Planning Department Advances Squares + Streets Amendment, Northeastern Institutional Master Plan, New Affordable Housing

Nov 13, 2025

The Planning Department this month recommended approval of new Squares + Streets zoning districts, a new ten-year Institutional Master Plan for Northeastern, and eight new development projects representing approximately 671,353 square feet (SF). All were approved. The newly approved development proposals will create 315 new homes, including 83 units that are designated income-restricted, and will support approximately 626 construction jobs and 280 permanent jobs. The plans and projects advanced today will help make Boston a more resilient, affordable, and equitable city.

Planning & Zoning

Updated Squares + Streets zoning districts move forward

Planning staff advanced two new Squares + Streets zoning districts in response to a zoning petition by Hyde Park residents submitted during the Squares + Streets planning process for Cleary Square. This amendment adds two new Squares + Streets zoning districts and makes minor changes to four of the six existing Squares + Streets districts. One of the new zoning options allows for four-story buildings which can include housing and a range of commercial uses. This new district seeks to preserve current businesses and invites additional commercial uses beyond what is allowed in the existing four-story Squares + Streets district options. The second new district is the Active Main Streets district which has the same zoning rules as an existing district except that building heights are limited to six stories as opposed to seven. This district will be useful in areas where there is sensitivity to height and where rooftop amenity space and mechanical systems may be less of a priority than lower building heights. This amendment also makes it easier to create and maintain banks, shelter facilities, large retail stores, and ground-floor commercial uses in some of the existing Squares + Streets districts. These new zoning districts will now need approval from the Zoning Commission.

Planning staff recommend no increase in Linkage fees

Based on current economic trends, the Planning Department is recommending that Linkage fees remain unchanged for 2026. Commercial and institutional developers of large projects pay Linkage fees to ensure that large-scale real estate development brings direct benefits to Boston’s residents in the form of affordable housing and workforce training. The total Linkage fee is $30.78 per square foot for lab space, and $23.09 for other commercial uses. Sixteen percent of the fees support job training and job preparedness programs, and 84 percent support the creation and preservation of affordable housing. These fees would increase by 4 percent in January based on the enabling legislation which schedules an automatic increase each year relative to inflation. The recommendation to override the Linkage increase is based on a number of factors including: high construction costs, high interest rates, and an uncertain economic climate with regard to the country’s fiscal and trade policies. This recommendation will now need final approval by the Zoning Commission.

Institutional Master Plans

BPDA Board votes to approve a new ten-year IMP for Northeastern University

The City of Boston and Northeastern University today announced landmark agreements on an Institutional Master Plan (IMP) and Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT), which include unprecedented housing commitments and community benefits for the City and neighborhoods around Northeastern. The IMP includes approximately $62.5 million in community benefits over the next 10 years, as well as $16.5 million in community benefits and $6 million in linkage associated with the Matthews Arena redevelopment. The new PILOT agreement includes a commitment of more than $49 million in cash and community benefits over the next five years. Read the complete announcement here.

Development Projects

Redevelopment of Matthews Arena will deliver $6 million in linkage for affordable housing and workforce training

Housing: $5,025,800 in Linkage funding in support of affordable housing

Jobs: Approximately 304 construction jobs, approximately 229 permanent jobs, $977,600 in Linkage funding in support of workforce training 

Community: Public realm improvements including expansion of sidewalks 

Sustainability: LEED Gold, use of geothermal wells, solar panels

Read the complete announcement here.

New library, income-restricted homeownership units to be built on public land at 555-559 Columbia Road in Dorchester

Housing: 33 income-restricted homes

Jobs: Approximately 50 construction jobs, approximately 13 permanent jobs

Community: New Upham’s Corner branch of the Boston Public Library

150 Milk Street project to convert vacant office building into new homes Downtown

Housing: 18 units, three income-restricted units

Jobs: Approximately 19 construction jobs

Community: Ground floor retail space

Sustainability: Adaptive re-use and preservation of existing historic building, compliant with Stretch Energy Code

As part of the City’s Office-to-Residential Conversion Program, this project will renovate what is currently a six-story office building into 18 new homes Downtown, three of which will be income-restricted.

This project is one of 19 applicants to Mayor Wu’s successful Office-to-Residential Conversion Program, which is on track to create more than 1,000 units from the conversion of 24 vacant office buildings.