Blue Hill Avenue

Blue Hill Avenue has a rich history of civic participation in neighborhoods from Dudley Street to Mattapan Square. The economic and physical decline along the avenue that began in the 1960s mirrored similar changes in many urban neighborhoods across the nation, and the results lingered for decades.

Thanks to a partnership between the City of Boston and the community, we have experienced a decade of progress in restoring the vitality of Blue Hill Avenue. The partnership began in 1993 when Mayor Thomas M. Menino pledged to bring new development and new life to the Blue Hill Avenue corridor. The following year, in 1994, Mayor Menino announced the creation of the Blue Hill Avenue Initiative and the Blue Hill Avenue Initiative Task Force, committing to working closely with residents, community-based organizations, churches, businesses, and funding partners to get the job done.

The focus of the Blue Hill Avenue Initiative is the one-mile corridor between Grove Hall and Dudley. It is characterized by small retail businesses, residential and mixed-use properties, open space, and future development sites. Over the past 10 years this corridor has benefited from tens of millions of dollars in public and private investment in new housing, business development, as well as capital and infrastructure improvements.

The best part of the Blue Hill Avenue story, however, may still lie ahead. In 2003 alone, two businesses relocating to Blue Hill Avenue will break ground on their new headquarters and accompanying artists' spaces; a new mixed-use development with 22 units of affordable housing will spring up at Intervale Street; the landmark Silva Building will be renovated and returned to active use; and plans will be finalized for additional commercial and housing development to break ground next year. The renaissance of the Blue Hill Avenue corridor is well on its way and the future looks very bright.

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