The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) will launch new planning initiatives in Mattapan and Newmarket to identify the needs and opportunities for improvements and to support long-term equitable growth and sustainability. Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the news on June 6, but it is not yet clear on when the new initiative will actually start.

These initiatives will be modeled on the ongoing planning efforts in the Glover’s Corner section of Dorchester, which launched last year. Other PLAN efforts have already completed their work in Jamaica Plan/Roxbury and the Dorchester Avenue corridor in South Boston.

Mayor Walsh announced that similar planning initiatives will roll out in Downtown and East Boston, along with a mobility-focused planning initiative in Allston-Brighton. The initiatives are guided by the goals of Imagine Boston 2030, Boston’s first citywide plan in 50 years, which hopes to boost the quality of life, equity, and resilience in every Boston neighborhood by 2030.

"Mattapan is in need of significant revitalization and we welcome it" said Cynthia Lewis, Vice-President of the Mattapan Homeowners and Neighborhood Association in a statement released by the Mayor's office. "Historically, efforts have inadvertently caused displacement amongst Mattapan residents and it is our hope that this plan reflects the voice of the community and support the long-term equitable growth and sustainability that the existing residents of this neighborhood Mattapan deserve. Thank you to Mayor Walsh and the BPDA for this opportunity."

Sue Sullivan, executive director of the Newmarket Business Association was similarly supportive.

Newmarket has historically been Boston's industrial job engine and it will be incredibly exciting to plan the expansion of this job base to include new commercial, transit-oriented, and innovative industrial businesses that will employ local residents," Sullivan stated in a city release.