Affordable Housing Advocates Call For 3-Month Delay in Massive Rezoning Plan

Plan B went into full effect at the 6th Plan JP/Rox workshop last Wednesday as 50 protesters marched into the room clapping. Just as the emcee, Senior Planner Marie Mercurio, was concluding  her opening remarks, the protesters grabbed what they called "the people's mic" to "fight not for profit but for the community." For over an hour, "Keep it 100% for Egleston," a well-organized and well-rehearsed group, listed its demands to stop the Boston Redevelopment Authority-sponsored Plan JP/Rox for three months. Plan JP/Rox is a once-in-a-generation rezoning process for the whole Washington Street and Columbus Avenue corridors in Jamaica Plain and Roxbury. The protest group, which is comprised both young people as well as adults, alternated speakers using a call-and-response format.

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Washington Street Population Could More than Double

If you want evidence why the city has finally launched a long-awaited planning effort for JP, look no further than this eye-popping prediction: Planners expect the Washington Street corridor to see population growth of as much as 2.5 times current levels. That possibility was among the top topics of discussion last Monday as the first neighborhood review of the proposed development guidelines at the Egleston Square Neighborhood Association monthly meeting. Chaired by Alvin Shiggs and Carolyn Royce; the discussion was led by Sue Pranger. Marie Mercurio, senior planner for Jamaica Plain and coordinator of Plan JP/Rox, was joined by her colleague Tim Davis, senior housing advisor for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, to answer questions and clarify concerns about the draft development guidelines. The planning push is a once-in-a-generation effort to shape the neighborhood's future.

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Plans for Goddard House Move Forward; 167 More Units in Jamaica Plain

The board of the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved the renovation and expansion of the Goddard House in Jamaica Plain last week. Eden Properties, LLC and Samuels & Associates, Inc. have proposed renovating and expanding the existing Goddard House, and construction of a new residential building. The Goddard House is at 201 South Huntington Ave., and is a former nursing home built in 1926-1927, which closed in 2012. The entire project is on a two-acre site. Read more here about the Goddard House and other Jamaica Plain developments.

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First Look: Proposals Emerge From Giant ‘Plan JP/Rox’ Effort

The once-in-a-generation planning effort that goes by the name "Plan JP/Rox" has started to produce specifics about what our neighborhood will look like. "We've listened to you. Now it's time to respond to you with your ideas wrapped up into planning policies," announced senior BRA architect John Dalzell at a packed Saturday morning workshop,  the fifth in a series which began in September 2015 to plan the future of the Washington Street corridor from Forest Hills to Jackson Square. Because there's so much information to digest, we've broken down this report into several posts. You can read about overarching concerns here in this story.

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Plan JP/Rox: Forest Hills to Host 15-Story Buildings

The once-in-a-generation planning effort that goes by the name "Plan JP/Rox" has started to produce specifics about what our neighborhood will look like. For Forest Hills, the transformation is already well underway. Forest Hills: "Forest Hills is another gateway to the neighborhood," said Dalzell. " A large portion of it will come to the city from the MBTA"  when the Arborway Yard is subdivided. "More housing.

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Plan JP/Rox: Green Street Needs Commercial-Business Mix on Ground Floors

The once-in-a-generation planning effort that goes by the name "Plan JP/Rox" has started to produce specifics about what our neighborhood will look like. Here's the vision for Green Street. Green Street: This area between Amory and Washington Street is identified as neighborhood commercial center of mixed use buildings and "21st century commercial business" spaces are proposed for the rear of the BMS paper company at 3390 Washington Street  and at Amory Street next to Bartlett Square I where the Interstate Trucking yards are located. "The most important part of this," said John Dalzell, a senior architect for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, "is a need for mixed commercial business on the ground floor. Some business are new and don't have that obnoxious quality about them."

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Plan JP/Rox: Egleston Square Is Defined by Access to Parks

The once-in-a-generation planning effort that goes by the name "Plan JP/Rox" has started to produce specifics about what our neighborhood will look like. Here's a vision for Egleston Square. Egleston Square: "It's characterized by access to parks," said John Dalzell, a senior architect for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, "but what also seems to be emerging is a new commercial area northerly of the square." That's toward Westminster Avenue

Seven scattered development areas are proposed for multi-family residential buildings over retail or cultural ground floors ranging in height from 4-6 stories. One suggested new residential location includes 3012 Washington Street  at Westminster Avenue, owned by the Eizabeth Stone House.

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Plan JP/Rox: Jackson Square Could Be Gateway With 15-Story High Rises

The once-in-a-generation planning effort that goes by the name "Plan JP/Rox" has started to produce specifics about what our neighborhood will look like. Here are the ideas being put forward for Jackson Square. Jackson Square: "A neighborhood gateway that anchors a lot of businesses," said John Dalzell, a senior architect for the Boston Redevelopment Authority. "It has a clear residential character along Columbus Avenue [and] that is where housing focus should be." There are five areas in the plan with a high spine from Dimock Street along Columbus Avenue.

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‘A Wasteland to Walk On’ — Residents Envision a Better Washington, Columbus

"Connecting people with places" was the theme of the fourth workshop in the Plan JP/Rox held on Thursday at English High School. Of all the workshops in of the planning process this was most egalitarian; low income or high income, hotel maid or money manager, everyone uses the sidewalks, the streets or some form of transit to get to work, to school and home. It was also the most interactive and personal; over 100 sat around tables and marked on maps how they get around their neighborhood to their special places or how they got to that night's meeting. "Mobility. Getting around.

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Residents Discuss a Future Plan of the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury Washington Street Corridor

More than 150 people from across Jamaica Plain gathered at English High School Wednesday evening to look into their crystal ball to see what Jamaica Plain - specifically the 257 acres from Forest Hills to Jackson Square would look like in the next five to  10 years. The workshop was the first one in the process called Plan JP/Rox Washington Street. "This is long range planning. We got a lot of feedback [since the July 28th open house]; over 850 comments. Our staff looked at every one and out of those we formed four themes: Community resiliency.

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