Resources
920 Centre Street: Show Your Support
158 new homes | 38 affordable homes | Public comments due August 28
JP YIMBY has submitted a letter of support for this project. The public comment period is open until August 28. Here are four opportunities to express your support for this project!
1. Submit a comment to BPDA before August 28
2. Read about the development and fill out the support form
3. Sign a community petition supporting the project (920 Centre Street - Aug 28 Letter of Support Sign On)
4. Sign a community petition supporting the project (Protect Housing Near the Arboretum)
JP YIMBY has submitted a letter of support for this project. The public comment period is open until August 28. Here are four opportunities to express your support for this project!
1. Submit a comment to BPDA before August 28
2. Read about the development and fill out the support form
3. Sign a community petition supporting the project (920 Centre Street - Aug 28 Letter of Support Sign On)
4. Sign a community petition supporting the project (Protect Housing Near the Arboretum)
920 Centre Street: Facts and Sources
There has been a lot of discussion about the proposed housing at 920 Centre Street. Some information circulating in the neighborhood is inaccurate or incomplete. Here are the facts.
What is proposed?
158 new homes, including 38 permanently affordable homes
New landscaping, tree planting, and pedestrian improvements
Walkable to transit, the Arboretum, schools, and local businesses
Supported by the Poor Clares, who chose housing for the site
Revitalizes a long-vacant property
Fact check
Claim: "The project has no affordable housing."
Fact: The proposal includes 38 affordable homes: 36 affordable at 60% of Area Median Income and 2 reserved for households using housing vouchers. (BPDA)
Claim: "The project is building in the Arboretum."
Fact: The project is located next to the Arnold Arboretum, but does not build on Arboretum land or remove any part of the Arboretum. (Arnold Arboretum Statement)
Claim: "The project threatens the Arboretum."
Fact: The proposal has been revised multiple times to reduce shadows, preserve mature trees, increase setbacks, and expand landscaping and tree canopy. Like any redevelopment, it will be visible and cast some shadows at one edge of the Arboretum. Whether those impacts outweigh the benefits of 158 new homes is a matter of public judgment. (BPDA)
Claim: "The developer hasn't listened to the community."
Fact: The project has been under public review for years and has been revised multiple times in response to public feedback, including changes to the building design, setbacks, landscaping, tree preservation, shadows, and affordable housing. (BPDA)
Claim: "This project won't help affordability."
Fact: No single project can solve Boston's housing shortage. But adding 158 homes, including 38 permanently affordable homes, increases the housing supply and contributes to the broader effort to make housing more available. (Mass.gov)
Learn more
Boston Planning Department – 920 Centre Street project page (official filings, meeting materials, comment period, and project documents):
920 Centre Street project page
Boston Planning Department – July 8, 2026 public meeting (summarizes the proposal, including 158 units with 38 affordable units):
July 8, 2026 public meeting page
Boston Globe Editorial - JP Monastery a Case Study in Boston’s Housing Crisis
Harvard Crimson - As Harvard Arboretum Opposed Monastery Redevelopment, It Kept Close Contact With Top Boston Officials
The Magnolia (developer) – FAQ (details the affordable housing breakdown: 36 units at 60% AMI and 2 voucher units, plus design revisions):
The Magnolia FAQ
The Magnolia – Community Feedback (lists the project's revisions, expanded tree canopy, setbacks, and affordable housing commitments):
Community Feedback page
Arnold Arboretum – FAQ about 920 Centre Street (the Arboretum's official position and explanation of its concerns):
Arnold Arboretum FAQ on 920 Centre Street Transparency note: The Director of the Arnold Arboretum also owns a single-family home in Jamaica Plain near the project site. Readers may wish to consider that fact alongside the Arboretum's public statements.
What is proposed?
158 new homes, including 38 permanently affordable homes
New landscaping, tree planting, and pedestrian improvements
Walkable to transit, the Arboretum, schools, and local businesses
Supported by the Poor Clares, who chose housing for the site
Revitalizes a long-vacant property
Fact check
Claim: "The project has no affordable housing."
Fact: The proposal includes 38 affordable homes: 36 affordable at 60% of Area Median Income and 2 reserved for households using housing vouchers. (BPDA)
Claim: "The project is building in the Arboretum."
Fact: The project is located next to the Arnold Arboretum, but does not build on Arboretum land or remove any part of the Arboretum. (Arnold Arboretum Statement)
Claim: "The project threatens the Arboretum."
Fact: The proposal has been revised multiple times to reduce shadows, preserve mature trees, increase setbacks, and expand landscaping and tree canopy. Like any redevelopment, it will be visible and cast some shadows at one edge of the Arboretum. Whether those impacts outweigh the benefits of 158 new homes is a matter of public judgment. (BPDA)
Claim: "The developer hasn't listened to the community."
Fact: The project has been under public review for years and has been revised multiple times in response to public feedback, including changes to the building design, setbacks, landscaping, tree preservation, shadows, and affordable housing. (BPDA)
Claim: "This project won't help affordability."
Fact: No single project can solve Boston's housing shortage. But adding 158 homes, including 38 permanently affordable homes, increases the housing supply and contributes to the broader effort to make housing more available. (Mass.gov)
Learn more
Boston Planning Department – 920 Centre Street project page (official filings, meeting materials, comment period, and project documents):
920 Centre Street project page
Boston Planning Department – July 8, 2026 public meeting (summarizes the proposal, including 158 units with 38 affordable units):
July 8, 2026 public meeting page
Boston Globe Editorial - JP Monastery a Case Study in Boston’s Housing Crisis
Harvard Crimson - As Harvard Arboretum Opposed Monastery Redevelopment, It Kept Close Contact With Top Boston Officials
The Magnolia (developer) – FAQ (details the affordable housing breakdown: 36 units at 60% AMI and 2 voucher units, plus design revisions):
The Magnolia FAQ
The Magnolia – Community Feedback (lists the project's revisions, expanded tree canopy, setbacks, and affordable housing commitments):
Community Feedback page
Arnold Arboretum – FAQ about 920 Centre Street (the Arboretum's official position and explanation of its concerns):
Arnold Arboretum FAQ on 920 Centre Street Transparency note: The Director of the Arnold Arboretum also owns a single-family home in Jamaica Plain near the project site. Readers may wish to consider that fact alongside the Arboretum's public statements.