Boston Community Ventures Inc. (BCV) and the Jackson Square Partners LLC (JSP) have signed a document that will lead to creation of a new street in Jackson Square that will enhance mobility and accessibility, and allow for future development of residential, commercial and other uses in the neighborhood.
BCV has been an early investor in the neighborhood since the 1990s, with a strong vision of renovating underutilized buildings and working with the community to establish commercial businesses that create a vibrant neighborhood with jobs and amenities for local residents.
BCV has long recognized the need for and has diligently worked toward the creation of an alternative public street in Jackson Square, which is at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Centre Street.
In conjunction with the agreed-on transfer of land owned by the MBTA and MassDOT to the JSP, BCV and its affiliates will donate a significant portion of its land to the City of Boston, as well as funding the design and construction of “New Jackson Street.”
Under the agreement, BCV will pay for all design, engineering and construction of this new street as a gesture of support and nod to a vision of Jackson Square that embraces revitalization for existing and future residents and businesses.
This cooperative agreement between neighbors ensures that a portion of the street becomes a permanent public through street that will help to ease congestion in a tight corner of Jackson Square at Amory Street’s terminus at Columbus Avenue. It will also provide an alternative through connection from Columbus Avenue to the Southwest Corridor and beyond to the Centre Street Business District.
“We anticipate that the contribution by BCV will be a new milestone and model for cooperation between private developers, City agencies and local community development corporations, all of whom share the common goal to create much needed housing for all income levels and to bring vitality and economic opportunity to Jackson Square,” said Mordechai Levin, founder and principal of BCV.
The new public roadway, long envisioned by City of Boston planners, provides access for future new planned developments, including Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation’s 44-unit building at 25 Amory St., The Community Builders’ 112-unit building at 250 Centre St., and BCV’s mixed-use development plan for the two-acre parcel at 41-71 Amory St. JPNDC and TCB are partners in Jackson Square Partners.
Construction of “New Jackson Street” is expected to be under way this summer. The east-west portion of what has been referred to, as New Jackson Street will be called Brewery Lane, and the north-south portion of the new street will be called Alliance Way.