Hundreds of Jamaica Plain residents are petitioning the MBTA to fund an environmentally friendly bus yard, known as the Arborway Yard, after nearly 13 years of planning.
The T recently reneged on its commitment to improve the yard on Washington Street near Forest Hills, a project that would convert eight acres of the property into affordable housing, small businesses and green space.
After investing $30 million in the shovel-ready project, the T didn’t include final funding for the $220 million project in its current capital budget.
“You’d almost create a new community with green space, shopping stores and a lot of land, so it is a linchpin for the neighborhood,” said Henry Allen, who chairs the Community Planning Committee for the Arborway Yard. “It’s the perfect example of transit-oriented development. You couldn’t have a more perfect example in an urban area.
“There’s probably no other place in Boston that has the opportunity to do a transit-oriented urban development and open space.”
Allen’s group hopes to collect 500 signatures, but the T says it can’t fund the project without an additional source of funding due to its $2.7 billion repair backlog.
“When additional funding is available, these projects will be prime candidates for inclusion into a future MBTA capital investment plan,” T General Manager Rich Davey said.
Allen said the project originally cost about $85 million.
“We’re saying they should be able to find a way to include $220 million out of that $6 billion program,” Allen said.
