OnyxGroup Realty & Development, LLC

OnyxGroup Realty & Development is a Boston-based, Black woman-owned development and brokerage company focused on building quality affordable housing. Its approach, which it calls conscious development, starts with the residents a project will serve. Beyond housing itself, the company aims to give residents access to resources that support financial, mental and physical well-being, and to show that affordable housing does not have to be synonymous with poverty. Preserving local culture and promoting diversity and inclusion are part of its stated mission.

Shabnam Mashmasarmi and Chanda Smart founded the company, and they say their own experience living in affordable housing shapes how they approach development. OnyxGroup positions itself as a bridge between developers and neighborhoods, building public and private partnerships and liaising with major industries to bring jobs, education and trade opportunities to the areas it develops. Community advocacy is central to the work, with the team talking with residents and amplifying their voices.

What to Know

• Additional services include property management and real estate management consulting.
• The company also handles probate and estate planning matters.
• It offers community partnership consulting services.
• It also handles rental listings, and one client credits Chanda Smart with finding a well-matched tenant.