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Why it matters: The City released its first public timeline regarding the development of the Jackson Mann site, which consists of the only city-run community center in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood and two now-closed Boston Public Schools. Since buildings on the site were first scheduled for demolition, neighbors say the city has been slow to address the immediate need that the neighborhood has for the public facilities.

For instance, in an interview with Allstonia, Allston resident Melissa Wardwell said that as a single, working parent, a fully-functioning community center would provide essential after-school programming that was free and proximate for her two children aged ten and 13. She has been going to community meetings on the Jackson Mann development for seven years now, starting when her kids were three and six.

The details: In the Jackson Mann auditorium, which is closed on most days of the year except for during community meetings, the 150 seats set out by city workers were almost all filled during the meeting on May 28. A crowd of neighbors, who could not find a seat, gathered in the back. 

What to know about the timeline: “By the end of this calendar year, we need to have identified and have consensus as a community what is going on the site,” said Deputy Chief of Operations Patricia Cafferky. This means that the questions that must be resolved by winter 2026 include:

• Will the Jackson Mann site have housing? If so, how many units will be considered market-rate and how many would be considered affordable?
• Will the Jackson Mann site have a Boston Public School for preK-6 grades?

A community center will be located on the site, regardless of whether housing, BPS school, or both are also on the site, according to the plans.

Cafferky spoke at length regarding the case where both housing and a community center were on the Jackson Mann site. In that case, the following timeline would ensue: 

• Winter 2026 to Fall 2027, “Design of Housing RFP”: This is when city officials work with architects and designers to plan how they would want housing to look on the Jackson Mann site. That plan will go into what is called a Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP outlines the requirements and guidelines for the development for potential developers and contractors.
• Fall 2027 to Summer 2028, “RFP Release + Developer Designation”: Once the RFP is complete, it will be released to potential developers and constructors. Developers will then have the opportunity to “bid,” meaning that they would submit a proposal that details how they would go about building housing (including site plans, financial planning, construction phases and community benefits). Based on the bids, the City will select developers for a contract.
  
  In parallel, a developer will be selected for the community center.
  
• Summer 2028 to Summer 2030, “Design + Permitting / Article 80 Review”: The selected developers will work with the city to finalize one plan to design the community center and one plan to design housing on the site. The designs must be approved under city building permits and must collect enough funding. 
• How fast housing or the community center is built depends on when funding is secured for the development. If one project secures funding before the other, it can proceed independently of the other. For instance, if the plans and financing for a community center are finalized before housing, then the community center can proceed with building first. 

If, instead of housing, a BPS school is to be added on the site:

• Winter 2026 – Fall 2027: The site would be subjected to a nine-month review by the Massachusetts School Building Authority following winter 2026. 
• If approved: BPS would then have to spend an additional nine months fulfilling certain requirements by MSBA, including defining enrollment projections and required educational programming.
  • The city hires an expert to help guide the school planning process. The hiring process is projected to take nine months. 
  • That expert studies whether building or renovating a school on the site actually makes sense, and puts together a plan for what the school should look like and who it should serve, which could take over a year.
  • Architects draw up plans for what the school building will look like, which is projected to take over two years. 

Both sequences point to construction on the site starting at roughly 2030 or 2031, with a more certain cost estimate scheduled for halfway through a design process. 

What neighbors are saying: “It’s great that Allston-Brighton is so engaged, and people are showing up, but on the other hand, it’s very frustrating to continually have to put in all this effort, all these resources, especially during the current time when people are really spread thin,” said Safi Chalfin-Smith, a resident who attended the meeting. 

At the same time, Chalfin-Smith explained that she still viewed the effort as necessary.

“If you are only going to be here for a set amount of time, and you can’t imagine a future here, it’s still really important to fight for the community,” she said. “Hopefully I get to stay here, but if I don’t, I want other people to come into the space. I want other people to be able to stay here.”