Jackson Mann Plan Puts a New Allston Community Center Up Front and Housing Behind It

Boston officials have proposed replacing the aging Jackson Mann Community Center in Allston with a new community center at 500 Cambridge St. and privately built housing behind it along Armington Street, according to a draft plan presented at a community meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Residents can comment through Nov. 17, and Mayor Michelle Wu is expected to decide on the site by the end of the year.

Nov. 17 comment deadline · 2027 design and housing RFP · 2030 earliest construction · 24-30 months to build

The draft drops the idea of building a new public school on the campus. Under the proposal, Boston Public Schools would transfer the property to Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), which runs the community center, The Harvard Crimson reported.

What the draft plan includes

The community center would front Cambridge Street, with housing on the rear of the lot, according to presentation slides described by Boston.com. Officials also floated space for child care, which would be set up as retail space inside the privately developed housing portion.

The campus covers two parcels, 500 Cambridge St. and 40 Armington St., according to a city real estate and test-fit study by the Public Facilities Department, last updated in May 2026. That study tested several ways to pair housing with a new BCYF center, some with an elementary school and some without, to see which mix would produce the most money from private development to help pay for the community center and the most affordable housing. Its findings are meant to inform the ongoing Allston-Brighton Community Plan.

The published reports on the draft do not give a number of housing units, a developer or a cost. If the plan moves forward, the city would pick a housing developer through a request for proposals.

Timeline and where programs would go

• Now through Nov. 17: three-week public comment period. Comments go to Frank Mendoza, the city’s community engagement manager, and will be shared with Wu.
• By the end of 2026: decision by the mayor, according to Trish Cafferky, the city’s deputy chief of operations.
• 2027: design work and the housing development process begin, including a request for proposals and community design meetings. The Crimson reported the design phase would start in January 2027.
• 2030 at the earliest: construction starts, with 24 to 30 months of work expected.

During construction, Jackson Mann programs would move to the Taft Building at 20 Warren St. in Brighton, now home to Boston Green Academy, which is expected to leave by the end of the 2028 school year. If programs must move sooner, the city is looking at Brighton High School, at 25 Warren St., as a temporary site, Boston.com reported. Voting will continue at the existing building for now, while officials weigh Boston Green Academy and Brighton High as future polling sites.

Why the school option was dropped

The building opened in 1975 and was deemed not viable for long-term use in 2019. It once housed the Jackson Mann School, the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and a BCYF center; the schools closed in 2022 and 2023, and BCYF has kept running limited programs there, including a youth basketball league run by the Fire Department and after-school programs.

City officials pointed to falling enrollment. Between 2015 and 2025, elementary enrollment among Allston-Brighton residents fell 5.5% and secondary enrollment fell 4.7%, and 44% of school seats in Allston-Brighton were unfilled in 2025-26, officials said, according to the Crimson. The district has been consolidating elsewhere too, including its proposal to close Charlestown High School; more on that is in our Boston school news roundup.

A combined community center and housing option was among residents’ leading preferences in a city survey conducted from June to July, Boston.com reported, and the city does not plan another survey, according to the Crimson.

What residents said

Opinions at earlier meetings were split. “Let’s seize the opportunity that we have here for a robust community center, a large community center, and also considerable affordable housing, given the significance of the housing crisis,” Allston-Brighton resident Kevin Carragee said at an August meeting, as quoted by Boston.com. Thomas Lally, who said he worked at the Horace Mann School, called the housing discussion “counterproductive” and said the neighborhood has “done enough for the city as far as housing goes.”

Others argued for a school. Tony P. D’Isidoro, president of the Allston Civic Association, told the Oct. 27 meeting that “building new schools attracts students and families big time,” the Crimson reported. Rahul Ramesh, an Allston-Brighton resident, said residents agree on one point: “we want to see the community center move forward.”

The final call rests with Mayor Wu. For more on the area, see our Boston neighborhoods guide.

Sources

• Boston.com: City plans community center, housing at Jackson Mann
• The Harvard Crimson: Boston officials put forward proposal for community center, housing on Jackson Mann site
• City of Boston Public Facilities Department: Jackson Mann Housing with Public Assets Study, May 2026 (PDF)