Welcome! ¡Bienvenido! Byenvini!
The Cleary Square plan will determine a public investment and growth-focused vision for the area focused on the central commercial blocks and transit assets. It is one of the first plans being developed as part of Squares + Streets, a new planning and zoning initiative that will focus on housing, public space, arts and culture, small businesses, and transportation in neighborhood centers and along main streets.
About Squares + Streets
The City of Boston has launched a series of Squares + Streets plans. One of the first locations is Cleary Square, a key commercial district in the Hyde Park neighborhood. The people who live, work, shop, and visit this commercial area will have the opportunity to participate in the development of the Cleary Square Plan.
To learn more about Squares + Streets, as well as the other locations, please see the project homepage.
Cleary Square Overview
Cleary Square is a historic commercial district approximately seven miles to the south of Boston in the northeast corner of the Hyde Park neighborhood. This area, which also includes Logan Square, retains a number of historic buildings and has a diverse retail mix of restaurants and shops. Surrounded by an abundance of historic, environmental, and cultural amenities, this includes facilities such as the Hyde Park Library. This area is serviced by the Hyde Park and Fairmont stations as part of the MBTA Commuter Rail, as well as several MBTA bus routes.
Cleary Square has witnessed significant social and demographic shifts in recent decades and remains an important cultural and commercial center for the neighborhood, as well as having considerable opportunity for commercial and residential enhancement. For more information, see the:
Cleary Square Plan
The Cleary Square planning process will determine a public investment and growth-focused vision for the area focused on the central commercial blocks and transit assets. The planning process will:
- Focus on housing, small businesses, public space, cultural amenities, transit assets etc. that reflect the unique needs of this area.
- Develop Squares + Streets plans in 6–9 month timeframes.
Get Involved
“What We Heard So Far” - Engagement Storymap + Surveys
Over the past few months, we have been gathering community feedback on what’s important in Cleary Square through various channels. These include workshop events, walking tours, interviews, and surveys for both the public and the business community.
An overview of all these sessions and the main points of feedback is now available on the Cleary Square Engagement Storymap, which highlights the various sessions, feedback and the high-level emerging themes. If you have a few minutes, we would appreciate your feedback, on the following:
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The Emerging Engagement Themes for Cleary Square - Are we hearing correctly what you would like to see Cleary Square’s vision look like in 5-10 years?
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The Community and Cultural Asset Map - Let us know where you like to gather, where you identify a sense of place, and where there are important arts and cultural and public realm spaces you like to frequent.
To learn more about these, please watch our recent demonstration at the “What We Heard So Far” online workshop held on April 8.
Upcoming Events
Check back in soon for upcoming engagement!
Previous Events
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 - Cleary Square Visioning Workshop (All themes) | Virtual | 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Thursday, May 30, 2024 - Visioning Workshop at Little Haiti | Little Haiti Restaurant | 1184 Hyde Park Avenue | Hyde Park, MA 02136 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday, May 29, 2024 | Cleary Square Visioning Workshop (All themes) | 1179 River Street | Hyde Park, MA 02136 | 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 - Fan Fan Bakery | 15 Harvard Avenue | Hyde Park, MA 02136 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Spanish Speaking Visioning Workshop | Hyde Park Community Center | 1179 River Street | Boston, MA 02136 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 - Office Hours at Rincon Caribeno | Rincón Caribeño | 18 Fairmount Avenue | Hyde Park, MA 02136 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Monday, April 8, 2024 | Cleary Square - What We’ve Heard So Far | Virtual | 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM | Introduction Slides | Recording
Cleary Square Educational Workshop - Housing
Presentation | Presentation (Haitian Creole) | Workshop Worksheets | Tool Cards
[In-Person: Thomas M. Menino YMCA (Room 202), 1137 River St, Hyde Park, MA 02136]
Monday, March 25, 2024 | 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
At this workshop, community members learned more about current housing tools the City has to create and preserve housing, how the Squares + Streets Small Area Plans can address current housing challenges, and envision through hands-on activities what Cleary Square might need for the future to support future new neighbors and diverse households.
Community Walking Tour - Cleary Square Main Streets
Handout | Handout (Spanish) | Handout (Haitian Creole)
[In-Person: Meeting at the pocket park at the intersection of Hyde Park Avenue and River St, Hyde Park, MA 02136]
Sunday, March 24, 2024 | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Staff is hosted a walking tour of the main commercial streets around Cleary Square that will ask the community for input on a number of areas, including transportation, built form, arts & culture, and public realm suggestions. Participants of the walk were able to share their perspectives on the study area and offer ideas for improvements.
Cleary Square Educational Workshop - Zoning
Educational Workshop Series Flyer (English) | Serie de Talleres Educativos (Espanol) | Seri Atelye Edikatif (Haitian Creole) | Existing Commercial Zoning Guide | Zoning Workshop (Haitian Creole) | Zoning Workshop (Spanish) | Zoning Workshop
[In-Person: Thomas M. Menino YMCA (Room 202), 1137 River St, Hyde Park, MA 02136]
Monday, March 18, 2024 | 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
At this workshop, community members learned more about the approach to zoning transformation and got an overview of the new zoning districts that have been developed to create mixed-use districts across the city. Participants engaged in activities to enhance their understanding of what these districts mean and how they might be applied in Cleary Square.
Pop-ups
[In-person: Basketball training for families and youth at Hyde Park Community Center 179 River St, Hyde Park, MA 02136]
Saturday, March 2 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
[In-Person: Hyde Park Library - 35 Harvard Ave, Hyde Park, MA 02136]
Saturday, March 2 | 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Friday Office Hours
Friday, March 1 | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Friday, March 8 | 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Friday, March 29 | 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Friday, April 19 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Thursday, April 25 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Friday, April 26 | 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Friday, May 3 | 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Cleary Square Open House
[In-Person: Hyde Park YMCA, 1137 River Street, Hyde Park, MA 02136]
Sunday, February 25, 2024 | 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Staff hosted an open house to officially kick off the 6-9 month planning and engagement process for the Squares + Streets plan for Cleary Square.
Event Materials (English) | Material del evento (Espanol) | Materyèl Evènman (Haitian Creole) | Transportation Boards
What makes Cleary Square a great place to live, work, play, shop, or visit?
Over the course of the spring and summer, staff will be available at several community events to engage with you about the Cleary Square Plan. Check out the "Stay Connected" section for engagement notifications and our calendar to check out upcoming Cleary Square Squares + Streets engagement activities.
Language Access
The City of Boston is committed to making Squares + Streets as inclusive and open a process as possible. As part of this effort, we intend to offer interpretation and translation services at our key public meetings and engagements and ensure that key materials and updates are provided in Spanish and Haitian Creole. If you need any of these materials or information in an additional language, please email [email protected].