Jackson Mann site could include housing, study finds ahead of community meeting

A city-commissioned study found that reconstruction of the Jackson Mann Community Center in Allston could feasibly include housing as a separate building. The mayor announced a community meeting for 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 28 at Jackson Mann to discuss the site’s next chapter. The mayor said the $10 million in the five-year capital budget plan covers the design and permitting phase. She stated that after determining the mix of uses for the site, the city will proceed to design, and capital plan allotments will grow as cost estimates are completed. She also said design costs typically represent about 10% of total project costs and that capital project authorizations can roll over beyond fiscal years.

"A city-commissioned study found that the reconstruction of the Jackson Mann Community Center in Allston could feasibly include housing as a separate building, Mayor Michelle Wu said, as she announced a community meeting planned for next week to discuss the site's "next chapter.""

""The Jackson Mann has been a cornerstone of the community for nearly fifty years, and we have been moving forward with planning for the next chapter of this important asset," Wu wrote in a letter to the community last week. "Boston is in a challenging budget moment, but we are continuing to plan for Jackson Mann's redevelopment," Wu wrote in the letter."

""After we determine the mix of uses that will be housed on this site, the City will proceed to design. As the project advances and cost estimates are completed, the allotment in the capital plan will grow." Wu's letter also said that the cost of design, $10 million in this case, typically represents about 10 percent of the project's total cost, and authorizations for capital projects "are not bound by fiscal year, so previous funding rolls over and may be used in future years.""

"Hundreds rallied in front of the community center last month to demand tens of thousands more in funding for Allston-Brighton's only city-run community center after Wu's five-year capital budget plan included just $10 million for Jackson Mann. That allocated $10 million is funding for the design and permitting phase of the project, Wu said in the letter."

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