By Michael Coughlin Jr.
During the Boston Planning & Development Agency’s (BPDA) Board meeting earlier this month, a project at 259 Allandale Street, which would bring upgrades to Allandale Farm, was approved.
The proposed project involves replacing the farm’s primary retail structure with an approximately 5,300-square-foot retail market barn and its older retail greenhouses with a roughly 5,350-square-foot retail greenhouse. Dylan Norris, a project assistant at the Planning Department, noted that these upgrades will enable the farm to provide service year-round.
Barry Fogel of Keegan Werlin, LLP, the project’s legal counsel, led the presentation for the project and highlighted other aspects of the proposal.
For example, he noted that landscaping would be added to the parking lot, and while the number of spaces available—58—is not increasing, parking will become more efficient because it will be marked better.
He also mentioned that the new buildings would be in the same footprint as the existing ones but would have improved spacing and separation from the parking lot to better stage seasonal products.
Fogel then spoke about the architecture of the new buildings, saying, “It’s going to sort of obviously capture and keep the same feeling of the farm but be much more attractive on the Allandale Street side.”
Moreover, a crosswalk has been proposed as part of the project, bringing pedestrians from the south side of Allandale Street into the site.
“Everything about improving this will enhance ADA access and the availability of products year-round,” said Fogel.
“From a sustainability standpoint, there will be solar on the roof of the market barn; there will be EV (electric vehicle) charging stations for vehicles, much-improved stormwater management and compliance with MassDEP (Department of Environmental Protection) standards, and no impacts to the farm pond or the vegetated wetland to the east of that parking area.”
After the presentation, BPDA Board members commented, and the project was supported thoroughly.
Matt O’Malley has been going to Allandale Farm since he was four years old and expressed his excitement about the proposal.
“I think you folks have the first development project in the history of Jamaica Plain that has 100% support. This is something we have all been waiting for,” he said.
Kate Bennett called Allandale Farm a beloved institution and said, “It’s great to see this level of investment and kind of commitment to the future of the farm.”
Dr. Ted Landsmark echoed Bennett’s sentiment, adding, “I think everyone on the board is just thrilled to have the opportunity to support this work.”
The board’s chair, Priscilla Rojas, also commented on the proposal, saying, “I’m just really glad that we have something like this as part of our city’s ecosystem—not only for educating but also for just reconnecting to nature and farming and all the great things that you guys do.”
It should also be noted that Jordan Frias, City Councilor Ben Weber’s director of policy and communications, noted that Weber was on record supporting the project but could not attend the meeting.
Ultimately, after comments, the board unanimously approved the proposal. For more information about the project, visit https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/259-allandale-street.