Planning Initiatives - Boston Redevelopment Authority

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Mid Dorchester Action Plan


Neighborhood:	Dorchester
Type:	Community Planning
Status:	In Process
Project Manager:	Jeremy Rosenberger/ Carl Hyman
Phone Number:	(617)918-4431/ (617)635-0465
Email Address:	Jeremy.Rosenberger.BRA@cityofboston.gov Carl.Hyman.DND@cityofboston.gov
Last Updated:	1/22/2010

Purpose

The �Mid-Dorchester Action Plan� is a joint initiative of DND and the BRA that Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced in the summer of 2008. The planning initiative is designed to coordinate the strategic disposition of public property located around the areas of Four Corners, Bowdoin-Geneva, and Codman Square, areas throughout which DND currently owns as many as 270 vacant properties, totaling over 1.2 million square feet.

Because the MBTA�s Fairmount Line improvement project between South Station and Readville is now well-underway (this transportation corridor runs right through the Mid-Dorchester Action Plan focus area), it is particularly appropriate that we now take stock of our progress and identify next steps for this initiative.

Progress to Date

Shortly after the announcement of the initiative in the summer of 2008, the project team held a series of introductory community meetings, initiated discussions with stakeholders, and began to compile an analysis of the existing conditions within the study areas.

Next, the project team hired a consultant who developed a market assessment and business conditions analysis for each of the three study areas. This information was then conveyed to the community in a second series of community meetings. Stakeholders also participated in a visioning exercise that served as the basis for developing use and design guidelines for DND held study area properties during the second series of meetings.

Now, the project team has compiled a draft of development guidelines for public properties in the study areas, which total approximately 330,000 square feet.

The proposed next step is the release draft development guidelines online and a community meeting to receive comments and feedback.

The project team is also formulating a proposed implementation plan for the disposition of the public properties, which will require input and feedback. Ultimately, the team anticipates issuing Requests for Proposal (RFPs) in summer 2010.