The city of Boston, Mass., has undertaken a planning process for Beacon Park Yard (BPY), a large tract of Harvard University-owned land in Allston which is set to be the site of a large highway and transit project.
The Harvard Crimson reported Jan. 30 that as local officials seek to secure federal funding for the Allston Multimodal Project — an effort to realign a portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike that runs through Allston — they, along with residents, are beginning to envision what will come after.
The realignment will open up a 91-acre parcel of vacant land and highway for development, ultimately creating a new neighborhood in BPY owned by the university.
The process is meant to create a basic picture for what that new neighborhood will look like at least a decade before its construction begins and bring together the interests of local players including Harvard, Boston University, the city and state governments, and Allston residents.
"The BPY Plan will establish a regional, community vision for dense urban development that provides [Boston with] capacity, landowner value and community benefits to realize a transformational infrastructure and development project," a Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) spokesperson wrote the Crimson in an emailed statement. "Our vision is inclusive and equitable infrastructure and development projects at Beacon Park Yard."
Both the BPDA and other parties involved in the proposal said that it would serve as a guide and a measure of accountability for the city, Harvard and the developers, ensuring that future development in the area will serve the interests of residents.
In an interview, Boston City Councilor Elizabeth A. "Liz" Breadon told the Crimson that city officials will play a key role in achieving that objective.
"The thing is up to the city," she said. "The city of Boston has to leverage whatever power they have to guide this process and hold Harvard accountable."
Breadon added that she would advocate for "mixed income housing, investments in green space and climate resilience" during the planning process.
Harvard also is seeking air rights over the Turnpike, which Breadon said would significantly increase the value of the property.
The process also serves as a mitigation benefit, negotiated by the university and the Harvard Allston Task Force, in order to receive approval for its planned Enterprise Research Campus. The city requires developers to offset the consequences of projects with benefits to the surrounding area.
The BPDA has held two events so far to solicit residents' thoughts on the BPY project, including one Jan. 24.
Knitting Together a New Boston Neighborhood
The Massachusetts Turnpike realignment, in the works for almost a decade, has been celebrated by residents and local leaders as a reunification of the neighborhood, which is currently divided by the highway. The project also will bring increased transit through a new commuter rail station and more bicycle infrastructure.
"The Allston Multimodal Project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to knit together the Allston-Brighton neighborhood and, with the creation of West Station, to bring transformational connections across the region and beyond," Amy Kamosa, a Harvard spokesperson, wrote in a statement to the Crimson.
Boston University (BU), a direct neighbor to the project area, also stands to benefit by becoming better connected to the Allston neighborhood.
"Someday in the future it could be an easy walk from Barry's Corner to Commonwealth Avenue," a BU spokesperson said in an email.
BU's main campus is located on Commonwealth, and Barry's Corner houses Harvard's Science and Engineering Complex.
The turnpike realignment is years away from beginning construction and is still awaiting federal funding. The state has applied for a federal grant available under the Inflation Reduction Act, although its previous application was rejected in 2023.
Earlier in January, members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a 2004 Harvard graduate, seeking support of the state's second application for funding.
The Biden administration's decision on the grant is expected in the coming weeks and months, according to city officials.
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