About
Welcome! ¡Bienvenido! 欢迎!
The Allston-Brighton Community Plan (ABCP) is a planning process that will develop a shared vision for future change in close collaboration with the Allston-Brighton community. To realize this vision, the Plan will include strategies and recommendations for City staff, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and more. These strategies and recommendations will guide:
-
Where and how developers build new housing or other public amenities
-
The type, appearance, and density of new buildings in certain areas
-
How people move around the community
-
Park space or other open space development
-
And more!
City staff are developing the plan with a Boston-based consulting team (Meet the Team). The team includes planners, designers, and community advocates rooted in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood. To ensure an equity-focused process, the team is committed to:
-
Sharing information with community members, community organizations, and City officials
-
Enabling partnerships between community members, organizations, and City officials to create shared priorities and strategies
What is a community plan? What is the Allston-Brighton Community Plan?
A community plan guides future development and changes to the physical environment for all parts of a community.
The ABCP will take several factors into account, including:
-
Community knowledge and feedback;
-
An assessment of community needs and opportunities;
-
Other plans or development projects that are happening in a community;
-
Current conditions in land use, transportation, housing, open space, community resources, economic development, and employment. The Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment catalogued the spatial, planning, and demographic characteristics of Allston-Brighton.
The plan includes goals, recommendations, and implementation strategies that answer: what kinds of changes are desired by residents, businesses, large institutions, and others who may be impacted by future development in the community? How will these changes be achieved?
What can a community plan do, and what can’t it do?
A community plan is a tool to achieve the types of changes that are desired for the future.
A community plan does:
-
Bring together different views through engagement to create a shared vision for the future
-
Provide guidance to the City and developers on future developments and investments
-
Coordinate City decisions on the location, financing, and timing of developments and investments
-
Identify physical areas that should be rezoned to achieve community priorities (for example: more affordable housing, more open space, more areas that have a mix of residential and retail uses)
-
Guide future zoning regulations in the community, which impacts the type (e.g., residential; retail), appearance, density, and distribution of buildings and open spaces
A community plan does not:
How will zoning be implemented?
Concurrently with developing the Allston-Brighton Community Plan, Planning Department staff will propose new zoning for the neighborhood as part of the Allston-Brighton Community Plan. This new zoning will be directly aligned with the goals and priorities outlined in the plan.
Materials
Focus Area Engagement Summary
Over the summer of 2025, the Planning Department held several engagement opportunities to understand what types of future changes are most desired for ten specific “Focus Areas” across Allston-Brighton. | Summary
October Open House and Survey Summary
This document provides a summary of what we heard from the community at our October 24 open house and survey about the future of housing and development, mobility, open space, and community services. This feedback will frame the future vision for the neighborhood across all of these topics, which will be subject to continuing engagement this spring. | Presentation
Allston-Brighton Data Stories Pop-Up Exhibit
The Allston-Brighton Data Stories Pop-Up Exhibit showcases the neighborhoods' existing conditions based on the recently completed Allston-Brighton Needs Assessment (2024) and the Allston-Brighton Health Collaborative’s Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative. Go to the events section to learn more about exhibit locations and tabling times.
To see the online version of Allston-Brighton Data Stories visit: bit.ly/ABCP-data-stories
Engagement
Click on the event date to view details and materials.
There are no upcoming events scheduled at this time; please check back soon for an update on engagement happening in the beginning of 2026!
- July 14 | Allston Brighton Community Plan Open House | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Brighton Elks Lodge
- Thursday, May 29 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM @ the Mayor’s Coffee Hour, 30 Chestnut Hill Ave, Brighton, MA 02135
- Tuesday, June 3 | 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM @ the Jackson Mann Community Center, 500 Cambridge Street, Allston, MA 02134
- Wednesday, June 4 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM @ the Brighton Branch of the Boston Public Library, 40 Academy Hill Road, Brighton, MA 02135
- Wednesday, June 11 | 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM @ the Brighton Farmer’s Market, 30 Chestnut Hill Ave, Brighton, MA 02135
- Friday, June 13 | 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM @ the Charles River Speedway, 525 Western Ave, Brighton, MA 02135
- Allston-Brighton Community Plan Office Hours | Monday, May 19 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Jackson Mann Community Center | 500 Cambridge Street | Allston, MA 02134
- Allston Brighton Health Collaborative Check-In | Tuesday, November 19 | 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM | Virtual
- Workshop at the Veronica B Smith Senior Center | Monday, December 2 | 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM | 20 Chestnut Hill Avenue | Boston, MA 02135
- Virtual Office Hours | Monday, December 2 | 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM | Virtual
- October 24 | Allston Brighton Community Plan Open House | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Brighton Elks Lodge
- July 17 | 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Honan-Allston Public Library
- July 17 | 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Brighton Farmers Market
- July 18 | 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Brighton Public Library
- July 19 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Unbound Visual Arts Arthaus Gallery
- July 20 | 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Unbound Visual Arts Arthaus Gallery
- July 22 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Honan-Allston Public Library
- July 24 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Brighton Public Library
- CANCELLED: July 26 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Unbound Visual Arts Arthaus Gallery
- NEW: July 27 | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Faneuil Gardens Unity Day
- July 27 | 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Unbound Visual Arts Arthaus Gallery
- July 28 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Unbound Visual Arts Overlook Gallery
- June 26 | Brighton Farmers Market | 2:00 PM - 6:30 PM | 30 Chestnut Hill Avenue, Brighton, MA 02135
- June 22 [POSTPONED] | Allston Brighton Field Day | 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Smith Playground, 235 Western Avenue, Allston, MA 02134
- June 15 | Commonwealth Tenants Association 1st Annual Graduation Block Party | 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM | 201-1224 Jette Court, Brighton, MA 02135
- June 12 | Brighton Farmers Market | 2:00 PM - 6:30 PM | 30 Chestnut Hill Avenue, Brighton, MA 02135
- June 8 | DCR UAP Annual Adaptive Recreation Fair | 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | 1255 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton, MA 02135
- June 1 | Allston-Brighton Resource Fair | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Brighton Elks Lodge | 326 Washington Street, Brighton, MA 02135
Language Accessibility
Language access services are available to you free of charge. Please contact [email protected] to request.
Los servicios de acceso a idiomas están disponibles sin cargo. Por favor llame o envíe un mensaje a [email protected] con la solicitud.
您可以免费获得语言翻译服务。请联系 或 [email protected] 要求提供翻译。
免費向您提供語言服務。請聯絡 或 [email protected] 提出要求。
Meet the Team
City staff are working in partnership with a Boston-based consulting team of planners, designers, and community advocates. The consulting team is led by Grayscale Collaborative, with strategy and analysis support from Agency Landscape + Planning, RKG Associates, Toole Design Group, and the Allston-Brighton Health Collaborative (ABHC).
Community Advisory Board
The Community Advisory Board (CAB) is a representative group of Allston-Brighton residents who will help the ABCP team collect and analyze engagement data and ensure that the Plan centers the diverse lived experience of Allston-Brighton residents. The names of CAB members are as follows:
- Anna Clemens
- Dennis Luong
- Ella Filardi
- Joseph-Jude Deauna
- Kelly McGrath
- Lia Kahan
- Lucimara Rodrigues
- Martin Gao
- Nicolasa Lopez
- Sr. Patricia Andrews
Planning Core Collaborative Group
The Planning Core Collaborative Group (PCCG) represents City departments, community-based organizations, and institutions that will help the ABCP team assess feasibility and develop implementation strategies for the Plan's recommendations, and collaborate on program and policy design.
City Departments
Community Organizations
- ABCD - Elaina Schreckenberger
- Actor|Observer, artist - Greg Marquis
- Allston Civic Association - Anthony D’Isidoro
- B'nai B'rith Housing - Susan Gittleman
- Brighton Allston Improvement Association - Anabela Gomes
- Charles River Watershed Association - Max Rome
- Franciscan Children's Hospital - Jennifer Atlas
- Harvard University Government and Community Relations - Mark Handley
Upcoming Planning Events in Allston-Brighton
There are no events or meetings on the Calendar at this time. Please check back again soon.
Visit our Calendar section for more events.