Dorchester: The Fairmount/Indigo Line Corridor

Great Neighborhoods is working with the Fairmount/Indigo Line Collaborative, formed by three community development corporations, to support the building of mixed-use housing, new retail and jobs-generating economic development projects that are within a half mile of eight new and existing transit stops in this nine mile corridor that runs through Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, and Hyde Park. Local residents will be able to walk to public transit that provides them access to jobs and retail centers within and beyond the Corridor.

 

10-year Goals (2021)

  • Build or preserve approximately 1,500 homes that reside within a half-mile of transit stations, with at least half of those qualifying as affordable;
  • Construct or renovate nearly 800,000 square feet of retail and commercial space within walking distance of new and existing stations;
  • Develop a corridor-wide economic strategy that will create 800-1,000 new jobs along the corridor, especially jobs for local residents, maintain or generate 500 small businesses, and increase connections between corridor residents and employers across the city;
  • Construct a six-mile Fairmount greenway of linked parks, along with bicycle and pedestrian paths, to increase the amount of recreational and open space along the corridor.

Highlights (2012)

  1. There are 428 units of affordable housing and 93,880 square feet of commercial space in twelve different projects in pre-development at this time, including three mixed-use projects currently under construction.
  2. The $2 million initial phase of the Bornstein and Pearl Small Business Center will bring 20-30 jobs to the Center by the end of 2012.
  3. The federal government awarded $20.5 million for the 129-unit Quincy Heights project through the HUD Choice Neighborhoods Program.
  4. The City of Boston also received a $1.8 million HUD Community Challenge Grant for the Fairmount Corridor, with a significant portion of the award dedicated for a transportation-oriented development (TOD) fund.
  5. In February, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative, representing the City’s largest planning initiative in decades.
  6. Conducted “placemaking” workshops with Project for Public Spaces in Upham’s Corner and Four Corners to enlist the community in activating public spaces around transit station areas.

Working Documents

Placemaking along the Fairmount Indigo Line Corridor: Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper – A Short Term Action Plan (PDF)
Report prepared reflecting the placemaking work on the Project for Public Spaces in the Fairmount Corridor  as part of the Great Neighborhoods program. (July 2012)

Fairmount Greenway Concept Plan (PDF)

Prepared for The Fairmount Greenway Task Force by Crosby | Schlessinger | Smallridge with bryant associates (March 2011)

Challenge into Opportunity: Urban Agriculture, Social Enterprise and Holistic Value Creation (PDF). Prepared for Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation by Sustainability Guild International, authors Jhana Senxian, Mia Goldwasser, and George Durante. (November 1, 2011)

Related Links 

Strategic Partners