The Shattuck Hospital redevelopment plan championed by Boston Medical Center (BMC) has been put on pause after several contentious meetings in recent months, with changes to the plan coming in the new year, according to a BMC spokesperson.

“Since receiving provisional designation from the Commonwealth, the Boston Medical Center-led Coalition to redevelop Shattuck Hospital has met with the community in a variety of public forums to gather feedback and inform our proposal,” read a BMC statement released late last Friday. “We look forward to sharing modifications to our proposal as we continue our process of public engagement. A seamless, fully integrated continuum of health, housing ,and support programs is key to solving the co-occurring addiction, mental illness, and homelessness crises in our communities.”

The initial proposal drew strong opposition from some in Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury, and parts of Jamaica Plain who raised concerns about the proposed redevelopment’s density – more than 800 units of recovery housing and beds in a plan that many observers expected to be 75 to 100 units/beds.

The state Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EHS) told the Reporter that it has not weighed in on the BMC plan or offered any critique of it. Instead, EHS said the original designation in June indicated the BMC plan was subject to change, contingent on feasibility, funding, and community input.

“The proposal does not represent a final plan for implementation and will be subject to further dialogue with the Commonwealth and community representatives,” read the initial designation from EHS in June 2023.

While public health and recovery services have been on the docket for the Shattuck site, which will be vacated by the hospital in the coming year for a move to the South End, the extent of the first proposal spurred a group of more than 500 residents and 30 community groups to align as the Coalition for Regionwide Services beyond Franklin Park (CORES) that pushed back on the plan at official and in-house meetings.

Local elected officials said they were glad to hear the news about modifications coming to the existing plan.

“I appreciate that the proponent appears to be more serious about a community process, but my strong concerns about the size, scale, and appropriateness of the location of this proposal still remain,” said state Rep. Chris Worrell.

State Sen. Liz Miranda was not immediately available for comment, but in October she had issued a statement in opposition to the plan that said: “At this time, I am opposing the current proposal because I believe low-threshold supportive and transitional housing must be integrated across our communities on a smaller scale and not clustered in particular neighborhoods who’ve experienced the brunt of environmental injustice, disinvestment, and disenfranchisement. The current proposal could have over 1,000 people at a time, and in my view, that is setting them up to fail.

She added: “My hope is that city and state officials, BMC, and my office, can work together to explore other opportunities for smaller-scaled developments that could utilize a percentage of the vacant parcels across the city to ensure equitable distribution of supportive and transitional housing,” she continued.

Last Friday, Councillor Brian Worrell, who represents areas abutting the Shattuck, said he welcomed the news and hopes for a better plan.

“The project would disproportionately affect the same Black and Brown communities that bore the brunt of the war on drugs, continuing the lasting impact of that legacy,” he wrote in a statement. “Our neighborhoods deserve recognition of that hypocrisy, and there must be a willingness to ensure their voices are heard in this process. I look forward to a revised proposal, greater community engagement from BMC and further information on a regional approach…”

BMC did not indicate a timeline for any future meetings that would discuss their overall plan.