Montaño Backs 158-Unit Jamaica Plain Housing Plan

State Rep. Sam Montaño supports replacing a former Jamaica Plain monastery with apartments and condominiums despite Arnold Arboretum shadow concerns.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Apartments

Older brick institutional building beside a mature tree line, with a new multistory residential frame rising behind it under autumn sun. — Sixteen Penny proposes a 158-unit, five-story apartment and condo building replacing a former Jamaica Plain monastery, which State Rep. Sam Montaño backs despite Arnold Arboretum shadow concerns. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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State Rep. Sam Montaño backed a plan to replace the former monastery at 920 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain with 158 apartments and condominiums. Developer Sixteen Penny revised its proposal to a 5-story building that moves further from the Arnold Arboretum.

Why it matters

The project would add housing in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, where Montaño argues more homes are the only way to address the local housing crisis. The Arnold Arboretum has raised concerns about shadow effects on ecologically sensitive areas, making the trade-off between new homes and the preserve central to the debate.

The revised plan calls for a 5-story, 190,000 square-foot building with 38 income-restricted units. An independent analysis projected two to three hours of new shadow over vegetated portions of the Arboretum, and the Arboretum has rejected the developer's proposed buffer.

The players

Sam Montaño

Massachusetts state representative who argues that building more housing is the only way to solve the local housing crisis.

Sixteen Penny

Wellesley-based real estate developer seeking to redevelop the former monastery property in Jamaica Plain.

Arnold Arboretum

Harvard-owned botanical preserve in Jamaica Plain that raised shadow concerns about its ecologically sensitive areas.

The details

Sixteen Penny, a Wellesley-based developer, proposes demolishing the former monastery and building a 5-story apartment and condo building. To reduce shadow impacts, the developer moved the building more than 50 feet from the Arboretum lot line and offered a half-acre easement for a tree buffer.

February 2025: Sixteen Penny began seeking approval to redevelop the monastery property.
June: Sixteen Penny dropped plans for a 4-story condo building behind the monastery.
November 5, 2026: State Rep. Sam Montaño's support for the redevelopment was reported.

Real Estate Context

The project goes through Boston's Planning Department, which must weigh new housing against shadows cast on the Arnold Arboretum. Its 38 income-restricted units frame the proposal as part of the city's broader push to add affordable apartments.

For Jamaica Plain residents, the project would bring 158 new homes, including 38 income-restricted units, to Centre Street. Neighbors near the Arboretum may see two to three hours of added shadow daily if the building is approved.

The takeaway

Housing proposals near sensitive open space often require balancing new homes against environmental effects. Residents following this project can track how the Planning Department weighs the shadow analysis against the affordable units offered.