A new design proposed for the redevelopment of 920 Centre St. In Jamaica Plain. Image courtesy of Hacin

A Wellesley developer has redesigned plans for a Jamaica Plain monastery property following opposition from the Arnold Arboretum.

The Harvard University-managed nature sanctuary objected to construction of a new 4-story, 85-unit condominium building behind the 920 Centre St. monastery. The project also would have converted the 50,000-square-foot former monastery building into 38 senior apartments.

Wellesley-based Sixteen Penny is set to file plans with the Boston Planning Department this week to demolish the monastery, and construct a 5-story, 190,000-square-foot apartment and condominium building in its place.

“Obviously, it’s a lot more expensive project to demolish, versus what would have been an existing building remodel, but this was sort of the best way to satisfy the concerns that were being raised about the building being too close to the property line,” Sixteen Penny Principal John Holland said in an interview.

The redevelopment opportunity emerged after the Order of Saint Clare relocated to Westwood in 2024. In early 2025, residential developer Sixteen Penny submitted plans to the city for an adaptive reuse of the Jamaica Plain monastery, and construction of a 5-story residential building on the rear of the property, which borders the Arboretum.

The proposal attracted opposition from the Arboretum, however, and was moving slowly through the permitting process.

In a comment letter submitted to the Planning Department in 2025, Arnold Arboretum Director Ned Friedman said the project would intrude on one of the property’s most ecologically sensitive areas.

“[E]ach tree in the Arboretum is a specific individual, with unique provenance that is an essential part of its scientific record and of ongoing research conducted by Arboretum scientists and scholars from around the globe,” Friedman wrote.

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy also objected to the project, arguing that the shadows of the new building would rob some of the preserve’s rare tree species of up to 3 hours of sunlight during the growing season.

The new plan, designed by Boston-based architects Hacin, moves the new building more than 50 feet from the lot line. At a maximum height of 57 feet, it would require a variance from the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal to exceed the maximum 35 feet, as well as a variance for floor area ratio.

The new building would include 80 market-rate condominiums, 44 market-rate apartments and 36 income-restricted apartments, according to a presentation by Sixteen Penny. Sales of the condos would subsidize the affordable apartments, eliminating the need to seek low-income tax credits and other public funding sources, the developer said.

The updated plan also includes an offer of a half-acre easement to the Arboretum to maintain mature trees that would serve as a visual buffer.

Proceeds from the Jamaica Plain property sale would help pay for an expansion of the Poor Clares’ new Westwood home, according to a Boston Globe report.

A spokesperson for the Arnold Arboretum did not respond to a request for comment from Banker & Tradesman about whether it supports the redesigned project.