitment.

“We’re really delighted to be able to celebrate new beginnings with this project,” she said. “It really takes a village and a lot of partners to make something like this happen.”