The North Allston-Brighton Community-Wide Plan (known hereafter as CWP) was a 2008–2009 BRA community planning and urban design study that was intended to augment, re-evaluate where necessary, and refine the goals and vision of the 2005 North Allston Strategic Framework for Planning (NASFP), especially with respect to how Harvard’s Institutional Master Plan relates to, and integrates with, the plan for the North Allston-Brighton neighborhood. The NASFP vision for the North Allston-Brighton neighborhood was intended to protect and enhance the traditional residential neighborhood. The NASFP vision framework provides information to help the BRA address and direct general real estate growth and development in the area and provides a broad neighborhood context for Harvard’s on-going master planning process for its campus.
The main purpose of the CWP was to identify a series of specific planning and implementation measures. The CWP will not create a new “Master Plan” for North Allston-Brighton but rather create an updated plan to ensure that there is a clear mechanism for implementing the goals which emanated from the community process and strategic framework.
The objective of the CWP was to translate the community goals into urban design and development guidelines; and propose a clear economic development strategy that reflects the priorities of the City of Boston and the community for coordinated residential, retail and other real estate development.
The purpose of the CWP is to:
- Create a clear strategy for implementing recommendations and a vision for North Allston-Brighton by building upon, re-evaluating and updating the NASFP goals and vision.
- Gather and analyze data on residential and commercial real estate, retail market demand, business trends and other factors which will inform development decisions
- Provide an internal (City of Boston agencies) planning mechanism for responding to and coordinating development scenarios in light of the on-going Harvard Institutional Master Planning process as well as potential development by private property owners.
As a result of the CWP and through the collaborative efforts of City of Boston agencies, led by the BRA, community stakeholders and residents of the North Allston-Brighton neighborhood, will have a clear “roadmap” and action plan which will provide a proactive development plan through a participation process that will inform and enhance future change in the neighborhood.