Starting in 2007, Jackson Square Partners redeveloped 11 acres of private and public land to revitalize the neighborhood where the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury communities meet. Jackson Square Partners, a collaboration of three community-based non-profit organizations, created a mixed-use development based on a comprehensive planning effort aimed at creating a balanced community. The LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) Pilot project, which was the first project in the northeast to earn a Silver Certified Plan rating, includes development of three lots around the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Jackson Square station and improvements to the area’s streets.
Nitsch Engineering provided structural, civil, and transportation engineering services; planning and green infrastructure services; and land surveying services for projects covering 225 Centre Street, 1542 Columbus Avenue, 25 Armory Street, 250 Centre Street, Mildred Hailey Redevelopment, the Jackson Square Greenway, and the Armory Greenway.
We provided boundary retracement and existing conditions surveys for 27 acres in the area, including the 11-acre site. Nitsch used Low Impact Development (LID) principles to develop the site; the development includes green roofs, reuses rainwater, and utilizes other green design techniques. We designed roadway infrastructure improvements for five residential streets in the area, including new curb alignments, sidewalks, street lights, and median dividers. Nitsch also designed two multi-modal bicycle and walking paths.
Our design balances the need to maintain the vital transportation arterials of Columbus Avenue and Centre Street with the need to support pedestrian and bicycle travel, as well as the need to provide on-street parking and improved landscaping and amenities. Nitsch provided technical support for the Boston Planning and Development Agency permitting, and was responsible for providing utility design, stormwater management design, site layout and grading, and construction administration services; as well as permitting with the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Boston Public Improvement Commission.
The overall Jackson Square project includes the development of 1,712 new or renovated housing units, of which 1,099 are affordable housing, 259 are senior living units, and 354 are market rate; 61,200 square feet of retail/commercial space; 13,500 square feet of office space; 91,500 square feet of community facilities; and 6 acres of green space.
Key Collaborators
Owner: Urban Edge
Developers: Jackson Square Partners and Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation
LEED Consultant: Blue Wave Capital, LLC
Master Planner: Prellwitz Chilinski Associates
Landscape Architect: Brown, Richardson & Rowe, Inc.
