Affordable Housing

Renters Rising Block Party and Music Fest for Rent Control

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Join us as we rock out to the sounds of Oompa, Zili Misik, JahRiffe & Jah-N-I Roots Movement, The Group Activity, and dance in the streets with Metamovements Latin Dance Company. This event is free and open to our entire community. Indoors in the Brewery complex, local artists affiliated with City Life/Vida Urbana will display and sell hand-died textiles and paintings as part of JP Open Studios. Bring your friends and neighbors! Are you tired of neighbors, friends and family getting displaced from their homes and communities?

File photo: Olmsted Place Apartments under construction on Nov. 19, 2014 at the site of the Home for Little Wanderers.
Real Estate

Lottery Announced for 37 Affordable Apartments at Olmsted Place

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The Boston Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday announced a lottery for 37 affordable apartments in Olmsted Place, a luxury complex overlooking Leverett Pond and Olmsted Park. The development has been a center of controversy, including a lawsuit by the JP Neighborhood Council that led to the developer creating a $150,000 mitigation fund. That money will be split between two JP non-profits, with most of it going to City Life/Vida Urbana to aid in tenant organizing. The market-rate units at Olmsted Place begin at $2,600 a month, according to the development's website. Below is the announcement from the BRA, including important details on income limits and how to apply.

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Politics

Mayor’s Advice on Casey: ‘Try to Avoid It’

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Mayor Marty Walsh makes a point during a press conference with neighborhood media on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Credit: Chris Helms

Mayor Marty Walsh sat down with reporters and editors from neighborhood publications like the Jamaica Plain News on Wednesday. Here are some highlights from the conversation. Casey Arborway

The Casey project is state-run, but takes place on several city streets. Walsh has not taken a strong public role since before his election as mayor, when he buoyed bridge supporters by issuing a statement calling on the Department of Transportation to "fairly evaluate" replacing the Casey with a "beautiful modern bridge."

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Neighborhood Life

Tell Us How JP Is Changing For You

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Why do people move to London? Why do they choose to leave? #londonischanging http://t.co/TQ1wE0lm3A @duartecg pic.twitter.com/6CAxdjqyeF— OpenCity Projects (@OpnCty) March 3, 2015

An ocean separates Jamaica Plain and London, England, but both areas share an air of change. A project running in London has caught our attention and we’re replicating it in JP. Rather than promoting companies and services, two digital billboards in Central London are promoting its people, the changing city and an enhanced understanding of the rapid change.

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Screen grab of Storify stream for the 2015 State of Our Neighborhood forum.
Neighborhood Life

As It Happened: ‘State of Our Neighborhood’ 2015

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The fifth annual "State of Our Neighborhood" forum took place Thursday at the Kennedy School. This year's gathering focused on affordable housing. The format was designed to get specific commitments from politicians who represent JP on City Council and on Beacon Hill. More than 200 people attended the event, which was organized by JP New Economy Transition. [View the story "As It Happened: 'State of Our Neighborhood' 2015" on Storify]

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Business

Latina Entrepreneurs Aim to Thrive as Hyde Square Changes

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Damaris Pimentel, owner of Ultra Beauty Salon, colors Rose Moorachian's hair. November 2014. Credit: Esther Ro

Running a small business is no easy task. Just ask longtime Jamaica Plain entrepreneurs Damaris Pimentel and Patria Valenzuela. The two business pioneers face the challenge of thriving in the midst of a gentrifying neighborhood.

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161 S. Huntington as seen in an Aug. 15, 2012 proposal.
Real Estate

Rents Fall in South End, Back Bay — But Not JP

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Renters got some rare good news in a recent report that rents actually fell 9 percent in Boston's two most expensive neighborhoods. But rents continue to creep higher in JP. The CoStar Group credited new inventory for the easing of rents in the first quarter of 2014, according to a review by Boston Business Journal. These developments in particular soaked up high-end demand, the report said: The Kensington in Downtown Crossing, AvalonExeter in the Back Bay, The Victor at North Station, 315 on A and Waterside Place in the Seaport District. But while huge numbers of units are under construction across JP, rental prices are still inching up here, according to one local real estate agent.

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