MAPC Releases Orange Line ‘Opportunity Report’

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) yesterday released the Orange Line Opportunity Report at Urban Edge in Roxbury’s Jackson Square.

The Orange Line report, available online at www.mapc.org, outlines upcoming investments in the communities along the corridor, from Boston to Somerville, Medford, Malden and Melrose, and suggests areas that are ripe for continued development as well as strategies for securing additional funding for improvements along the route.

Development projections indicate that the corridor will provide an additional 22,850 new housing units, 74,724 new jobs, and 10,905 new Orange Line commuters between now and 2035. The Orange Line corridor is currently home to more than 700,000 residents.

Economic Development Secretary Gregory Bialecki and MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott discussed upcoming investments in the Orange Line corridor at the event release yesterday afternoon, alongside Orange Line mayors and members of the legislative delegation representing Orange Line municipalities.

“This report is further proof that investing in infrastructure grows jobs and strengthens our communities,” said Governor Deval Patrick.

“All of us here know very well how public investment in transportation can fulfill the promise of economic prosperity,” said MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott. “The Orange Line corridor is primed and ready for a real investment that will allow it to grow and flourish with all the potential it has.”

The recommendations in MAPC’s report incorporate feedback from municipal, non-profit, and for-profit leaders and aim to create more housing, employment, educational, cultural, recreational, and transit opportunities for the people who live and work near this critical transit line.

“The Orange Line connects diverse communities across the Greater Boston region, and this report demonstrates its potential for sparking both regional and neighborhood economic growth,” said Joe Kriesberg, Executive Director of MACDC. “We are eager to work with partners in government and the private sector to capitalize on the opportunities documented in this report and accelerate their implementation.”

“The Orange Line Corridor is ripe for investment and coordinated planning,” said Jennifer Erickson, Regional Planner for MAPC. “This report will help municipalities, developers and community groups to advocate for corridor investments and plan for transit-oriented development.”

The report was compiled with the participation of Boston, Malden, Medford, Melrose, and Somerville as well as numerous community development corporations and private developers along the corridor.

Visit mapc.org/orange-line-corridor for more on the project.

– Information from MAPC