FY24 Green and Growing

Investing in CARBON-NEUTRAL Buildings

The Environment Department is working to meet the City's goal of creating a carbon-free building stock, as outlined in the BERDO 2.0 ordinance. To meet the demands of the moment, the budget adds two new program managers who will bring the needed expertise to ensure successful implementation.

The FY24-28 Capital budget includes significant investment in the creation of energy-efficient buildings. The Mayor's Office of Housing will begin a new $50 million project to retrofit Boston Housing Authority sites. These improvements will include electrifying HVAC systems, replacing natural gas stoves and appliances, and electrifying other energy systems to reduce these sites' carbon footprint. Additionally, Phase 3 of the Renew Boston Trust project, a project that identifies opportunities to retrofit city buildings with energy-efficient renovations, will receive $44 million in additional funding.

RESILIENT OPEN SPACE

Boston recognizes the benefits that come with reliable access to open space. That’s why the FY24 Budget invests heavily in buying, building, and maintaining parks and urban wilds across the City. The Operating budget includes additional funding that commits to the safety of our turf fields, ensures water features are properly running at our playgrounds in the summer, and explores building capacity for youth sports across our City. 

The Parks and Recreation $332 million dollar Capital Plan will continue to construct and renovate playgrounds, open spaces, and athletic fields across the City. New projects in the FY24 plan include Quincy Street Play Area and St. James Street Park in Roxbury, Fidelis Way in Allston Brighton, Tebroc Street Play Area and Ronan Park in Dorchester, and many more throughout Boston's neighborhoods. To support the City's long-term investment in Open Space, the FY24 Park's Department budget will bring on five project managers to oversee these exciting new ventures.

Boston residents struggle to afford housing and a significant number of Bostonians experience housing instability and homelessness. The Mayor's Office of Housing, which is currently managing a large portfolio of ARPA funded initiatives, will further step up its efforts with a $5 million investment organized around the following:

• Expand the City-funded voucher program ($1.8 million), bringing total support to $11.5 million
• Increase Flexible Financial Assistance/Rental Relief to keep people housed ($1 million), sustaining a pandemic era grant program
• Support families facing homelessness and housing instability with Emergency Housing ($750 thousand)
• Shifting salaries off of a federal grant and onto the operating budge to free up additional funding for housing and homeownership programs (roughly $500 thousand)