FINAL PNF -- Jackson Square - Boston Redevelopment Authority

♦ JPNDC, Urban Edge and Hyde Square Task Force will share responsibility for delivery
of the youth and family facilities, with The Friends of Kelly Rink also participating in the
indoor recreational facility.
In addition to the development team described above, JSP will carry out these
responsibilities with the assistance of GLC Development Resources LLC, Tise Design
Associates, Stull and Lee, Inc. and Blue Wave Strategies LLC. GLC will serve as the overall
development program manager, managing the day to day work of the LLC, while Tise
Design and Stull and Lee will provide Master Plan design and Blue Wave Strategies will
provide guidance and input on sustainable design. A Landscape Architect will be hired to
design the urban realm and open spaces for the entire site and a civil engineer will design
coordinated infrastructure improvements across the site. As each of the individual buildings
moves forward, individual architects will be chosen for the buildings.
Background
The proposed redevelopment of Jackson Square is the culmination of the hard work,
persistence and vision of hundreds of neighborhood residents, youth and business owners
and the leadership and support of elected officials and state and city government agencies.
In the 1960s, homes and businesses in Jackson Square were bulldozed to make way for a
proposed extension of I-95. While a multi-community mobilization succeeded in stopping
the highway, the land cleared for the Project has remained vacant or underutilized to this
day. Since that time, various development plans have been proposed to rebuild the
neighborhood, but none of these plans have come to fruition.
In 1999, Mayor Thomas Menino appointed the Jackson Square Coordinating Group (JCG) to
work with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) to lead a community planning
process for vacant public land around the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA)
station. Over the next two years, more than 800 residents participated in small meetings
and planning workshops regarding the future of Jackson Square. This series of discussions
culminated in a community-wide charrette in January 2001, attended by 250 residents who
articulated a shared vision for Jackson Square that included 200 units of affordable housing
and a youth center. From this charette came a road map for a new Jackson Square,
summarized by the BRA’s planning report “Putting the Pieces Together.” This report
became the basis for the work of the JCG in conjunction with the BRA to develop a detailed
Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking developers who could deliver this community vision.
By October 2003, more than 400 residents had embraced this vision for a pedestrian
friendly, transit-oriented Jackson Square of affordable housing, youth and family facilities,
and small scale commercial development. In its formal requests for qualifications and
proposals in 2004, the Boston Redevelopment Authority incorporated this community
1772/PNF/ Jackson Square Page 1-5 Summary
Epsilon Associates, Inc.