Glover's Corner Boston, MA

Landwise team members were engaged by the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) to assist in PLAN: Glover's Corner, a year-long planning process to provide an economic and market framework to guide future development on underutilized parcels in this diverse Boston neighborhood.

Landwise performed a financial feasibility analysis to outline the basic economics of redeveloping underperforming parcels within the district. A key aspect of the analysis was to quantify the amount of affordable housing that could be supported under existing market conditions and to test the sensitivity around adding additional costs to the development such as providing units for lower area median income levels or requiring developers to fund road and greenspace infrastructure. The feasibility models considered the distinct geographic locations, role of use and density, market pricing for land and construction, and the relationship to existing and potential zoning.

Additionally, Landwise led a study of the existing business conditions along the key Dorchester Avenue corridor running from Savin Hill to Fields Corner. The effort included a detailed inventory of existing ground floor businesses as well as a survey of business owners to identify key opportunities and challenges for operators in the neighborhood. The qualitative and quantitative data were key inputs into crafting strategies (with Next Street) that can be used to retain small businesses in the study area and help to stem the tide of displacement that typically occurs in redeveloping neighborhoods such as Glover's Corner.