PLAN: Downtown

The PLAN: Downtown planning process, the first major master planning effort for Downtown Boston since 1989, is intended to inform how the neighborhood is developed and shaped for decades to come. The PLAN: Downtown Advisory Group worked with the City of Boston to come up with a thoughtful master plan, which was adopted in December 2023. The City’s Planning Department was then tasked with coming up with appropriate zoning and design guidelines to codify these plans. On January 15th, 2025, the City’s Planning Department introduced a dramatically different set of plans and zoning that calls for the development of towers that are up to 500 feet in height (instead of 155 feet) along the entirety of Washington Street and other parts of the neighborhood.

On May 29, 2025, the City’s Planning Department released its final draft zoning proposal. This proposal, once again, disregards community feedback and envisions 700-foot towers in historic areas of the neighborhood. A broad coalition of stakeholders has released this statement, which outlines why this proposal is ill-informed and lacks community support.

The Downtown Boston community must have a say in the future of the neighborhood.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

Official PLAN: Downtown Page

PLAN: Downtown plan that was adopted by the City on December 14, 2023. This represents the consensus view of the PLAN: Downtown Advisory Group, after 6+ yrs of work

The City’s final draft zoning proposal that was released on May 29, 2025

The City’s new proposed plan and zoning that was introduced at a public meeting on January 15, 2025

The City held a public meeting on January 15th, 2025, to present its proposed zoning changes for Downtown Boston. The full presentation, Zoom meeting recording, and Zoom chat transcript are included below for your convenience.

Zoom meeting recording of public meeting

The Zoom chat transcript is available here

Remarks: Tony Pangaro, formerly Millennium Partners (developer)

Remarks: Karen LaFrazia, CEO of St. Francis House, regarding affordable housing and public process

Remarks: Rishi Shukla, Co-Founder, Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association

The graphics below capture the significant differences between the original plan vs. the new plan that was introduced by the City of Boston’s Planning Department on 1/15/25. The PLAN: Downtown Advisory Group developed the original plan over 6+ years - this plan did not contemplate up-zoning an entire corridor of the neighborhood to 500 feet of height (from 155 feet). The City decided to up-zone the areas highlighted in green without community input - given the dramatic change from the original plan, the vast majority of the Advisory Group opposes the revisions to the original plan.

Original Plan

New Plan from 1/15/25

New Plan from 5/29/25

In the absence of impact analysis, shadow studies, and renderings from the City of Boston’s Planning Department, members of the stakeholder coalition put pen to paper and sketched out this map overlay to highlight potential tower scenarios across various areas of what the Planning Department is calling SKY and SKY-LOW districts. It is not possible to predict all possible tower locations given the potential for additional PDA (Planned Development Area) eligibility via acquisitions and joint ventures.

Recent Media Coverage of PLAN: Downtown

Take Action Today

Ensure that your voice is heard. Please take a moment to e-mail your elected officials. For your convenience, we have put together the following templated letter. Feel free to edit as you see fit. You can either click the “One-Click Email to Elected Officials” button (please click button based on the e-mail app that you use) or copy / paste the items below into your e-mail message:

One-Click Email to Elected Officials

Gmail / Outlook

One-Click Email to Elected Officials

Apple Mail / Hotmail / Yahoo

Subject: Opposition to PLAN: Downtown Zoning Proposal

Dear Mayor Wu, Chief Shen, Public Officials, and Stakeholders,

I write to express my strong opposition to the City of Boston’s latest PLAN: Downtown zoning proposal, which would allow for 700-foot towers throughout key sensitive character areas of Downtown Boston outside of the Financial District — disregarding years of community engagement and threatening our parks and the irreplaceable historic character of Downtown. This proposal, which now removes height limits across key corridors, reflects a disturbing reversal of Mayor Wu’s stated commitment to collaborative, transparent planning, and her call as then City Councilor to reform BRA-era approaches and tactics. No shadow studies, impact analysis, or on-site affordable housing guarantees accompany this sweeping zoning proposal — just a rushed push for high-rise luxury towers that will further erode the fabric of our neighborhood and City.

I stand with the broad coalition of stakeholders who have jointly objected to the City’s surprising and ill-advised zoning proposal, one that undermines years of good faith efforts to produce smart, thoughtful development that balances affordability, vibrancy, and preservation. The coalition offered reasonable compromises, and Mayor Wu personally assured all of us that our voices would be part of shaping the future of Downtown. Instead, we have been sidelined once again. We urge you to oppose this zoning proposal as written, demand accountability from the City’s Planning Department, and insist on a process that respects community vision, protects our historic legacy, and gets this right — not just for Downtown Boston, but for the entire City.

Sincerely,

[Insert full name / address]

Copy / Paste the following e-mail addresses in the To: field

aaron.michlewitz@mahouse.gov

andrew.nahmias@boston.gov

brianna.millor@boston.gov

ed.flynn@boston.gov

environment@boston.gov

erin.murphy@boston.gov

gabriela.coletta@boston.gov

henry.santana@boston.gov

jay.livingstone@mahouse.gov