March 2026 7

Boston – Boston Planning Department staff recently announced the launch of the Planning Academy to the BPDA board. The Planning Academy will be an interactive learning experience for Boston residents to learn more about planning and development. It is designed to help residents receive the tools, knowledge, and confidence to meaningfully have a voice in shaping their communities.

This spring, planning staff will lead eight, weekly, in-person sessions on various topics related to planning and development in Boston. Sessions will address questions including: what are planning and zoning, how do our values shape planning, what kind of city are we creating and who is it for, and how do we build affordable housing. The Planning Academy was a recommendation from the Boston Design Vision, which was adopted by the board in 2024. Residents can apply now to attend the first Planning Academy.

Additionally, the board awarded tentative designation to the Boston Food Forest Coalition for the redevelopment of 82 Mascot Street in Dorchester into a food forest. The publicly owned parcel will be combined with four other publicly-owned parcels to create a network of community gardens in the neighborhood. Community members will use the space for gathering, growing, and sharing food, and for hosting events and educational workshops.

The planning department also recommended approval of two new

190 Bowdoin Street

units. The majority of the units will be family-sized to support the long-term presence of families in the city of Boston. The building will also include indoor bike parking.

An amendment to Wentworth Institute of Technology’ s( WIT) Institutional Master Plan( IMP) has also been advanced, and will include a new, larger dorm building. Compared to the original IMP approval in 2024, this 2026 amendment will enable WIT to deliver 572 more beds than were originally envisioned for the Pike Residence Hall project, in a larger and reimagined dorm building, and much earlier than previously expected. The new 972 bed Pike Residence Hall will house its entire freshmen class. The construction of this new dorm will also allow other, existing dorms to be renovated or redeveloped. The IMP amendment also includes improvements to the overall public realm including two new courtyards and improvements to the current pedestrian path known as the People’ s Pike, improving pedestrian access to and through the WIT campus.

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