USGBC PROJECT PROFILE

LEED-ND
PILOT
JACKSON SQUARE
REDEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE
ROXBURY AND JAMAICA PLAIN,
MASSACHUSETTS

521 weekday transit trips available within 1/4 mile

70% green roofs and 3 acres new open space

69% rental units priced below 80% of the area’s

median income (AMI)

LEED Facts
®

Jackson Square Redevelopment Initiative

Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

LEED for Neighborhood Development (Pilot)

Certification date November 12, 2008

Silver 51*
Smart Location & Linkage 21/30

Neighborhood Pattern & Design 22/39

Green Construction & Technology 7/31

Innovation & Design Process 1/6

Certification Type/Stage Certified Plan, Stage 2

*Out of a possible 106 points

The information provided is based on that stated in the LEED® project certification submit-
tals. USGBC and Chapters do not warrant or represent the accuracy of this information. Each
building’s actual performance is based on its unique design, construction, operation, and
maintenance. Energy efficiency and sustainable results will vary.
 USGBC PROJECT PROFILE
JACKSON SQUARE REDEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

Green Community Springs from a Boston Brownfield

Redevelopment in Jackson Square Focuses on Mixed Uses and Green Building

PROJECT BACKGROUND “Development of this long-vacant

Eleven acres of brownfields once slated for a highway expansion will instead become a vibrant,
mixed-use development – and one designed and built for environmental sustainability as part
land in partnership with residents
of the LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot program. The Jackson Square and active community groups
Redevelopment project is located in one of Boston’s poorest neighborhoods, a Federal
Empowerment Zone with a large minority population (63% African American and 25%
of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain is
Hispanic) and 26% of residents living below the poverty level. And it is the people who live, vital to the sustainability and
work, learn and play in this neighborhood – public and private entities, more than 200 local
residents, business leaders and youths – who were central to the planning process and
ongoing revitalization of these
instrumental in the decision to – pursue certification under LEED for Neighborhood neighborhoods.”
Development.
Jackson Square Coordinating Group (JCG)
As a result of the community’s commitment to a healthy, sustainable development, the project Development Priorities
team adopted green guidelines for construction that combine an appropriately dense mix of
homes, stores, community facilities, and civic and open spaces. Guiding green principles for the
project include providing alternative transportation, reducing fossil fuel use and greenhouse
gas emissions, improving air quality indoors and out, conserving water, minimizing waste,
connecting residents with nature, measuring performance, educating and empowering
residents, and serving as a model of a pragmatic and affordable approach to achieving
community-scale sustainability.

STRATEGIES AND RESULTS

In 2006, Jackson Square Partners (JSP) received grant funding from an anonymous foundation
to incorporate green design strategies into the development plans for Jackson Square. The
project team used the green principles developed with the community to identify and evaluate
specific environmental targets for almost every aspect of the project. The result is a 50-page Master Planners: Prellwitz/Chilinski Associates, Inc.,
“Green Guidelines” document that serves as a road map for the developers and their teams. It Stull and Lee, Inc., Tise Design Associates
includes both prescribed master planning elements and a variety of environmental targets for Civil Engineer: Nitsch Engineering
Developer: Jackson Square Partners LLC
individual buildings. Two key components of the project’s green strategy are onsite generation Landscape Architect: Brown, Richardson & Rowe
of renewable and low-carbon energy from sources such as solar, wind, biofuel co-generation LEED Consultant: Blue Wave Strategies LLC
and geothermal, and green roofs that will cover 70% of the roof area on each building. Other Consultants: Green Roundtable, The Jonathan Rose
Companies, Buro Happold
Project Type: Public-Private partnership with the City of
GREEN IS FOR EVERYONE Boston and Commonwealth of Massachusetts providing
JSP intends for the Jackson Square project to demonstrate that green development is not just land and grants for housing and infrastructure.
for environmentally minded corporations, universities or luxury home owners. Ultimately, Project Size: 11.2 acres
# of Dwelling Units (DU): 438
the Partners’ success in greening Jackson Square will depend in large part on whether the Retail sf: 60,000 (approx)
project can serve as a replicable model of how to take a pragmatic and affordable approach to Non-residential sf: Office – 30,000 (proposed) &
achieving community-scale sustainability. The Partners also hope that the Jackson Square Recreational facilities – 60,000
development can be used to educate and empower residents, workers, students and the rest of Image Courtesy of: (Front) Jackson Square Partners, LLC;
the community to be environmentally responsible. Seeking LEED-ND certification was a tool TISE Design Associates; Stull & Lee, Inc.
to educate others in the industry. (Back) Prellwitz, Chilinski Associates Inc. & Jackson
Square Partners, LLC

ABOUT JACKSON SQUARE PARTNERS ABOUT LEED

Jackson Square Partners, LLC, is a partnership of three community-based, nonprofit The LEED® Green Building Rating System™ is the
national benchmark for the design, construction,
organizations: Urban Edge, the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation,
and operations of high-performance green
and the Hyde Square Task Force, working with affiliated developer Mitchell Properties buildings. Visit the U.S. Green Building Council’s
LLC. The vision for Jackson Square is the result of more than ten years of broad-based local Web site at www.usgbc.org to learn more about
organizing and planning that has included focus groups, meetings with key stakeholders, LEED and green building.
design workshops and numerous public forums that have involved more than 200 residents,
merchants, and youth.
www.usgbc.org
1-800-795-1747
© 2009 U.S. Green Building Council. Printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper.