City of Boston and Wentworth Institute of Technology Announce New Five Year Pilot Agreement and New Amendment to Ten Year Institutional Master Plan.

The City of Boston and Wentworth Institute of Technology today announced major agreements on Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) and an amendment to their Institutional Master Plan (IMP). The new PILOT agreement includes a commitment of more than $5.6 million in cash and community benefits over the next five years. The agreement is the first written PILOT agreement between the City and Wentworth in more than 20 years, creating a predictable and reliable schedule of valuable partnership benefits for the City. The IMP amendment, which passed the BPDA Board today, will deliver more student housing sooner than initially planned, increase public open space, and continue investments in college and career pathways for Boston Public Schools students.

"Boston thrives when our anchor institutions bring their many resources together to invest in our communities. Through these agreements, Wentworth Institute of Technology will deliver a reimagined, larger on-campus residence hall able to house their entire first year class, two new public courtyards, enhanced community benefits and continued investments into college and career pathways for our Boston Public Schools students. This five-year PILOT agreement builds on our new approach to work with institutions to establish a predictable schedule boosting annual cash payments and community benefits at a time when our Boston taxpayers need relief. Even with threats to higher education and research under this federal administration, our anchor institutions continue to engage and partner with us to support our communities and move Boston forward," said Mayor Michelle Wu.

New PILOT Agreement

Wentworth has agreed to a new five-year PILOT agreement with the City, which includes cash and community benefits of more than $5.6 million over this period.

Wentworth has been a longstanding partner with the City of Boston through Boston's nation-leading PILOT program, a system launched in 2012 that governs annual voluntary cash and community benefit contributions from the City's largest private, non-profit, and tax-exempt institutions. This partnership is based on the mutual understanding that a welcoming, safe, and financially stable City which delivers high-quality essential services is critical to the continued success and financial health of Boston's large nonprofit institutions.

Under the new five-year agreement, Wentworth will resume annual PILOT cash payments to the City from $50,000 in FY26 to $125,000 in FY30. Wentworth paused PILOT cash contributions to the City over the last several years due to financial challenges brought about by the pandemic. This agreement coincides with Wentworth's strengthening operating position and belief in the importance of the PILOT program.

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Additionally, Wentworth commits to contributing annual PILOT community benefits valued at a total of $5.2 million over the term of the five-year agreement, benefits that will be reported annually to the City and subject to annual review to align with city and community needs.  Wentworth's commitment to delivering community benefits in close partnership with community needs predates the PILOT program. The new agreement reflects Wentworth's continued work to sustain and grow its baseline community benefit commitments to support public education, access to public and institutional spaces, and a mutually agreed list of other shared City and institutional priorities. Community benefits eligible to be counted toward this goal are quantifiable, directly benefit City of Boston residents, and are not part of the core mission and services of the institution.

Wentworth and the City will focus on renewing a mutually agreeable voluntary PILOT agreement before expiration of the proposed five-year agreement on June 30, 2030.

Accelerated and expanded investment in student housing

Compared to the original IMP approval advanced by Planning in 2024, this 2026 amendment will enable Wentworth to deliver 572 more beds than was originally envisioned for the Pike Residence Hall project, in a larger and reimagined dorm building, and much earlier than previously expected. The new 972 bed Pike Residence Hall will house its entire freshmen class. The construction of this new dorm will also allow other, existing dorms to be renovated or redeveloped. The reimagined Pike Residence Hall brings Wentworth closer to its ten-year goal of adding 1,814 net new student housing beds, ultimately housing more than 75 percent of students seeking on-campus housing. This sustained investment in campus housing will continue to reduce the number of students living off campus, easing pressure on the existing housing stock in Fenway and Mission Hill and supporting long-term residents, seniors, and families in those neighborhoods. Planning will continue to work with Wentworth to monitor off-campus student housing impacts through the University Accountability Ordinance report.

"This amendment to the Wentworth IMP to move forward with the delivery of a larger, reimagined Pike Residence Hall is vital not only to the well-being of its students, but also to the Mission Hill community as a whole," said Chief of Planning Kairos Shen. "I want to thank the University for their continued partnership with the City to ensure its student population is appropriately housed, and for their commitments to enhancing the public realm with new connections to the larger neighborhood and transportation network over the next ten years."

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"The approval of the amendment to the Institutional Master Plan is a milestone that reflects far more than campus growth," said Mark Thompson, President of Wentworth Institute of Technology. "It reflects the deep, collaborative relationship we have built with Boston over many years. From dual-enrollment partnerships with Boston Public Schools students through Beacon Pathways, to STRIVE's 100% job placement rate for graduates with diverse learning needs, Wentworth has always believed that a stronger institution means a stronger city. This plan paves the way for meaningful investments in our campus and our community, and we are proud to move forward together."

"We welcome the new PILOT Agreement between Wentworth Institute of Technology and the City of Boston," said Enid Eckstein of the PILOT Action Group. "We believe Wentworth's written five year commitment to resume PILOT cash payments after a multi-year hiatus is an important step, good for the community and provides predictability for the City.  The agreement also expands Wentworth's community benefit investment in alignment with the need for investment in Boston public schools and long term vocational programs."

"I applaud Mayor Wu and Wentworth for advancing this new dorm building," said Executive Director of Mission Hill NHS Patricia Flaherty. "This IMP Amendment represents an important step in the evolution of Wentworth, as well as a win for Mission Hill. By building sufficient student housing, it will lessen the burden on existing neighborhood housing, and allow more longtime residents, seniors, and families to remain and maintain our vibrant and diverse community."

Significant new public realm and transportation improvements

The IMP amendment also includes improvements to the overall public realm including two new courtyards and improvements to the current pedestrian path known as the People's Pike, improving pedestrian access to and through the Wentworth campus. The University will build a new connection to Ruggles Street as an extension of the People's Pike, which will strengthen access to public transportation, with a new north-south path alongside the new Pike Residence Hall. In addition, Wentworth will add new bikeshare stations on campus, and contribute $133,650 to the Boston Transportation Department in support of the bikeshare system.

Continuing community benefits

Wentworth has been a long-standing partner to the City of Boston and Mission Hill. The University's STRIVE program has supported nearly 6,000 Boston Public Schools students since its founding, serving approximately 100 students per year and achieving a 100 percent job placement rate for graduates with diverse learning needs. In collaboration with several surrounding BPS high schools, Wentworth has also provided dual enrollment opportunities for BPS high school seniors, enabling students to earn transferable college credits in STEM fields while completing their high school diplomas.

These programs, along with Wentworth's annual contributions to community organizations and neighborhood development, have been a feature of Wentworth's ongoing partnership with the City of Boston.

In addition, the University is contributing approximately $40,000 annually towards community organizations and community development. Altogether, the IMP represents a total of six new development projects over the term of the next ten years, in addition to more than $3 million in anticipated linkage towards affordable housing, and more than $600,000 in anticipated linkage towards jobs training.

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