ULI Boston - Pathways to Affordability: A Jackson Square Walking Tour

When

2025-06-11
2025-06-11T16:30:00 - 2025-06-11T19:30:00
America/New_York

Choose Your Calendar

    Where

    Jackson Commons 1542 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA 02119 United States

    Pricing

    Standard Pricing Until June 10 Members Non-Members
    Private $65.00 $90.00
    Public/Academic/Nonprofit $55.00 $80.00
    Student $35.00 $60.00
    Under Age 35 $45.00 $70.00
    Pricing
    Private $70.00 $95.00
    Public/Academic/Nonprofit $60.00 $85.00
    Student $40.00 $65.00
    Under Age 35 $50.00 $75.00

    Refunds must be requested no later than the day prior to the event for consideration.

    Register Register Two or More

    Pathways to Affordability: A ULI Jackson Square Walking Tour

    Embark on a walking tour led by the Young Leaders Group, exploring the dynamic transformation of Jackson Square - a neighborhood at the crossroads of Jamaica Plain and Roxbury that has undergone a remarkable evolution. This tour will highlight recently completed, in-progress, and approved future affordable and mixed-income developments that are shaping Jackson Square’s future as a vibrant, transit-oriented community.

    The tour will also delve into the rich history of Jackson Square, from its origins as an industrial and transit hub to its pivotal role in Boston’s community organizing efforts. In the 1960s, residents successfully mobilized against the proposed “Inner Belt” highway project, preventing widespread displacement and reshaping the neighborhood’s future. While the highway never materialized, public agencies had already cleared large swaths of land, leaving parcels vacant for decades. Today, those once-empty lots have been or will be transformed through community-driven redevelopment, bringing much-needed affordable housing, commercial spaces, and public amenities to the area.

    Featured sites include:

    • Mildred Hailey Phase I Development 
    • Jackson Square Master Plan Site III Development 
    • Betty Greene Apartments
    • Amory Street Master Plan Campus

    Attendees will gain insider perspectives from leading developers, community organizations, and representatives from The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB), Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC), and Urban Edge Housing Corporation (UEHC). Discussions will explore how past advocacy efforts continue to shape Jackson Square’s growth, alongside the impact of affordable housing initiatives, transit-oriented development, and public space investments driving equitable growth in the area.

    Agenda

    4:30pm - 5:00pm Registration

    5:00pm - 7:30pm Panel Discussion & Walking Tour

    7:30pm Networking Reception

    Starting Location:

    Jackson Commons - Urban Edge Board Room

    1542 Columbus Ave

    Boston, MA 02119


     

    Speakers

    Teronda Ellis

    Chief Executive Officer, Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corp.

    Teronda Ellis brings decades of experience as an entrepreneur, small businesswoman, real estate developer and lifelong resident of Boston to serving as the JPNDC’s CEO. Ms. Ellis’ leadership is informed by her experience in the private sector, working internationally for one of the world’s largest corporations and as a for-profit real estate developer in Boston’s neighborhoods. Her personal and professional experience allows her to bring an equity lens to all aspects of real estate and economic development. Since joining the JPNDC in 2007, Ms. Ellis led the development of multiple complex housing developments that created and preserved more than 500 affordable homes in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Dorchester. Prior to joining the JPNDC, she also worked at IBM developing on-line learning tools used in many countries with diverse cultures. Ms. Ellis also worked as commercial real estate broker and in the public sector, where she worked for the City of Boston’s Fair Housing Commission. Ms. Ellis brings keen insight into the ways a community development organization can nurture people and places from her experiences growing up in public housing in the South End. Her passion for human development is informed by her experience as a parent, raising two children, and as a daughter, raised by an artist who was also one of the first women employed in the building trades.

    Bill Brauner

    Director of Real Estate, Urban Edge

    Bill Brauner is the Director of Real Estate for Urban Edge, a Community Development Corporation (CDC) in Boston. With over 25 years of experience in the affordable housing sector, Bill has made significant contributions to affordable housing at many levels. Prior to his current position, Bill spent 21 years at CEDAC (Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation), where he provided technical assistance and predevelopment lending to over 70 nonprofit housing developers across Massachusetts. He played a key role in housing preservation policy, chaired multiple interagency committees, and led efforts on several high-profile affordable housing preservation projects. From 1997-2002 Bill had the role of Director of Acquisitions for the nonprofit Caleb Foundation, where he led the closing of 288 units of affordable housing and initiated development of an additional 428 units. Bill’s early career includes international work with Habitat for Humanity, where from 1992-1995 he worked in Latin America in the countries of Guatemala and Colombia. Bill has authored several white papers, including: Chapter 40T at 10 (2020), A First Look at Supportive Housing for the Elderly (Section 202) in Massachusetts (2016), Preserving Affordable Housing in Massachusetts with Private Activity Bonds and 4% Tax Credits (2015), and The Year 40 Problem (2011). Bill has a Masters in International Administration from SIT in Brattleboro, VT and a BA from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR.

    Andy Waxman

    Senior VP of Real Estate Development New England, The Community Builders, Inc.

    Andy Waxman serves as senior vice president of real estate development for The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB), a position he has held since 2024. Andy has led TCB’s real estate development activities in New England since he started in 2018 and has been in the community development field for over 30 years with a focus on various types of affordable housing, as well as neighborhood-based, job creating commercial real estate projects. During his time at TCB, Andy has overseen several types of development work including multiple large scale public housing redevelopments, multiple Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) developments – including New England’s largest PSH building, a variety of partnerships with community development corporations, church groups and a health center in addition to a variety of other affordable and mixed income developments. Prior to working at TCB, Andy has worked in real estate development leadership positions in Boston and Washington, D.C. Andy served for seven years as director of real estate at the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation (DBEDC), where he lead their Choice Neighborhood work, and eight years at the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC), with an initial focus exclusively on commercial redevelopment efforts transitioning to associate director of real estate. Additionally, Andy worked at the City of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development, and at Washington Innercity Self Help (WISH), a small CDC in Washington, D.C. Andy holds a master’s degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he won the Outstanding Thesis Award for his work on urban commercial district revitalization in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He also earned a certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership from Boston College, and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin. He has served on the boards of JPNDC and Hyde Jackson Square Main Streets.

    Event Sponsors

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