Boston Olympic Plan Includes 8,000 Units of Housing

As it vies to host the 2024 Summer Games, Boston's plan envisions two new permanent neighborhoods built with a mix of public and private investment. The final decision will take place in September.

2 minute read

July 26, 2015, 9:00 AM PDT

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Boston Aerial

Richard Cavalleri / Shutterstock

The Olympics can be a mixed blessing for host cities. The influx of money and attention is temporary by definition, and needs to be integrated into long-term development plans. To that end, Boston intends to position its Olympics "less as the ultimate goal of the planning effort and more of a waypoint along a sweeping 18-year economic development project."

"With the fate of Boston's Olympic bid in the balance, Boston 2024 sketched out plans to use generous city tax breaks to prompt development of 8,000 units of housing among 12 million square feet of new, permanent development." The plan takes loosely after Hudson Yards, a large-scale private development currently under construction in New York City.

"Essential to the plan is $4 billion in private sector investment, undertaken in conjunction with $775 million in taxpayer financed transportation projects, which the committee maintains are needed with or without the Olympics." Seeking to quell fears about bold or risky investment, Boston 2024 has already earmarked over $100 million to insure its putative Games.

"With polls suggesting public support for hosting the Games is below 50 percent, the committee's future rests on how well its 2.0 plan stands up to public and expert scrutiny. The US Olympic Committee faces a September deadline to formally name a city for the international contest for the 2024 Games. The Boston bid is unlikely to go forward if the new plan falls flat."

Monday, June 29, 2015 in Boston Globe

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight

Group of anti-gentrification protesters holding signs like "Tourist go home" in Mexico City.

Mexico City Anti-Gentrification Plan Aims to Half Housing Deficit

The plan comes in response to protests that targeted ‘digital nomads’ who locals blame for driving up housing costs.

July 17 - Mexico News Daily

Small oundabout with plants on neighborhood street.

Chicago Has Quietly Built Hundreds of Neighborhood Traffic Circles

Thanks largely to one alderperson’s efforts, the city has made mini-roundabouts a key piece of its road safety strategy.

July 17 - WBEZ