City's draft plan for the Jackson Mann site in Allston: a community center and housing, but no school. Comments close Nov. 17

The city has proposed a plan for the old Jackson Mann school site at 500 Cambridge St. in Allston: a new community center on the front of the lot and housing on the back, with no new school. Officials presented the draft at a community meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27, The Harvard Crimson reported. Under the plan, Boston Public Schools would transfer the property to Boston Centers for Youth & Families, which would build both.

The Jackson Mann School and the Horace Mann School for the Deaf closed in 2022 and 2023, and the community center still runs programs in the old building, from after-school programs to a children's basketball league, according to the Crimson. What goes on the site will shape youth programs, senior space and housing in the neighborhood for decades.

What the draft says

From the Crimson's report and the city's project page:

• No school. Officials said they did not see a need for a new school because of falling enrollment. From 2015 to 2025, elementary enrollment among Allston-Brighton residents fell 5.5% and secondary enrollment fell 4.7%. Forty-four percent of seats in the neighborhood's schools were empty in 2025-26. The Lyon Upper School closed in June, removing 307 secondary seats.
• Why this option. The city said the plan matches the option most favored in its latest survey and that it does not plan more surveys. An August survey had shown no clear consensus, Boston.com reported.
• Timeline. If approved, design and a developer solicitation would begin in January 2027. Construction would start no earlier than 2030.
• Not yet public. The Crimson's report did not include the number of housing units, how many would be income-restricted, the center's size or a cost estimate. The city's 2026 study tested several center sizes and a mix of affordable and market-rate housing.

At the meeting, some residents argued that families leave the system because of poor facilities, and that a new school would draw them back. Others pointed to leaks at the nearby Gardner Pilot Academy. Most agreed they want construction to start soon, the Crimson reported.

What our records add

The question reached the budget hearings. At an April 17 Ways and Means hearing on BPS, Council President Liz Breadon, who represents Allston-Brighton, noted that the Jackson Mann and Horace Mann schools were "gone" from the long-term facilities plan. She asked whether a planned Allston-Brighton elementary school study was moving or "in the bottom drawer" (watch at 4:27:52). She then asked whether the district expected to build a new 21st-century elementary school in the neighborhood. A BPS official said the district hoped to, but had no timeline (watch at 4:29:28).

How the building failed. Speaking July 8 on City Councilor Enrique Pepén's order for a hearing on school heating and cooling systems, Breadon said the Jackson Mann building was declared unfit for its use largely because of deferred maintenance of its HVAC system. She said improvements "appeared in the capital budget decades ago, but action was never taken" (watch at 1:46:29).

The same trend citywide. The enrollment decline officials cite in Allston is also the reason BPS gave this week for proposing to close three schools and change seven others (our story).

What's next

• Through Tuesday, Nov. 17: The city is taking comments by email to its deputy director for neighborhoods, francis.mendozamccarthy@boston.gov, according to the project page.
• After that: Planning officials will send all input to Mayor Michelle Wu, who makes the final decision, the Crimson reported.