Boston Connects Empowerment Zone

Using the drop down list select the area of the Empowerment Zone that you would like to tour.

Empowerment Zone Overview

The Empowerment Zone has 57,640 residents, roughly ten percent of the City's population. The Zone's 5.8 square miles run north to south right through the center of the city. The Zone includes some of Boston's most vibrant and diverse communities that have worked together to develop this Strategic Plan for their sustained community revitalization. Take a tour with us through each Zone neighborhood.

map of Boston and EZ

Dorchester
Grove Hall Ice Cream Dorchester is Boston's largest neighborhood and also its oldest, founded a few months before the city itself. The neighborhood's historical diversity is exhibited in its architecture, from the old Victorian homes of wealthy Bostonians to the multi-family dwellings of later groups of immigrants. Its main thoroughfare, Dorchester Avenue, connects many close-knit neighborhoods and thriving commercial districts of all kinds.

Grove Hall connects Dorchester to Roxbury, with 83% African American and 14% Hispanic residents. Despite formidable obstacles, including population decline and a median family income half that of Boston as a whole, the Grove Hall neighborhood is moving forward with business development and increasing community activity. Mayor Thomas M. Menino has been instrumental in revitalizing this neighborhood and the Blue Hill Avenue commercial district through programs like Boston's Main Streets.

The EEC/EZ has been instrumental in the revitalization of Grove Hall. With $6.8 million in section 108/EDI funds, the Grove Hall Neighborhood Development Corporation held the ribbon-cutting for the 75,000 square foot Grove Hall Mecca® on March 29, 2001. Historically a transit and pedestrian-oriented neighborhood shopping district, Grove Hall retains a handful of distinctive commercial buildings and a basic stock of storefronts. In 1979, a City report described the area as "a highly distressed commercial crossroads" where "as much as half of the commercial district is vacant or marginal, and the ring of housing and industrial uses which supported and balanced the commercial activities when Grove Hall was a prosperous center has broken down."

Today, the Grove Hall/Blue Hill Avenue area has 70 active businesses and 30 vacant storefronts. Twenty-eight new businesses have opened since 1994, including a clothing store, produce store, restaurant, and laundromat. Since 1996, the City's Restore program has redesigned and completed eight storefronts in Grove Hall and another 32 along Blue Hill Avenue. Most businesses in this commercial district are geared towards neighborhood residents and include auto-related businesses along Geneva Avenue, convenience food stores and personal services such as hair salons.

Blue Hill Avenue

Jamaica Plain

Diversity is the strength of "JP," to which it is lovingly referred by residents. Every ethnicity, socio-economic stratum, and sexual orientation is well represented in this neighborhood. The rich diversity in JP has created a strong character of social awareness and tolerance among neighbors and residents.

Egleston Square, in the EZ, is the economic center of one of Boston's largest Hispanic communities. As a place to live and do business, the area is undergoing many positive changes. Egleston Center, a small retail buildingopened in 1996 with a bank and a restaurant. A new pharmacy opened in 1997. Employment and housing values are both on the rise.

Over the past 30 years, Egleston displayed almost all the wounds of a depressed, oppressed center-city neighborhood. Relocation of the Orange Line gave residents incentive to move away. Youth gangs ruled the streets in the 1980s and '90s. But through the concerted efforts of community groups and the City, that has changed. The Boston Main Streets program began investing in local business in the early 1990s.

Businesses are beginning to report increased volume and profitability, although business turnover continues to be an issue. Businesses are mostly neighborhood services such as grocery stores, beauty salons, laundromats and restaurants. Few Egleston Square merchants own their own commercial space, rather most rent in older, unrenovated buildings. Most importantly, however, Egleston Square merchants are dedicated to their neighborhood.

Mission Hill

Mission Hill is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the EZ, with a strong African-American community joined by a large, often newly-arrived Hispanic presence. As a primarily residential neighborhood, it is filled with many young families and children, as well as students and medical staff from the nearby Longwood Medical Area. Mission Hill Basilica

This mix makes Mission Hill one of the most racially and economically diverse in the city. Mission Hill lies next to Roxbury Crossing/Ruggles Center, connecting their economic futures and making the ongoing relationship between community groups in these two neighborhoods especially important and strong. Mission Hill also borders Huntington Avenue, currently undergoing a $15 million facelift to increase its pedestrian appeal. Recent development in Mission Hill itself has been institutional construction and housing expansion. Small business has benefited from the Boston Main Streets program.

Of the residential development that has occurred, a major focus has been on public housing projects. One of the most troubled and distressed of the Boston Housing Authority's (BHA) properties was Mission Main. Built in 1940 under a federal program to provide low-cost public housing, the development was built as a "superblock," with 38 three-story buildings arranged in rows without through streets, and with very little parking.

The site deteriorated both physically and socially as the crime rate at Mission Main rose to become the highest of all BHA properties. In the mid-nineties, a major rehabilitation effort was undertaken and the first phase was completed in early 2001. All units made available during phase 1 are now occupied and phase 2 and 3 units are expected to be completed and open for occupancy in Fall and Winter 2001.

The physical landscape of Mission Hill is dominated by the basilica of the Mission Church, dedicated to Our Lady Of Perpetual Help. The church was built in 1876 using Roxbury puddingstone quarried right next door. Redemptorist priests make their home there and other church buildings provide homes for a grammar school and community services.

city from Mission Main Mission Hill mural

Roxbury

One of the oldest neighborhoods in Boston, Roxbury has long thrived on its proximity to downtown while retaining its neighborhood qualities. Home to a great number of parks, schools and churches, a visitor can see Boston's history in the architecture and landmarks of the neighborhood. At the same time, Roxbury is a thriving community with a multitude of housing options and a variety of ethnic shops.

Square is the historic town center of the Roxbury neighborhood and the center of the Zone. It is both historically and architecturally significant and has been designated the Dudley Station National Register Historical District. At one time, a major public rapid transit terminal was located in Dudley Station, a stop on the elevated Orange Line, which ran down Washington Street into downtown. Dudley was a major transit station, creating pedestrian traffic and a steady stream of shoppers. The decline of Dudley Square, which had begun in the early 1970s, was exacerbated by the relocation of the Orange Line in the late 1980s.

Dudley Square Transit Station

Today Dudley Square is the principal neighborhood business and cultural center for Boston's African-American community. Dudley Square's resurgence has resulted in an explosion of new businesses, the renovation of a number of commercial buildings, such as Palladio Hall or Fairfield Center, and the reconstruction of housing developments.
One such development is Orchard Park, just south of Dudley Square, which is undergoing extensive rehabilitation through HUD HOPE VI funding. Central to the revitalization strategy for Orchard Park is the conversion of a traditional public housing project into a mixed-income project, developed with public and private financing. The site will include a community center, a new K-8 school and a newly-landscaped park.

The Ruggles Center/Roxbury Crossing neighborhood center is located along Tremont Street, extending from Melnea Cass Boulevard to Roxbury Street. It borders Roxbury and is one of the gateways to Mission Hill. Two MBTA Orange Line stations are located here as well as a commuter rail stop. Neighborhood residents have a variety of educational and community resources upon which to draw, including Madison Park High School, Roxbury Community College, the Reggie Lewis Track Facility, Humphrey Occupational Resource Center and Northeastern University. The nearby Longwood Medical and Academic area is a major presence in the neighborhood. Longwood contains 19 medical, academic and cultural institutions, that together employ some 27,000 people. Longwood provides a source of jobs, services and business opportunities to EZ residents.

The City has made significant investments in the Ruggles Center/Roxbury Crossing area. At Melnea Cass Boulevard and Tremont Street is the Renaissance Park building, developed by a Boston-based development team and joint-ventured with a consortium of local minority developers. The $26 million office building was bought by Northeastern University in 1996 and now includes major tenants such as Partners Health Care, Inc. and the Whittier Street Health Center. The project was designed by Stull and Lee, the largest minority-owned architectural firm in Boston.

Across the Melnea Cass/Tremont Street intersection is the state-of-the-art headquarters facility for the Boston Police Department which opened in late 1997. This new facility contains crime laboratories, a 911 operations center, public service areas, holding cells and public meeting rooms, the commissioner's office, a crime laboratory, a ballistics unit, as well as child care.

Crosstown Industrial Park consists of 10 acres and is the gateway to Roxbury. Crosstown Industrial Park is located just off Interstate 93, providing swift and convenient access to the region's main highways. It is also close to Boston Medical Center and the Orchard Gardens public housing development.

Completion of the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel project, a public works project that will result in the depression of a portion of Interstate 93 and the construction of new connector roads, will enhance the desirability of this area from a transportation standpoint. Crosstown will also see foot traffic on the newly proposed South Bay Harbortrail, a trail originating in Ruggles Center taking pedestrians and cyclists to South Boston's Fan Pier. Pedestrians will walk past the Crosstown Center-a new development scheduled to break ground at the end of 2001 which will include a hotel, retail space, office space, and an underground parking garage, supported by $5 million of EEC/EZ investment.

Crosstown

Seaport District

Traditionally the location of Boston's maritime industrial sector, the Seaport supports a vibrant seafood processing industry and resurgent fishing industry, international cargo handling and distribution, ship repair, a growing cruise ship industry, and an array of maritime support services. Major investments have been made in port infrastructure recently, including a $40 million dredging project for Boston Harbor and key channels to allow for a larger class of container ships to call on Boston. As a result, Boston has become one of the most modern and efficient container ports in the U.S. The Conley and Moran Terminals handle more than 1.3 million tons of general cargo, 1.5 million tons of non-fuels bulk cargo and 12.8 million tons of bulk fuel cargos yearly.

A portion of the District is home to the Marine Industrial Park (MIP), a 191 acre facility owned and operated by the city. The MIP contains more than three million square feet of space in 32 buildings and was developed on the site of a former Army and Navy installation

The Park contains one of the largest drydocks on the East Coast. The MIP houses 200 companies, including printers, medical equipment manufacturers, electronic assembly companies, seafood processors, and other blue-collar employers, that together employ more than 3,800 people. The EZ has expanded or created jobs at New Boston Seafood, North Coast Seafood Center,and Commercial Lobster.

Between the downtown area and South Boston is the mixed-use area of the Seaport. Major new transportation projects will greatly improve access and open this area to substantial expansion of the Boston economy. In recognition of these changes, the City's planning agency, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, developed two master plans for this pivotal area: a plan for the municipal segment of the waterfront and a plan for the Seaport's public realm.

South Boston's Fan Pier is undergoing the largest waterfront project in Boston's history. Plans include just over 2.5 million square feet of development in eight buildings, including offices, retail, condominiums, and two Hyatt Hotels. A new home for Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art will be on the Fan Pier waterfront cove.

The district will also be home to the new Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. This project is estimated to create over 3,000 permanent jobs in the Greater Boston area alone, with an additional 5,570 jobs expected in the construction phase. The permanent jobs will be predominantly in the hotel, hospitality and restaurant industries-offering a variety of positions at different skill levels.

South Boston

Andrew Square T Station South Boston is densely populated and is known for its triple deckers and rowhouses. South Boston is also home to a great variety of small businesses and more recently has been the location for some new restaurants. Year round, a visitor can find residents strolling up and down Broadway doing their shopping and greeting their neighbors. The South Boston Main Street Storefront Improvement program has fostered 43 projects ranging from restaurants to a bowling alley.

While parts of South Boston are undergoing a resurgence, the Andrew Square area of the Zone has yet to catch up. Cut off a few blocks to the south and west by the Southeast Expressway and to the north by the large industrial area fronting Dorchester Avenue, Andrew Square lacks both a cohesive land use pattern and visual identity. While still clearly identifiable as a square, the district has lost much of its pedestrian and neighborhood service activity. Vacant land and surface parking occupy almost half of the frontage in the area. Mixed zoning districts contribute to the confusion and anonymity of the surrounding area, while tree plantings and related street improvements have bypassed the Square entirely. Land uses include a mix of fast food restaurants, vacant land, industrial uses, retail shops and an MBTA rapid transit station. Residential neighborhoods are located to the south and east and Newmarket is easily accessible by Dorchester Avenue.

Two of the city's oldest housing developments are located in South Boston.
Mary Ellen McCormack is the BHA's oldest development and was the first public housing development in New England. Old Colony is one of the BHA's largest developments and sits on 15 acres of land near the South Boston waterfront. West Ninth Street is a garden-style community for elderly and disabled persons. All developments have easy access to Columbia Park and Carson Beach, as well as to the South Boston Main Street district.

Andrew Square

South End

The South End neighborhood has one of the most diverse housing stocks in the EZ. The area was developed on the filled tidal flats during the mid-1800s and was intended to attract the wealthy merchant class with large Victorian townhouses surrounding park squares. At the turn of the century, wealthier Bostonians chose neighboring Back Bay instead of the South End, opening the area to a diverse working class. The signature South End townhouses were carved into apartments and lodging houses.
Amidst these Victorian row houses are several public and assisted housing sites which contribute to the vitality of this community. Examples include Villa Victoria, home to 3,000 residents, Castle Square, a mixed-use complex with 5,000 subsidized units and retail space, and Tent City, a development of more than 300 units that includes a highly successful community computing center.
The South End is also home to a large number of medical facilities. The Boston Medical Center, the Boston University Medical and Dental Schools, and the BioSquare research facility are all located within a 10-block district close to the Roxbury border.
Adjacent to the South End is the Newmarket Industrial Area, one of Boston's oldest and most concentrated industrial districts. The area was once dominated by meat wholesalers, although the largest have closed in recent years. Today, many smaller wholesalers remain along with a variety of small manufacturers, printers, and trucking operations. These firms still employ nearly 2,000 workers.
Newmarket is an area of transition. Scattered vacant and under-used parcels are frequently targeted for illegal dumping. Many of the existing businesses, however, are active, well-maintained and in some cases would like to expand their operations.
Full development of the area will require improving the area's road system and utility infrastructure, as well as reconciling the zoning for currently incompatible uses.