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Blue Hill Avenue Action Plan

Blue Hill Avenue is Boston’s central spine. It's also the historic home of Boston’s Black community and immigrant populations.

New investments in the avenue were made in the early 1990s. A number of communities organized Boston Main Streets districts for their underutilized business districts. The focus of this initiative was to:

  • bring back retail stores, and
  • re-establish community-based shopping districts with anchor retail, such as grocery stores.

Mecca in Grove Hall is a prime example of the kind of community partnership and investment that was typical of that time. Capital investments were also made to reactivate the streetscape. These included new plantings, lighting, bus shelters, and other amenities. Throughout this process, the Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH) worked with the community. MOH developed City-owned vacant land thoughtfully, and in alignment with the community values. 

Project goals

The goal for the Blue Hill Avenue Action Plan is to spark:

  1. economic development
  2. business growth opportunities, and
  3. foster the entrepreneurial spirit in the community.

We plan to achieve this goal through the disposition and development of 30 city-owned vacant parcels, totaling 97,000 square feet. Possible uses include residential, commercial, retail, office space, community uses, and open space.

This effort includes working with members of the community, local organizations, and elected officials. We're also partnering with:

  • the Office of Economic Development
  • PLAN: Mattapan, and
  • the Blue Hill Avenue Transportation Action Plan.

We are starting the Blue Hill Avenue Action Plan with the B1 and B2 parcels in Mattapan. Information about what is planned is below. There are two more parcel groups in Roxbury that we are still in the planning stages on.

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Who's Involved:

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