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. The City is looking to push through these new plans without appropriate community and stakeholder engagement. The Downtown Boston community deserves to have a say in the future of the neighborhood.
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
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
Recent Media Coverage of PLAN: Downtown
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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:
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Subject: Opposition to new PLAN: Downtown ChangesDear Elected Officials, Appointees, and Stakeholders,
I am a Downtown Boston resident, and I oppose the revised PLAN: Downtown zoning proposal that was presented on January 15, 2025. This proposal contradicts the master plan adopted in December 2023 and was introduced without public process or community engagement. I urge the City to present a new zoning proposal that aligns with the adopted plan’s intent and overwhelming community feedback.
Downtown Boston is a historic and vibrant neighborhood, home to 13,000+ residents, anchor and cultural institutions, large and small businesses, landmark buildings, shelters and churches, acclaimed restaurants, and iconic public spaces. Allowing 500-foot towers along Washington Street and into Back Bay threatens its character, particularly the Ladder Blocks, which attracts countless tourists and visitors.
Boston is facing a housing crisis, but luxury residential towers are not the solution. The city needs more affordable and moderate-income housing. Building towers up to 500 feet along Washington Street and Stuart Street will not result in more affordable housing nor the type of density that is optimal for this area of Downtown. To take advantage of Downtown’s rich transportation network, affordable housing needs to be located within Downtown - any off-site affordable housing and fee-in-lieu accommodations miss the mark. Housing experts agree. With tower construction costs alone exceeding $1,000 per square foot, high-rise construction is prohibitively expensive and unlikely to result in any meaningful affordable housing. Requiring that just 60% of a building be residential for 500-foot towers also incentivizes the development of unnecessary office space rather than addressing real housing needs.
The last major planning effort for the Downtown area occurred in 1989 – PLAN: Downtown zoning will impact this neighborhood for decades. Master plans like PLAN: Downtown are meant to bring the community together; preserve the character of the neighborhood; and make things more predictable for all stakeholders, including residents and developers. The city’s attempt to circumvent a 6+ year planning process and arbitrarily upzone large corridors of the neighborhood undermines all of this. If changes are needed to the plan that was adopted by the BPDA, then the city must engage the community and stakeholders; make the case with real data; and incorporate feedback before going to the BPDA Board for approval. Rushing this through unilaterally erodes public trust and is not a sensible approach.
I respectfully urge Mayor Wu and City officials to take the necessary time to involve the community and stakeholders to get this right.
Sincerely,
[Insert full name / address]
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