Jackson Mann Community Center to Receive No FY27 Funding in Wu Budget

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget includes no new funding for Allston’s Jackson Mann Community Center, despite setting aside nearly $6 million in future spending for continued planning and redevelopment of the long-stalled site.

The proposal allocates $5.8 million between fiscal years 2028 and 2031 for design and feasibility work, adding to the $4.1 million already committed to studying potential uses for the property. For the upcoming fiscal year, however, the project receives no additional capital funding, aside from $500,000 already earmarked for an ongoing study examining the feasibility of building an elementary school on the site.

The Jackson Mann campus has sat in limbo for years, with its K-8 school closing in 2022. Plans to redevelop the property have been under discussion since at least 2019, when the existing building was deemed too hazardous to renovate.

Since then, the city has commissioned multiple studies exploring combinations of a new community center, housing, and a school. But despite years of planning, little tangible progress has been made. The most recent financial feasibility study, launched last June and expected by February, has yet to be released.

City Council President Elizabeth A. “Liz” Breadon, who represents Allston-Brighton, had previously pushed for $65 million in the capital plan to fund both the design and construction of a new community center. That funding was not included in Wu’s proposal.

The absence of near-term funding in Wu’s Wednesday proposal has frustrated residents and local advocates, many of whom said the project has languished despite broad consensus on its importance

“While the mayor sees the Jackson Mann as something that needs to be addressed, I still don’t think it’s being shown as a priority because why can’t we have the $10 million now?” said Kelly McGrath, executive director of the Brighton Main Streets and member of the Jackson Mann Community Center Council.

Richard T. “Ricky” Meinke, a longtime resident and director for the Rat City Arts Festival, said the inclusion of future funding is “promising,” but argued the city has relied too heavily on studies without taking action.

“The mayor’s team or city council can no longer gaslight the neighbors of Allston-Brighton by hosting another community forum or a study on the need of the Jackson Mann,” Meinke said.

“They have all of the tools necessary to act, and so it really, just truly comes down to their inaction. There is no big barriers that they cannot figure out,” he added. “It truly comes down to them choosing not to prioritize the Jackson Mann.”

A city spokesperson defended the timeline, writing that “significant resources” have been reserved for the project amid “the difficult choices required in this economic environment.”

“This particular project will not be a simple rebuild,” the spokesperson added, pointing to shifting school enrollment, Boston Public Schools’ long-term facilities plan, and community interest in incorporating housing into the site.

Residents had anticipated the lack of funding ahead of the budget’s release. At an April 3 neighborhood coffee hour, Brianna Millor, the city’s chief of community engagement, told attendees that no new money for Jackson Mann would be included in the fiscal year 2027 capital budget.

In response, Breadon and Nikhil Dasgupta, a manager for the Allston Brighton Health Collaborative, led a last-minute campaign calling on residents to contact city officials and advocate for the $65 million needed to build a new facility.

Allston-Brighton is currently the only neighborhood in Boston without a city-funded community center that provides regular programming, despite having a total population of more than 80,000 residents — making it the second-largest neighborhood in the city.

Still, Breadon noted that the City Council has limited power to alter the outcome. While councilors can adjust the operating budget, they cannot amend the capital budget, where funding for major construction projects is decided.

The overall budget increased by two percent from the last fiscal year — marking the lowest year-over-year growth since 2010. The capital budget also allocates funds for a number of other projects in the Allston-Brighton, including an estimated $7.5 million for renovations at Brighton High School.

“Ultimately, the decision is with the Mayor, and it’s a choice. They’re choosing not to invest in our neighborhood with the community center,” Breadon said.

Breadon and other elected officials representing Allston-Brighton — including state Sen. William N. Brownsberger and state Reps. Michael J. Moran and Kevin G. Honan — plan to attend a rally on April 14 to protest the lack of funding.

“I think we need to keep advocating and we need to keep shouting at the rooftops that this needs to be a priority in the city. And what else can we do? What else do we need to do to be taken seriously?” McGrath, who sits on the Jackson Mann’s community council, said.

Correction: April 12, 2026

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing closed. In fact, the school was relocated to Charlestown.

—Staff writer Thamini Vijeyasingam can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @vijeyasingam.

—Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at [email protected].