Scale, history and parking top 434 Wash concerns

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Scale, history and parking top 434 Wash concerns (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: August 22, 2024)

 

The Boston Planning Department met with about 30 residents in a virtual setting to review the proposed redevelopment of a proposed new four-story building on the corner of Washington Street and Foster Street in Brighton. 

The current building is a two-story, single-family residential structure set back among several pine trees and bushes, and the plan is build an 18-unit mixed-use condominium building with ground-floor commercial space. Attorney representing developer Wesley Leunge Jeff Drago, of Drago & Toscano, said the project will likely need Boston Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approval for excessive floor area ratio (.5 required, 2.54 proposed), the maximum height (35 feet allowed, 48 proposed) and parking (2 per unit required, .61 per unit [11 spaces] proposed). The proposal will also have three affordable units under the Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) income restrictions. 

“There is a mix of housing stocks, four-story buildings and some higher already in the area,” Drago said. “That’s really what we were trying to model after, and as you can see most of those buildings are on corners, which this lot is as well.” 

Residents asked about increased traffic. Brighton native Ann Mahoney said the neighborhood sees a lot of traffic at that intersection, and said the vehicle access at Foster Street could be a problem. 

“We get traffic from Commonwealth Avenue, we get traffic from Boston College, we get traffic from the Edison, and I don’t know if anybody’s ever stood out at that corner, but at any given time of the day, people can be at that light for 10 or 20 minutes,” she said. “I just don’t understand how you can be building a structure and assume that only 11 more cars are going to come in out of this one location and at that particular point on Foster Street. 

Drago said they contracted with traffic engineers at Howard Stein Hudson, who he said found no appreciable increase in traffic. “They’re not all going to be leaving at the same time, coming back at the same time, and though some traffic at rush hour may be a little heavier than other times, they’re not all coming in and out at the same time.” 

Drago said they will be looking at having a coffee shop-type business in the commercial space, which will have 1,180 square feet. Brighton Main Streets Executive Director Kelly McGrath asked them to try to diversify the businesses in the neighborhood 

“We already have a lot of coffee shops and a lot of bakeries, as well as a lot of pizza shops, nail salons and banks,” she said. “I would really like to see, and I think the neighborhood would like to see, something different in that retail space. Maybe something unique, that we don’t already have. We already have a lot of coffee shops and bakeries competing; we just added two new bakeries in the last month within one block of your proposed development, so I’d really like you guys to think outside the box on that.” 

Drago said they would work on it. 

Resident Xin Song said she liked the project, but that she wanted to see more affordability in the development, as Brighton and most of Boston is seeing higher and higher rents and housing prices. “The prices around Brighton are astronomically high, and I don’t know who can afford them or who is living in them,” she said. “I want to see housing for young professionals and young families in this neighborhood and I don’t think there is any affordability in any of these new developments. Like are these going to be $3,000-a-month units?” 

Drago said the actual unit prices have not been worked out yet and that they won’t likely be until the building is built, which is a standard response to this question in most Article 80 review meetings. 

“It would be hard to judge the price point when you’re two years out,” he said. 

Leung said he hopes that the price points could be lowered later on if inflation continues to cool down. “We’re hoping that between now and when we actually build this thing that construction costs will come down,” he said. “It is very tough in the current environment to build this.” 

The building was built in 1920, and residents asked if it has any historical protections from the Boston Landmarks Department. Drago said there are no such protections on record, either from Landmarks or from the Massachusetts or National Historic registries. 

For more information on the project, go to the Planning Department’s page at https://www.tinyurl.com/543yc49w

Boston Bulletin (August 22, 2024):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___22aug2024.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Jackson Mann Community Center reopening in limbo (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: September 5, 2024

D'Isidoro planning on stepping down

The Allston Civic Association (ACA) met last week and discussed several updates on issues facing the neighborhood, including the closure and lack of a reopening plan for the Jackson Mann Community Center, and perceived predatory towing practices from D&G Towing. 

But before that, ACA President Tony D’Isidoro announced that when his tenure as Board President reaches 10 years, he’s stepping down. 

“I’ve been president of this board for seven years, and I do not plan on serving in that role for more than three more years,” he said. “The max for me is 2027. So on Sept. 1, 2027, there will be a new president of the ACA.” 

D’Isidoro said he’s willing to step down earlier than that if someone steps up, but he said that was the max he’s willing to go. 

“The ACA has been a vibrant organization for over 60 years; it has sustained through an awful lot of positive and negative stuff in our community, and the reason it has sustained itself is because it’s constantly reinventing itself, not only on the work it does but on the leadership of the organization as well,” he said. “It is not a good thing for me to serve beyond 10 years. It’s not a good visual.”

D’Isidoro said he’ll still be around, both during the coming three years and after them, but he wanted to get out as much notice as possible. 

“We need to spread the word,” he said. “We need to start supplementing the board with some new blood that is representative of our community and does a better job of representing all the different factions of our community, and we need to get them positioned for leadership opportunities in the ACA.” 

D’Isidoro said he wants to make sure the ACA organizes itself to remain relevant in the coming years. “Basically, looking at reinventing the organization, taking a look at our bylaws based on how we see the ACA operating under the new (Article 80 Boston Planning Department Review) Process, how we can adjust our bylaws to complement that and be able to continue to be relevant and significant to the community,” he said. “We certainly don’t want to be set up in a way where our voices aren’t heard; we need to optimize the organization to continue to be relevant in our community.” 

In other news, D’Isidoro brought up the shuttered Jackson Mann Community Center, the only Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) commuter center that was in Allston and Brighton. The city held meetings on replacing the center up until around August of last year, and then there was little-to-no information being released publicly on how the plan would move forward. 

“We need to wake up, get off our couches and lend our voices to the fact that we deserve a new community center in Allston Brighton,” D’Isidoro said. “There was a process, we went to meetings, we contributed ideas, there is a final report (https://www.tinyurl.com/2k46ekh3) that compiled all this information and here’s the point: we need the administration to commit to a new community center in Allston Brighton. Whether that’s in a few years while we have a temporary situation, that’s one thing, but I feel very uncomfortable until the administration makes that commitment. 

D’Isidoro said residents have to make sure leadership in the city sees that the neighborhood is a political force. “The only way to facilitate that commitment is to organize a campaign to raise our voices and let the mayor know that we’re the second-largest neighborhood in the City of Boston and we deserve to have a full-service – for both young and old people – brand new community center,” he said. “Part of the challenge we have is convincing the city that we are civically engaged on things going on in the city. And Councilor Liz Breadon brings up a very good point, in that voter participation is a sign of engagement and can give us a certain amount of leverage Downtown.” 

Office of Neighborhood Services Allston Brighton Representative Kevin L’Herrou said there will be news coming out soon as to what’s happening at the Jackson Mann. 

“I do hear you on the Jackson Mann; there will be some updates that will be coming out, and I know the Mayor has committed to a new community center in the neighborhood,” he said. “They have dedicated money to the design process, but the issue is still the timeline, which hopefully can have a little more transparency coming relatively soon.” 

As of the date of publication, the city has not released any updated plans or timelines. 

And also at the meeting, residents brought up issues they’ve been having with D&G Towing and apparent predatory towing practices. L’Herrou said he’s seen general complaints in social media groups and things of that nature, but said 311 only has three specific complaints detailing potential bad behavior. He asked residents to put any issues they have with any tow company in the future into the 311 system. 

Jackson Mann hearing called for (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: September 5, 2024

District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon called for a hearing at the Aug. 28 regular meeting of the Boston City Council to address the loss of services presented by the closure of the Jackson Mann Elementary School and Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) Community Center in Allston. 

The center had long served the community as a meeting place, a place to vote, a place for child and youth activities as well as a host of other uses, but recently closed down due to structural issues. The City of Boston had been hosting community meetings trying to solicit input for a replacement last year, but so far no official word has come through about what’s happening after that. 

Breadon said she’s been harping on this for quite a while. 

“Since taking office in 2020, I have raised the issue of the Jackson Mann Community Center and campus, including the BCYF community center, in over 20 city council hearings,” Breadon said. “In public settings as early as April 2020, I have raised the following is sues: the necessity of a comprehensive community process and public input into the work planned for the schools, the community center and the use of the site.” 

Breadon said she’s been asking for a plan for temporary spaces for BCYF services since that time, but nothing has come. 

“The building and complex is an essential piece of infrastructure in the Allston Brighton neighborhoods that needs to be replaced in short order,” she said. “This conversation started long before I became a Boston City Councilor. We were discussing the deteriorating physical conditions of the complex as far back as 2016. The community center is really a critical piece that needs to be kept on the front burner, because it is the only BCYF center in our neighborhoods.” 

She pointed out it was the polling location for five precincts and that the building will be open for this presidential cycle, despite its structural issues. 

Breadon said this is about equity for the neighborhoods. 

“The BCYF Jackson Mann hosts a teen program, adult education programs including English as a second language programs and previously had preschool and afterschool programs,” she said. “Unfortunately, I have not seen the sense of urgency about accommodating the services and I am hearing directly from residents the uncertainty is distressing.” 

Breadon asked to have a hearing on site at the Jackson Mann so that the council can see the building’s distress and give residents in the neighborhood a chance to advocate for their community center. 

At-Large City Councilor Henry Santana agreed and that BCYF services shouldn’t be siloed. 

“Every neighborhood in the community deserves access to the opportunities and support that BCYF provides,” he said.

Boston Bulletin (September 5, 2024):

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[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Pratt Street’s updated landscape design promises benefits (Dilani Yogaratnam, The Bulletin: September 19, 2024)

 

In a recent virtual meeting, the City of Boston Planning Department (CBPD) Project Manager Daniel Polanco and landscape architects discussed the vision of the new 22-24 Pratt Street housing development in Allston with a few dozen residents. The proposal was originally approved by the CBPD Board in June. 

This is the first meeting since board approval and the CBPD staff said they wanted to share with the community updates and to gather feedback. 

Matthew McCollem represented the developer of the project and explained some of those changes. He noted that the existing site is an old industrial building with a lot of asphalt and surface parking surface, thus landscape architects have worked hard to design an elaborate inviting open space and greenspace. In addition, they have increased the affordable unit requirement from 13 to 17 percent and added a few community benefits. 

Jo Ann Barbour, executive director of Charlesview, offered up the most adversarial remarks in an otherwise peaceful, complimentary meeting. She asked Polanco to confirm that at the time of approval the affordable housing was at 17 percent already. Polanco agreed. Barbour then said that the 17 percent was not a community benefit but a requirement, “so it’s a little disingenuous to be calling it a community benefit.” However, she said she appreciated they moved some of the income requirements for the income-restricted affordable housing to lower levels. 

The current proposed building has 318 units and many two- and three-bed room apartments (roughly 27 percent), which is a lot, according to McCollem. “It really gives families the opportunity to enjoy the community—certainly the open public space.” 

“There have been quite a few design changes” since they submitted their last proposal, Tamara Roy, senior design principal for Stantec Architecture, said. Some of the changes include: “improvements to the neighborhood with bigger open space, dog park relocation, refinement of the materials, an added canopy to the amenity terrace, a planted buffer along the north and west property lines, and refinements to the main entrance and west wing.” One significant change was the reduction of the west wing by one story for the benefit of the neighbors’ sight line. 

Rob Adams, landscape architect of the Halverson firm, said the open space might seem small and secluded but it is actually very accessible to the public and invites a sense of community due its positioning of the property. “The space has access off of Pratt Street to the Allston Green Project and the future multi-modal along the turnpike,” he said. 

“We feel this space has the best of both worlds. It feels intimate and nicely scaled but also has a lot of great connectivity to the immediate neighbors,” Adams noted. The open space is in between the two new buildings of the project and includes a welcoming park-let. “It does a good job of introducing storm water and rain water collection. 

“Off of Pratt Street, is a vehicular drop off and to the right which is east you head down a ramp to the loading dock below,” Adams said. “The entire open space faces south, which is a really great thing you don’t often see in Boston,” he added. Roy chimed in that the major change has been to move the building massing to the north site to free up the open space in the south. 

The biggest changes to the project include the scale of the entry drop off site, where the earlier version had 15-20 percent more impervious surface, Adams said. Bluebikes are now a part of the vision near the entrance along with a couple of small park-lets. Another upgrade which he credited Roy and her team for making was moving large transformers from outside to indoors, and “it has all been possible due to really good collaboration between the two design firms and the city,” he said. All of these changes resulted in a more “pedestrian feel” to the complex. The goal was to steer away from a polished look and go for neighborhood accessibility. For example, tree stumps are displayed as seats and the benches have a slightly worn appearance. 

Some smaller changes which came from outside suggestions are smaller seating areas such as picnic tables and large canopy trees to create a sense of intimacy near the edge of the Allston Green Space. Roy said the space will be beneficial to neighbors who can easily access the area and enjoy socializing with their community. Tenants who want privacy can find comfort in a soon to be built porch, included in the new designs. 

The design team created a more aesthetic appearance for the 20-foot fire lane which is required for emergency vehicle access by using materials to divide the walk way systems and plant life. Another worthwhile addition is the canopy over the tenant amenities building to reduce solar gain, Adams explained. 

Roy then showed a slide of the railroad edge side of the project and the easy accessibility to the neighborhood, once construction on the new train station is completed, near the Mass Pike. 

The new project promises to be environmentally friendly and will be an all-electric building, complete with charging stations and other amenities. Also, the proponents pointed out it would create construction jobs and increase the tax base. 

In an added measure for creating an enhanced living space, McCollem said his team is committed to raising $75,000 for a transportation study for the CBPD to analyze and apply its findings. 

Polanco then opened up for questions from the public. A resident named John asked about a community garden. McCollem called it a “great opportunity to bring people into the open space.” 

A resident named Nathan asked how the property would connect to the future People’s Pike. Adams said there is a connection at the upper left corner of the site.

Boston Bulletin (September 19, 2024):

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[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Residents don’t trust Alpha in Allston (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: September 26, 2024)

 

The Allston Civic Association (ACA) met in a virtual format last week and discussed the 23-25 North Beacon St. proposal from Alpha Management. 

The proposed project would demolish the current three-family building on the site and build a six-story, 25-unit building its place for rentals. The development team touted the nine three-bedroom units as appealing to families (with three two-bedroom units and 13 one-bedroom units). 

EMBARC Architects representative Tim Loranger said the project will keep a few of the major trees on site, as well as provide several public realm improvements, like increased street trees, an increased frontage zone (the building won’t be exactly on the property line) and an increased pedestrian sidewalk zone. He said all zones will be in compliance with Boston’s Complete Street program. 

The project will not have any parking. 

Loranger also said there is a significant grade change between the street-facing side of the building and its rear. He said the trees in that back area, as well as most of the greenery, will not be touched. 

“We will be cleaning it out, cleaning out some of the under growth to create a healthier condition for the trees to grow,” he said, adding that the existing parking lot paved area will be removed and replaced with green space. 

Loranger said the project will also increase density, “leverage proximity to public transit,” increase street trees, reduce the existing curb cut, provide an off-street area for drop-offs and pick-ups, provide units with light, views and privacy and create usable outdoor space (though not accessible to the public). 

Resident and ACA member Sarah Iwany said she opposed this project and any project associated with Alpha Management. 

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: until Alpha Management can maintain its existing units to be up to safety and sanitary codes, I will not support any project by them,” she said. “They should not be allowed to acquire new properties until they can maintain their current ones. I lived in an Alpha Management property, and they tried to argue with National Grid about the safety of our heater the furnace in the basement – we had roaches and broken windows and Alpha did nothing. Once again, Alpha is the worst. If you would like to represent a client with a better reputation, that would be a great choice for you. Until then, it’s going to be a no on every single Alpha Project.” 

Resident and ACA member Christine Varriale said she liked the design and how the building appeared to be respectful to the neighbors. 

“But it’s always going to be a no for me when it comes to Alpha, just because I’ve lived here for a decade-and-a-half at this point and they’ve just historically been one of the worst landlords in the neighborhood,” she said. “I wish I could just support it; if they sell it to someone else sure I’ll support it.”

ACA member and Charlesview Director Jo-Ann Barbour said she felt without parking the three-bedroom units are not likely to go to families, since most families need a car. Another resident, who went by the name MJ, said he knew several families in the neighborhood who didn’t have cars. Barbour also said she wants to see an affordability factor higher than 16 percent of the building being in come-restricted.

Representative for the project Jay Walsh admitted while there have been violations in the past, “now, there are no open violations at (Boston Inspectional Services Department) ISD, there is nothing pending or waiting for any type of fixing or correcting,” he said. “As of right now, this day as we speak, there are no open violations at any of the properties owned and managed by Alpha. I think this being a new construction, it would be something that would be easier to maintain, so to-speak, than some of the older buildings with a lot of wear and tear. I know they have been more conscious of making sure that all violations are corrected once reported and they do work closely with the city on correcting violations once they are notified of them.” 

Walsh said in a later interview that he was referring to building and property violations, for which the city has issued a certification that ISD has not had any such violations in the past five years. However, it has had several in the past, which you can see at https://tinyurl.com/mpeuzapu. 

However, according to data from the City of Boston, many Alpha properties have property code violations, which are more kind of day-to-day issues that building and property violations (those usually deal with structural or building permit issues that are central to a building’s operation). The ISD Building Code Violations page (https://tinyurl.com/5952fkx6) has a large dataset on an Excel spreadsheet showing more than 200 open code violations from Alpha properties, the latest of which was from Sept. 9 and nine other recent violations. Most of these open code violations (there are about another 300 closed violations going back to about 2008) are regarding over filling dumpsters and improperly stored trash, which the city has also maintained is the most driving factor for the rat population, both in the city as a whole and especially in “Allston Rat City.” 

Though many of these violations are still open, it should be noted that many of those have likely been resolved. For instance, it’s unlikely that there is still snow on the sidewalks from several of Alpha’s violations stating several properties were not shoveled out.

Other violations included in the data, both closed and open, included occupying city property without a permit, illegal dumping (some still open), failure to clear sidewalk of snow (one of which is, somehow, still open), the illegal parking of a property owner, over grown weeds on the property, storage of unregistered motor vehicles, having graffiti on building (still open and is apparently from 2022) and having no number displayed on the building. 

There were 145 instances of overfilling a barrel/container, 292 instances of improper storage of trash, 19 instances of illegal dumping and 14 instances of failure to clear snow from the sidewalk. 

The comment period for the project ends on Sept. 27. For more information or to leave a comment, go to https://tinyurl.com/2w3m6j98 

Boston Bulletin (September 26, 2024):

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[Anthony D'Isidoro]

ABCDC presents Baptist church plan (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: October 3, 2024)

The City of Boston Planning Department (CBPD) met with the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation (ABCDC) and the public recently to present its plan to renovate the Hill Memorial Baptist Church at 279-283 North Harvard St. in Allston into affordable senior housing. 

ABCDC Executive Director John Woods went through most of the proposal, stating that the objective is to preserve the structure of the church while building 49 income-restricted senior housing units in the neighborhood. The project will also take over, demolish and use the space at 283 North Harvard St., which currently has a single-family home the church used to use for clergy housing. 

“Our plans call for preserving and repurposing the historic 1903 Hill Memorial Baptist Church Building into a facility that will provide gathering and supportive service space for the new residents of the housing we are creating,” he said. “We also expect the refurbished, pre served and repurposed space to be available periodically for public programming. We also intend to repurpose a portion of the church basement space to accommodate a public use, preferably a use that provides assistance to the general neighborhood elderly population.” 

Woods added that they are partnering with the Brighton Allston Elderly Housing (BAEH) organization, known locally as the McNamara House, to help manage the supportive housing. 

RODE Artchitects representative Kevin Deabler said they still have a couple of public outreach meetings coming up at the Brighton Allston Improvement Association on Oct. 3 (7 p.m. at the Brighton Elks) and the Allston Civic Association (Oct. 16 6 p.m., virtual, www.AllstonCivicAssociation.org) before they go before the CBPD Board or the Boston Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for approval.

Deabler said they would put most of the housing units themselves into a brand new, four story building where the single family house is today and make the church building house the community and amenity spaces for the supportive senior housing. 

“It seemed to really make a lot of sense to us as a development team to reoccupy a community building for community purposes,” he said, reiterating Woods’ assertion that the space would be open to the public at times for community events. 

The housing would basically hug the property line and wrap around the church and enclose a park area for residents in the center of the parcel. Deabler said they would create a total of about 2,375 square feet of public usable open space and 2,000 square feet of private open space for residents in the park area just mentioned. 

The project will have 15 spaces of off-street parking on ground level covered by the second story of the residential building. The site will also be just off the MBTA Bus Route 66. There is also a small park next to the bus stop. 

Resident Bernadette Lahey said she and her family are direct abutters and are in full support of the project. 

“The only thing I’m going to keep bringing up as we have these conversations with everybody is that at the end of the street where you guys want to shrink it, a little bit, it’s going to add a lot of back up,” she said, referring to planned bump outs at the intersection of Coolidge Road and North Harvard Street for pedestrian safety. “Coolidge Road is not a side street anymore since it moved from one lane to two lanes, so you need to do another study or figure out how you can still get two cars going out of Coolidge, one left and one right.” 

Resident Sal Pinchera asked about the original funding for the project, which Woods said came from Harvard through its Enterprise Research Campus development and community benefits process. Pinchera asked about some preference for residents who have been waiting for other Allston affordable units for years. 

“So for years John, a lot of the residents here who don’t use affordable housing have advocated for affordable housing, advocated for projects for the CDC like on Western Avenue at the Skating Club, but we’ve also seen people who are on the waiting list for Charlesview, which has been around for 50 years or more, sit on that list for 15 years,” Pinchera said. “I know you’re going to tell me you’re only in the design stage and when you get to the lottery or however you’re going to do it, I know that’s the answer I’m going to get, but there have been people waiting for over 10 years on Charlesview’s list that meet the criteria financially who are members of this community, and I think they’re like, going to have to start all over again with your project.” 

Woods gave a similar answer to what Pinchera expected. 

“Our hope is that by working with neighbors to get them on the waitlist – one of the important things to understand is this project is going to be supplemented by a rental assistance contract with the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), and so folks who want to live here will have to be on the BHA waiting list and then they’ll be sent to another process to help ensure that we get folks living here who are appropriate to live here,” he said. “The best way that this has worked successfully is to coordinate with people in the neighborhood who are applying and then tracking their applications to make sure they get as fair a shake as anybody else.” 

Woods did say, however, it’s a larger problem than just Allston and he feels more must be done to address the issue of affordable housing. 

“It’s a huge amount of people looking for such a small amount of units,” he said. 

For more information on the project, go to https://tinyurl.com/yw86kefj 

Boston Bulletin (October 3, 2024):

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[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Jackson Mann needs support (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: October 24, 2024)

ACA warns of the need to attend Oct. 29 meeting

The Allston Civic Association (ACA) met on Wednesday and implored residents in the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods to attend the upcoming Oct. 29 City Council hearing at 6 p.m. at the Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) Jackson Mann Community Center to advocate for the future of the space. 

According to the BCYF, the Jackson Mann Community Center Building is crumbling and in dire need of repair. 

The hearing, originally sponsored by District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon, will discuss options for the center’s future. Originally, the city held several public outreach meetings to gauge community interest in District 9’s only BCYF Community Center. Meetings were heavily attended and a lot of input was gathered, but as of the date of publication, there have not been any updates to those meeting materials and plans since 2022 (https://tinyurl.com/53e7eh7y). 

Currently, ACA President Tony D’Isidoro said they need a big crowd to move City Hall on rebuilding the Jackson Mann, as the siting study has apparently stalled. 

“We need to show, display and demonstrate to the city that, first and foremost, a new state-of-the-art community center is very crucial to the future of Allston and Brighton, as well as a robust programming schedule,” he said. “The city has decided not to move the programming temporarily to Brighton High School (an older plan) for various reasons. I guess enrollment is higher there then they thought, and so they are propping up the Jackson Mann building to allow the community to continue there for the foreseeable future.” 

D’Isidoro said his priorities right now are focused on programming. He said he does not want to see a drop in services for the neighborhood. He also said that he wants to make sure all the data collected in the public process that residents participated in two years ago doesn’t go to waste. 

“That report was completed and we’re just wondering how committed the city is to moving forward on that,” he said. 

The plan back in 2022, according to The Bulletin’s coverage at the time (https:// tinyurl.com/yud7xks9) was to relocate or rebuild the community center and possibly the Jackson Mann K-8 School and the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (at least according to this page from the Boston Public Schools District: https://tinyurl.com/ 2zksyuek). 

BCYF Commissioner Marta Rivera said at the first Allston Brighton siting meeting that BCYF is committed to a new community center.

“We want to see it, just as you all do, happen sooner rather than later,” she said. 

Rivera also said at the time that because of the center’s use as a central voting location, a new location would have at least been scouted by the time of November’s election. That hasn’t happened, and the old BCYF center is still the primary polling location.

Breadon said in an interview with The Bulletin that she hopes to see a good turnout as well, as the need in Allston and Brighton is critical. 

“We have one community center,” she said. “Eastie, Charlestown and the North End have eight, including two pools, so there is no comparison in terms of amenities for our population here. We have kids in Boston Housing Authority Housing, Commonwealth Housing, Faneuil Gardens and CDC housing properties and there is no programming for them. Families are taking their kids to play soccer in Dorchester for God’s sake, or out of the district in Watertown and Newton. It’s really bad.” 

Breadon said this has been an issue since she took office in 2020 and has been part of the planning process since it started. 

“We looked at the record, the paper trail really, and the deferred maintenance on the facility goes back 20 years, on stuff that was sort of in the budget, but they never did it,” she said. “The building’s in bad shape and we really need a full-court press to say what we want to see there.” 

Breadon said she’s been asking for a plan on the issue since she got into office. “Council meetings, hearings, budget hearings; at nearly every hearing I’ve asked that question: ‘What’s the plan what’s the plan and what’s the plan?’” she said. “Basically there is no plan.” 

Beradon said she is now more skeptical when she sees an item in the capital budget listed as ‘to be scheduled.’ 

“To be scheduled could be 10 years, it could be never,” she said. “I really want a strong commitment from the administration to address this incredible inequity in the neighborhood for our kids.” 

There is also a frequently-asked questions page (https:// tinyurl.com/53cjyeux) that has been created. 

The BPS Long-Term Facilities Plan from December of last year also mentions the intention to build a new K-6 School in the neighborhood (https:// tinyurl.com/252rfnpu) but does not have a timeline. 

For more information on the Oct. 29 hearing, go to https:// tinyurl.com/mv8e2cpn. To sign up to speak at the hearing, go to https://tinyurl.com/ 3unbvx9d 

“It goes by quicker than you think, so if you plan on testifying, I would recommend you think of one or two themes or ideas or concerns that you may have and express them to the council,” D’Isidoro said. “Two minutes goes by awfully quick, and if you have too much to say, they will cut you off.

Boston Bulletin (October 24, 2024):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_16_24oct2024.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Community: Jackson Mann needs to be replaced, yesterday (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: October 31, 2024)

More than 400 residents and officials poured into the Boston Centers for Youth and Family (BCYF) Jackson Mann Community Center auditorium on Tuesday to voice their support for a new community center and, hopefully, increase priority for the project in the city's inner workings. 

Built in the 1970s, it is the only BCYF community center in both Allston and Brighton, and the City of Boston has already held several community meetings and gone through a feasibility study to figure out two things: if it needs to be replaced, and where it should go. 

The study found yes, it’s falling apart, and that there is no better location in Allston. The findings of that study were released in 2023, and there has been relative radio silence since. District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon has been asking, again and again, when funds will be allocated to start the process of replacing the structure. 

Breadon showed an eight-minute video compilation of all the time she has spent asking about the center’s funding. The video ran on, and on, and on, with Breadon getting audibly more frustrated as the standing-room-only crowd listened and simmered along with her. The video demonstrated just how long she’s been at this, as at one point the name “City Councilor Wu,” was mentioned (she’s mayor now in case you didn’t know). The video almost seemed like a Monty Python sketch, with Breadon continually stating her parrot is dead and needs to be replaced. 

“I will continue to play this tune until we hear the song we want to hear,” she said. “We are sick and tired of this. It’s really terrible and it’s not even funny anymore.” 

The hearing was structured to take public testimony and allow the city councilors – almost the entire council was there at one point or another – to ask questions of Boston officials as to why this is taking so long. City of Boston Chief of Operations Dion Irish, BCYF Commissioner Marta Rivera and Boston Public Schools (BPS) Director of Facilities Brian Forde all represented the city administration during the night. 

Breadon asked upfront, what is going on? She stated they had the feasibility study and a programming study and everything seemed to be going great. But by the time the fiscal year 2025 capital budget came around for its annual review, there was nothing allocated for the Jackson Mann. 

“For FY 25, we got nothing, we got a duck egg; we got no further action,” she said. “Nothing was happening. The designation status on this project was ‘To Be Scheduled.’ And I know from studying the Capital Improvement budget and looking at other projects, ‘To Be Scheduled’ could be a death knell. It could be that for 10 years or 12 years and it might never happen. It’s not very reassuring and very alarming that we have this pause. We are in such a dire need of a community center, to just stall and drop the ball in the middle of the game, and then delay further action until FY26, which is 2027, it’s two years away. There is no action and it’s really frustrating.” 

Breadon repeatedly point out that other neighborhoods, much less dense and populated neighborhoods, are getting new community centers and Allston and Brighton is left with a distressed building that the city has agreed is in need of demolition.

“Why has this project been taken off the list for prioritization when other places are getting brand-spanking new community centers when they already have several?” she asked. 

Irish went through the Capital Budget process, which is a five-year financial plan that is reviewed every year based on available funds and priority. He said the Jackson Mann is still on the list, but said he couldn’t predict the future when it came to funding, as several departments go through the capital budget every year during its annual review and figure out priorities. 

“First of all, I want to definitely disagree with the phrasing that it was taken off the list,” he said. “When a project is in the plan that is a good sign. In terms of how quickly it moves, I share your frustration. I’ve been at this two-and-a-half or three years. I’ve seen things in the plan that have been there for a long time and move slower than they should. I’ve seen many of those long-delayed investments turn into emergency investments that move to the top of the line. So in terms of the overall process there is room for improvement.” 

Breadon pointed out that the Jackson Mann has had maintenance and repairs in the plan for about 20 years. 

“Going back decades, and none of it was ever done,” she said. 

She said the $4 million budgeted in the plan right now is not near enough for a new center. Irish said that’s for the design process, which will be another public process the neighborhood will have to go through. An audible groan came from the hundreds assembled in the auditorium, but Irish said the process needs to take place so that the needs of the community are met when (and if) the community center is built. 

Councilors and residents repeatedly asked Irish what the process is, but he only had the same answer: the capital plan needs to be put together for its annual review and then will have to be approved by the Boston City Council during the months-long spring budget process. 

“I’m very cynical as to the city’s commitment on delivering on this project and that’s why we’re here tonight, to say we’re not going to stand for this,” Breadon said. 

In the short-term, Rivera said the facility will remain operational until that’s no longer feasible. Whether that means the building falls apart of its own accord or the city starts a demolition and construction process, she did not specify. 

Almost 100 speakers took the mic and shared their stories of what the Jackson Mann meant to them. Resident Jan McHale said she met her future husband here. 

“I was brought on a date to this building when I was first transferred to Boston to open the Marriott,” she said. “This was a lot of years ago, but even then it was apparent to me that this was a City of Boston Community Center and I looked around and said, ‘Wow, this is a dump.’ I have to be honest this was a lot of years ago and it’s a lovely dump it’s obvious it was underfunded for many years, and that’s absurd.” 

Many residents said the center provided not just “swim and gym” services, but adult education, youth programming, volunteer opportunities, summer camp, job preparation and vocational services and much, much more. 

“I received so much more than a paycheck; I learned life skills that I continue to use and value today,” said resident Tina Chan, who got her first job as a camp counselor at the Jackson. “These life skills I learned at the Jackson Mann made me the person I am today.”

B’nai B’rith Executive Director Susan Gittelman said her organization is based in Allston Brighton, and pointed out that Allston Brighton brings in so much revenue for the City of Boston every year, but doesn’t seem to get much of it invested back into the community. Resident Andrew Feldman proposed that funding could be enhanced if the city included affordable housing in the new center, building on mixed-use housing ideals. 

Director of Community Outreach for the Brighton Marine, Daniel Cuddy said the start he got at Jackson Mann got him to the position he’s in today. Allston Rat City Art Festival organizer and founder Ricky Meinke pointed out the neighborhood lost its post office, had few if any COVID-19 testing sites during the pandemic and almost lost the St. Elizabeth Hospital because of Steward. He said the only thing the city is prioritizing in the neighborhood is the rodent action plan. 

“Despite running the Rat City Art Festival, I hate we’re associated with rats, but the association I hate more that is we’re a neighborhood without a functioning community center,” he said. “We’re not a transient neighborhood, based on desire. We’re a transient neighborhood built upon failed leadership and policy.” 

If you would like to leave a written comment on the issue, go to the hearing page at https:// tinyurl.com/yns5jepd or send an email directly to meghan....@boston.gov or call 617-635-3040.

Boston Bulletin (October 31, 2024):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_16_31oct2024.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Access, stormwater and trees focus of Artesani proposal (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: November 14, 2024)  

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) met recent with about 50 community members to discuss changes to the Artesani Park Parking Lot coming in the next year or so. 

One of the main thrusts from Nitsch Engineer Jessica Wala was that the new park would allow for improvements to the local stormwater system. She said currently, there are areas in the parking lot and parts of Soldiers Field Road where there is no stormwater treatment, and it goes untreated into the Charles River. 

She said they did a complete feasibility study to figure out how they could get the most bang for their buck in terms of treating that water and making the Charles just that much cleaner. She said there is currently a depression around Herter Park that collects stormwater and is already used to infiltrate stormwater. She said the only problem is that it’s likely already at or close to capacity, and putting more strain on the system could lead to flooding. 

“We found at this point that just redirecting flows from Soldiers Field Road and the parking lot into the moat would not really provide the ecological benefit I think that moat really requires,” she said. “We are also concerned about the capacity of the pipes that currently discharge into the moat and the flood risk that could occur.” 

She said they are mainly looking to treat water from contact with vehicles, the parking lot and Soldiers, and that’s pretty difficult because there is a high water table there and the water wouldn’t have enough material to filter through. So she said the best thing to do is to create a bunch of stormwater infrastructure, like bio-retention basins, to help clear the water away and clean it. 

Wala also said that because of rising sea levels and increased rain from storms, flooding is a risk factor they have to consider and account for. “Our goal is to elevate this parking lot where we can, taking into consideration surrounding properties like the community garden,” she said. 

Merrill Engineer John Cavanaro said they are looking to add about 100 trees and maintain as many existing trees as is feasible on the site, which is now about 76. Resident Tim Hale said the trees might go in, but wondered, will they stay there? 

“Will they survive in that heat island?” he asked. “I know they have a difficult time living on Western Avenue. I see a 10-foot-wide island, and so that feels like enough, five feet on either side of the trunk. But for the tree canopy, I think the roots would go more than five feet on either side.” 

Resident Galen Mook said he had some issues with the plan, especially concerning access and safety getting to the park from the neighborhood, specifically for vulnerable users like pedestrians and cyclists, not just motorists, who would likely not be driving from the adjacent residential areas. 

Cavanaro said the scope of the project is focused on the parking lot, but the idea is to push the cyclists closer to the road and separate their paths from the pedestrians, which will be closer to the parking lot. 

“This is just the beginning though, but we hope to connect this further on both sides of this project to get the cyclists on to this wider path that will run closer to Solders Field Road and separate the pedestrian flow into the parking lot itself,” he said, adding that the pedestrian paths would be separated from the parking lot. “We can’t solve everything with this project, but this is the start of us trying to link improvements along the way.” 

Mook said he wanted to see DCR really look at the area holistically, as he said the organization’s mission statement says it pursues. “I would actually really encourage the scope, the purpose and the mission of the work DCR does as a public agency, is that the primary function is to protect people and people’s lives in their point of access to a public resource,” he said. “This is public land we are trying to get to, so do we lose sight of safety in this project when considering connectivity.” 

Resident Harry Mattison said he wanted to see more communication with residents, as this is the first meeting on the project in about a year. He also said he’d like to see a raised crosswalk from Everett Street to the park and parking lot. He also said he’d like to see more screening between the park and the parking lot. “The parking lot really dominates the park experience,” he said, adding that the riverside parking lot park side has only about eight or nine trees. “It would be nice to see a full strip of landscaping there,” he said. “You know, bushes, shrubs, trees are nice too, but trees don’t really screen as well.” 

For more information, the full slides from the presentation of this meeting and to comment on the plan, go to https://tinyurl.com/yp56jzah

Boston Bulletin (November 14, 2024):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___14nov2024.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

CBPD board approves Allston church senior housing (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: November 21, 2024) 

The City of Boston Planning Board met recently and voted unanimously to approve the plan for 279-283 N. Harvard St., known now as the site of the Hill Memorial Baptist Church. 

The project, put forth by the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation, entails demolishing the adjacent single-family home, which the church used to use for housing its clergy, and building a new building with 49 units of income-restricted senior housing units. The church itself would remain intact, with its first floor being set aside for resident programming and the basemen being used for public spaces. 

The new construction is proposed to wrap around the existing church, with a 15- space at-grade parking area on the southwest side of the building, a private courtyard between the two buildings and 2,370 square feet of publicly accessible open space. 

Rode Architects Principal Kevin Deabler went through the plan with the CBPD Board and said the overall goal of the project is to provide housing but also to preserve the church. He said they are extending the sidewalk on the east side of the site and will be providing public space for bus riders to inhabit while waiting for the MBTA Route 66 to pick them up. 

“There is a lot of public transit going on at this location so widening the sidewalk was something we could do to help at the entry,” he said. 

Deabler said they want to get passive house certification, using both sustainable sources of power and providing its own through renewable means. 

CBPD Project Manager Ford DelVecchio said the project will have to get Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approval for several variances from the Boston Zoning Code, including parking, zoning, floor area ratio, setbacks and height. He said, however, planning staff believed these variances to be needed. For example, if the parking space code was to be followed, the 49-unit, senior living complex would need 72 spaces. 

Board Member Matthew O’Malley said he was in favor of the project, and lauded the outreach efforts on this proposal. 

“I really appreciate the work and engagement with neighbors, and I love the proximity to the Honan Library,” he said. “Many of us knew Brian Honan. He was one of the finest public servants I ever knew. We didn’t work together; I was an intern when he served.”

 O’Malley said Honan’s legacy, at least in part for him, was the stories of zoning processes he told. “He would tell these legendary stories of these controversial and disruptive zoning matters,” he said. “And this couldn’t be farther from one of those. You’ve done a tremendous job working to provide something we truly need.” 

“I think it looks great and is so responsive to the needs of our city and this neighborhood,” said Board member Kate Bennett. 

“It’s not just the look, but how it’s being used and how you’re going to live with it and live with the structures,” said Board Chair Prsicilla Rojas. “I can just see that it’s been designed with that care and I think to be able to support the community it’s going to be serving, I’m just really proud of the care you took with the design and I’m really appreciative.” 

Attorney representing the project Joseph Hanley said the Allston Civic Association and the Brighton Allston Improvement Association each supported the proposal. 

The Board voted unanimously to approve the project.

 

Boston Bulletin (November 21, 2024):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_16_21nov2024.pdf

[tahir h]

The best approval by the city in 2024!!!!

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[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Updates on 23-25 N. Beacon and Jackson Mann (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: November 28, 2024) 

The Allston Civic Association (ACA) met last week and discussed several major items in the community. The first is that ACA President Anthony D’Isidoro commended the community and the ACA for their turnout at the Jackson Mann City Council hearing earlier in October. 

“Unfortunately I was feeling a bit under the weather when the city council hearing took place, but I want to thank everyone who turned out for that hearing,” he said. “I understand it was a huge turnout.” 

It was. About 400 residents were present. The hearing was to gather resident input on the fate of the Jackson Mann Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) Community Center, which has been slated to close for more than a few years now. The building is essentially falling apart, and D’Isidoro said residents have been speaking up for years to get a new community center, and have been feeling ignored. All that came out during the hearing (https://tinyurl.com/ 4fzjena8). 

“I have been, as you all know, very vocal about equity in this community that is evolving, changing by the minute and yet we don’t have a community center that can help mitigate all the changes taking place,” he said. “But I think we have the support of the council on this next round of capital budgeting. I will continue to speak out and let you know of ways you can speak out. I think people who have been very close to the fight are kind of talking about what the next steps should be. Not to sound like a broken record, but it is just amazing to me that there is no an action to help address what is clearly a community center that just doesn’t meet our needs anymore.” 

Council members and BCYF representatives said at the hearing they will try to prioritize the Jackson Mann in the next round of capital funding decisions, which is set to happen this spring during the budget season. 

D’Isidoro allowed that there is already a great deal of time the city is asking for in terms of public input, but he said the city is looking to change a lot of how it functions. He said the comment period for the Boston Planning Department’s Article 80 Project Review process has been extended to Dec. 15 (https://tinyurl.com/yr5bjmsz), and there are more ways to get involved and show that Allston is not a transient neighborhood. 

“We have a lot of asks out there for you and we’re being a little greedy with your time,” he said. “I know there are all kinds of needs assessments from the city out there whether it’s senior living or the youth. The city is trying to get a feel for what the needs are in terms of putting together public policy and what have you.” 

The youth survey can be found at https://tinyurl.com/ 4bsrmza3. For the health needs assessment, go to https://tinyurl.com/mr3ek26r

In other news, Attorney Johanna Schneider came to represent Alpha Management regarding the proposal at 23-25 N. Beacon St. The project calls for a six-story, 25-unit building on the site. 

At the last meeting, more than one member said they wouldn’t vote for the project because of their past interacney Jay Walsh said Alpha has no building code violations, but The Bulletin found more than 200 open violations in the city’s property code (https:// tinyurl.com/yc3fxfhw), which is different than the building code. Some of the most common were overflowing trash and improperly stored trash, which is a driving factor when it comes to rat populations. 

“We are working with ISD (Inspectional Services Department) to rectify outstanding violations, and in some instances we’re going through the city process to challenge violations, particularly because a number of them are arising out of illegal trash dumping by third parties,” Schneider said. “Or violation stickers will be put on dumpsters and tenants then take them off; we don’t see them. So we’re really working hard to wrap our arms around all of that.” 

Why Alpha does not keep track of its violations using the city’s website (https:// tinyurl.com/5952fkx6) was not mentioned. Schneider said they will be installing cameras around the dumpsters to find out who is illegally dumping at Alpha’s properties. Schneider also did not mention how Alpha knows that there is illegal dumping and not insufficient dumpsters (i.e., it is tenants filling up the dumpsters) that is causing the issue. 

Regardless, she said Alpha will be passing the video footage on to ISD “so that they can also investigate.” 

She said the only change to the project since September has been that the trash area will now be enclosed inside the building, based on feedback from District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon. 

D’Isidoro said he understands if those ACA members who said at the last meeting they would never vote for an Alpha project still do not vote for it. “That’s your right to do so and I respect that and you have your full right to express that,” he said. “I think it’s important to note that we’re going to send this thing out for a vote. But if you want to consider what has gone down with the ownership and violations and how they’ve been addressed or not addressed or however you feel about it, we’ll make sure you get to see the full presentation as well as Johanna’s comments this evening and that will allow you to make an informed judgment on the project.” 

The project needs City of Boston Planning Department Board approval and Boston Zoning Board of Appeals approval before it can continue.

 

Boston Bulletin (November 28, 2024):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___28nov2024.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Greenery top topic for 250 Everett (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: December 5, 2024)

 

Residents at a recent City of Boston Planning Department (CBPD) meeting for 250 Everett St. said they wanted more greenery to replace that which has been lost all around the neighborhood. 

The current site for 250 Everett is an industrial/commercial building in some disrepair with a lot of asphalt covering the ground for parking. The proposal, from Mill Creek Development, is for a new six-story building with 235 residential rental units and 117 parking spaces in an underground parking structure. 

Copley Wolfe Landscape Architect Ian Ramney said the project will have a good deal of public open space with landscaping after the development team shifted the building complex to the north. This left a small pocket park on the southern edge of the site facing Everett Street and providing a perhaps nicer path to the adjacent Star Market just west of the site. However, the new building will impact a large area currently covered in trees adjacent to the McNamara House, though it is less impactful than the original plan. 

In total, the site will have 28,683 square feet of public open space and 5,814 square feet of open space dedicated to residents. 

“We’ve had a lot of conversations with stakeholders and the city about improving this space and we have some details to show you how it’s gotten better,” he said. “We’re also looking to preserve a lot of the existing trees on site, which was something we heard was really important.” 

Ramney said the private open space will involve a courtyard that will include a lot of planters and trees to buffer the residential units and provide greenspace for residents. 

Resident Paul Barletta said he felt more trees could be added to the plan. “You have to give back to the community and what I want and others want is we need more trees in this neighborhood because through time, the trees die or people take them out through development for no good reason, whether they’re risk-adverse or they don’t want to rake leaves or whatever. We need more open space and trees to beautify the neighborhood,” he said. 

Barletta said the city just doesn’t put trees back up once they go down. “On Holton Street they had a row of maples going up and down the street and through storms and hurricanes they died off, the guy would come take them away and now there is nothing there,” he said. 

Several residents agreed, and also asked if a bike lane could be added to the site. While that’s not really the purview of a developer, CBPD Project Manager Steve Harvey said he would pass that along to the city, as it is something the administration is looking to do all over. 

“It is rare that I’m on a call like this; not only is the community widely supporting bike lanes but also supporting more trees,” he said. “That’s the mayor’s goal to plant more trees, and our landscape team worked with the developer to make sure that as many trees are on this site as possible.” 

Barlett asked for a tour of the site and Harvey said he would try to arrange it. 

Resident Scott Johnston said he is an abutter to the project at 269 Everett St. and asked that a new shadow study be done because the plan changed so much. He said also he felt the building was massed badly for the neighborhood and amounted to basically a big box that, because it had no step-backs on the higher levels, could lead to a darkening corridor effect on the neighborhood. 

“I am grateful for many of the changes made to the project so far,” he said. “I think it’s a strong move to have the building start and end at a shear wall there… The shadow study and daylight study from the (project notification form) PNF are now out of date with the relocation and reconfiguration of the building. I would love to see those studies redone.” 

Mill Creek Development representative Tim Davis said he heard Johnston’s concerns. “I appreciate your detailed review and point of view and your comments are, you know, definitely understood on our part,” he said.

 

Boston Bulletin (December 5, 2024):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___5dec2024.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Battery storage a glowing concern in Brighton (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: December 19, 2024) 

Representatives from Flatiron Energy held an Article 80 City of Boston Planning Department (CBPD) meeting last week with a few dozen Allston Brighton residents attending regarding the proposed battery storage facility at 35 Electric Ave. 

Flatiron Managing Partner and co-founder Brett Cullen said the reason for the facility is that Boston’s electrical load demand will be increasing by about 150 percent in the coming years. “We’re in an unprecedented amount of load growth not seen since the World War II days,” he said. “It’s attributable to things like electrification projects – conversion from gas to electric inside of buildings – EV cars, more devices, more mobility uses and more people – the population is growing in the area.” 

Cullen also said the city and the state both have renewable energy requirements forthcoming and wind and solar power production methods need battery storage to provide power when such sources are not producing what is needed. Cullen said to support the integration of a projected 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind coming into the system New England will need at least 15 grid scale energy storage plants. 

Safety was the top-of-mind topic at the meeting. Former Boston Firefighter Joseph Fleming went over the safety protocols associated with battery storage. First, he said they are building this project with the upcoming 2026 new fire safety regulations in mind. He also said Flatiron will be paying the Boston Fire Department (BFD) to hire a third-party peer reviewer to make sure everybody’s happy with the safety precautions being taken. 

“They’re going to exceed basically all the applicable standards to the latest research,” he said. “Now the BFD has had a lot of experience with verification of computer-based designs. We saw a lot of them when I was the Fire Marshall and we got pretty good at reviewing them – one of our papers ended up being used by the National Fire Academy.” 

Fleming also pointed to recent research into battery fires in other locations. These fires are generally caused by thermal runaway – which also can have a myriad of outside causes – but basically one battery in a cluster of batteries starts to heat up and catch fire, and then they all do. Most of the time, water is not helpful, and in one 2019 case in Surprise, Arizona, four firefighters were injured because proper procedure had not yet been established, at least according to the Fire Safety Research Institute report on the incident (https://tinyurl.com/5n67nyfz). 

Fleming said that in this incident and several other battery fires across the nation, hazardous materials were found to be in the air. However, they were no more hazardous than those found in a typical house fire. “Now keep in mind there is a reason why firefighters wear masks in a house fire, and that’s because you don’t want to be breathing it,” he said. “The fact that it’s a typical house fire doesn’t mean it’s safe or that you don’t have to worry about it, it just means there is no hydro fluoride gas or unusual metal properties inside, at least according to the testing, but the BFD will look at the results and come to their own conclusion.”

Fleming said the report will also include potential impacts to all adjacent buildings as well as schools and transportation infrastructure – like the Mass Pike – into the safety plan. He said the battery plant itself will have several different layers of protection. Those layers of protection include a protective outside shell, early detection and shutoff of systems heating up, direct injection of fire suppressant into the protective shells, smoke and gas ventilation and lab testing. 

For that last one, Fire & Risk Alliance Director Anthony Natale said that basically means lighting one of these battery modules on fire in a controlled environment and seeing what kinds of gases are produced and whether they are harmful. He also said much of these precautions are taking into account what was seen and recorded in real-life situations, like what happened in Arizona or what happened to a Tesla facility in 2022, when a sprinkler system set off and started a problem within the battery system. 

He also pointed to a 2024 fire at Otay Mesa which burned for six days. “Most people would step back and ask, ‘Why did this go on for so long?’, and the reason behind that is one of the things we’ve learned on the firefighting side is the last thing you want to do is apply water; it basically sustains these events,” he said. 

During the question and answer session, resident Matthew Sager said he felt “toxic fumes containing hydrochloric and hydrofuloric acid being emitted” could cause injury and damage to humans. He said despite increased safety precautions and regulations, fires continue to happen at these battery storage facilities. “What this says to me is there is no adequate track record of safety with these facilities and it’s way too risky and it’s insane to consider this, in the name of clean energy, a solution to reliability problems in a densely-populated neighborhood,” he said. “It’s equally unwise to site this next to critical infrastructure, like the Turnpike or the Commuter Rail.” 

Natale said some of the chemicals Sager said he was worried about – hydrogen cyanide – comes from burning plastic and cigarette smoke, which is already in the air quite a bit. He also said they have not seen hydrofluoric acid during these battery fires. 

“I’d love to know where you’re getting that from; we’re not really seeing that,” he said. 

Residents also asked about other facilities that experienced fire and of the community within half-a-mile and two miles was ordered to evacuate. Natale and Fleming said that has been a cautionary measure, and after sensors were deployed at those sites, nothing was found to warrant such evacuations. 

“There will be computer models to estimate what the evacuation distance would be and that modeling is going to be peer-reviewed by someone the BFD hires at the expense of the developer,” Fleming said. “That kind of thing is very common for LNG facilities and other hazardous material facilities.” 

Resident Kelly McGrath said her home is 40 feet from this facility, and said there are also large developments and other places where people congregate. “You’re completely surrounded by people,” she said. “My question is what is the risk you guys are willing to take to get this built. Maybe it won’t happen (a fire), but what if it does? That’s my worry.” 

Fleming said one of the things he learned as a fire marshal is the difference between risk and hazard. Risk determines probability, whereas hazard assumes a dangerous event does take place and hazard mitigation steps are taken to lessen or negate the impact of such an event. 

“That information will be provided to the fire department and they will double check it for validity,” he said. “When all is said and done, there will be a design and a response plan made by the fire department and it will reduce the risk as much as possible.”

Resident Kevin Carragee said he felt the Article 80 process is not convinced. “It’s ill-equipped to deal with these issues,” he said. 

Cullen had said before this that many other regulatory bodies have their own processes of approval going over this project. “The City Council is going to have a hearing on city policies regarding these facilities in 2025, and I don’t understand why this has to be moved through the CBPD process before that hearing takes place,” Carragee said. “Obviously I appreciate the consultants’ comments, and I don’t have expertise on this, but the consultants are linked to the project and we don’t have a third-party review. They’re just starting the process to review this... But we don’t have the information we need at this moment.” 

The comment period for this project is open until Jan. 20. to leave a comment or for more information on this project, go to https:// tinyurl.com/4z29bzv

Boston Bulletin (December 19, 2024):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___19dec2024.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Joint Task Force debates Harvard’s 10-year expansion plan (Dilani Yogaratnam, The Bulletin: December 26, 2024)

The Charles River now basically bisects Harvard University between Allston and Cambridge. The university owns a significant portion of Lower Allston, and so the Harvard Allston Joint Task Force (HATF) came into existence in order to help the Allston community deal with the changes and mitigate the impacts to the neighborhood. 

On Dec. 16, the HATF discussed its Institutional Master Plan (IMP) and then opened the conversation to the public. The deadline for feedback on the IMP, which spans 10 years (2025-2035), is Jan. 20. 

Quinn Valcich, a project manager for the City of Boston Planning Department (CPBD), facilitated the meeting, which elicited responses that started off complimentary and descended into skepticism. 

Mark Handley, director of government affairs and community relations at Harvard, gave an overview of the IMP and said the heart of the plan is one of the community benefits, the Education Portal. Harvard Ed Portal is located at 224 Western Ave. It is both a physical place for the community and Harvard students to share ideas, and also is a website with access to scholarships, events and programs. Membership is free. Given its success, Harvard wants to expand the portal and include more initiatives. 

Task force member Anthony D’isidoro wondered if the Ed portal should be more community driven and said it would be helpful since the neighbors are more aware of their own needs in the next 10 years. 

Handley said he enthusiastically agreed. “We cannot get stuck in past conversations. Fresh ideas are needed,” he said. Handley promised to start an initial conversation on more community involvement before the Jan. 20 deadline. 

Handley gave a 25-slide presentation on the already-filed IMP. Fact sheets of the IMP are available online in several languages (https:// tinyurl.com/4nper8e4). A finalized version of the IMP is set for March 2025. 

Handley said Harvard is continuing to expand and more community benefits are on the way. 

Alexandria Offiong, Director of Planning and Design at Harvard University, laid out the details of the projects across Allston. Some of the top concerns are: open space and recreation, transportation efforts, sustainability planning and community benefits. Analyses of these topics are in the IMP and shows how Harvard has responded to the reports. She said open space comprises 80 percent of the Allston campus and after going over the data, maps are available to show clear pathways to buildings. Harvard said it is supporting sustainable transportation like shuttles and bikes through the money they receive via their projects. 

Harvard plans to be fossil fuel neutral by 2026 and fossil fuel free by 2050 and Handley said it will do this by increasing solar power across its buildings. 

Task force member Tim McHale questioned the District Energy Building function toward a fossil-free campus since he assumed it burns natural gas. Offiong said the building would remain and perhaps transition to a clean energy building. McHale also asked for clarification on the shuttle program. Offiong said the campus shuttles are free and available to the public, but mainly for students. McHale then encouraged the 43 members in the virtual meeting to get their requests in for community benefits by the Jan. 20 deadline so more ideas can be considered. Task force member Hazel Ryerson said she was excited about the potential for the Gateway Project (https://tinyurl.com/4zh69h33), a plan aimed to improve transportation infrastructure in a way that improves livability for neighbors by moving the Mass Pike and increasing development and public transportation. 

“I think it’s really nice there could be something that feels like a strong presence in the neighborhood and could have some frontage on all sides.” She also said she wanted to see a more big picture approach to housing not only for students but for community as well. 

“Creation of housing of all types has been a huge focus of our efforts,” Handley said. He mentioned a spreadsheet in an annual report which expresses all the projects going on currently, but these projects are complex as they are in various stages. A couple clear audible sighs could be heard after that comment. Handley said the small project review for the 65 Seattle St. parcel just ended and that has 44 home ownership-projects at several affordability levels. 

Task force member Edward Kotomori has had scrutiny over this project, Handley said, and during the virtual meeting provided the most pushback and concern regarding Harvard’s goals. Kotomori started off his long feedback by praising the Ed Portal but said he would like to see use of the land behind the portal. 

“You have all that land available. You have all the brains in Harvard to come up with something in conjunction with the neighborhood,” he said. Kotomori then asked why if this portal is so important has there not been an expansion. At this point, someone said, “what?” dramatically. Handley briefly smiled and then referred to new outdoor classrooms and suggested a new programming conversation in person. 

Kotomori questioned why the money in the HarvardLinkage Fund wasn’t better used to support rent. Linkage refers to funds paid to the city by a commercial development, usually set aside for affordable housing. “I realize the city has some responsibility. We are the ones who have had most of the buildings built. We have cooperated fully with construction people. The money has not been poured into the community where it should go.” 

Valcich responded to this by saying the Linkage Funds are governed at the state level and then go into city funds. Any changes to how funds are distributed would need to have policy updates. Handley said his team has figured out ways to “short circuit” the system to accomplish more affordable housing. He cited examples of past projects which got proper funding from multiple sources based on the actual land, stressing the word “land.” He is hopeful for the Seattle Street project to also receive funds in the future. 

Kotomori countered by saying the funds are there and if developers would pour the funds into the community then rents could drastically go down and then asked, “Does the city really want to give affordable housing to the general population? Where is that money going? We don’t know really because it’s not audited.” He added if they can change Article 80 let them also change the process on the Linkage Funds. 

Barbara Parmenter, task force member, said she would like to see additional funding and land donation beyond the Linkage fund for more affordable housing and said she would discuss this with the task force more formally. 

She also brought up data to reduce car trips and said she wants goals set. The fact that the parking spaces are the same said it doesn’t appear hopeful for a reduction in car trips. 

Offiong said the investments are focused on bike facilities and shuttles and proper routes and incentivizing people to use them. Harvard also subsidizes the MBTA passes. The parking facility exists because they haven’t fully convinced people to use public transit or bikes. Parmenter stressed the importance of a set goal in the IMP. “I love the bike lanes on Western Ave.”

Ready for Ringer Park improvements (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: December 26, 2024)

The City of Boston Parks Department recently met with residents in a virtual format to go over the proposed changes to Ringer Park in Allston. 

Senior Project Manager at the Parks Dept., B Chatfield, said originally after a lot of feedback from the community, they went back and obtained funding – around $900,000 – from the Harvard Allston Flex Fund. She said the need was for a bigger park and more activities. 

“At that point we heard that more scope and more things in the project was what the community really wanted,” Chatfield said.

KZLA Design Consultant Kyle Zick fielded questions with the Parks Dept., most of which concerned three areas, the first being the entrance on Imrie Road and the circle, basically at the center of the park. 

He said the whole area will be redesigned from the small grassy area it is now to a half-paved area (with permeable pavers) and bioswales (water retention and infiltration areas) to beautify and improve the park. 

The other big talking points were the playground, the dog park and the sports field, all of which are contiguous to each other. Several residents were concerned about moving the playground from where it is now –south of the proposed permeable pavers, just south of Imarie Road – to where the left field of the baseball field currently sits. 

In the playground’s place would be a dog park. Resident Maggie Margill asked why the move. Zick said the move had several reasons behind it. 

“We think there is some synergy if you have multiple kids with different ages and different interests to be able to use the field and the playground simultaneously and not feel like you have to be in two different geographic areas at two elevations,” he said. “You can keep track of all the kids all in one spot.” 

Zick said the dog park also needed to be in an area not adjacent to residents – the left field/playground location is about 100 feet from the neighborhood – or too close to other areas of the park. Dog pee and children don’t exactly mix well. 

“So there is a big advantage having the dog park here, furthest from residents with good visibility throughout the park while still separated from other park users as well,” he said. 

Resident Bob Pessek asked if the Parks Dept had ever moved a playground to place a dog park. Chatfield said she was unaware of any specific instances. Pessek felt the playground should remain where it is. He said they should have make the playground bigger since they had the extra space. 

“And you didn’t even make it any bigger,” he said. “I don’t make the decisions at the Parks Dept. but I would just leave it there.”

Chatfield said the sports field, sited just to the east of the playground, needs to be of a large enough size to accommodate a variety of games. She also said that there will be no field painting for any specific sport so as to allow the most number of sports to use the field as possible. 

Resident Regina Fink asked about rodent control during and after construction. “Right now there is really a significant rodent problem that I’m sure you’re all aware of. It’s so significant they have chewed up the fence,” she said. “Walking through at night, I mean I don’t wear sandals in the summer because of all the rats.” 

Allston has some of the worst rodent numbers in the whole city and Chatfield said they would try to control things, but it would be tough. She said there are neighborhood cleanups planned for the site, but they don’t have enough in the budget to clean it up completely. 

“We would be doing cleanup as part of the project,” she said. “That is something that we’re aware of that we’d try to add in on this project.” 

Speaking of rodents, Fink also said she would like to see the Parks Dept. maintaining the rabbits in the neighborhood, as well as pollinator species, and asked if some natural habitat could be included, as Ringer Park is an Urban Wild, after all. 

For more information on the project and to see renderings of the new equipment, the siting of the play areas and more, go to https://tinyurl.com/mvbw89hy

 

Boston Bulletin (December 26, 2024):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___26dec2024.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Notification of 290 N. Beacon an issue (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: January 2, 2025)

 

The City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC) held a joint meeting with the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) on the proposed redevelopment of 290 N. Beacon St. 

The redevelopment will include replacement space for band practice and recording spaces that were lost when 155 North Beacon St. – the home of the Sound Museum – was redeveloped for rental dwelling units. This redevelopment will also include affordable housing. 

The actual plan for the building is still in the early design phases and nothing is really set in stone, at least as of this most recent meeting. 

The practice space will be a one-for-one replacement of the 40,000 square feet that was at 155 North Beacon St., and BHA Chief of Staff Taylor Cain said the practice spaces to be built will be available 24/7 for musicians, just as it was at 155 N. Beacon. She also said the redevelopment will be led by the BHA, with MOAC, and it will be looking for a private financial partner to provide funding. 

“Right now, the BHA is developing a request for proposal (RFP) for a co-developer to help develop this project form planning to design to actual construction and occupancy,” she said. “At the same time, MOAC is currently working on an RFP for an operator consultant for the rehearsal spaces and how we’re thinking about co-locating these spaces (housing and music).” 

Cain said they will start planning workshops with residents in early 2025 to develop more concrete plans. One issue still to be dealt with is the sewer easement on the property from the Boston Water and Sewer department. And so, with that in mind, the project will likely be split into two buildings. 

Director of Real Estate Development at the BHA, Joseph Bamberg, said both sites will be owned by public entities like BHA or the City of Boston. He said keeping the site under public control means it will always be available to musicians and will always be affordable housing. He also said the project will be built in phases because of the sewer easement, and that they will start with the rehearsal space. 

Most residents at the meeting were in general support of the rehearsal space replacement, but several residents said they were concerned about the lack of notification of the meeting. As of the date of publication, there was no public notice posted on the Public Notices section of the Boston.gov website. In fact, the only notice of this meeting that could be found by The Bulletin was a Facebook post shared to the Allston/Brighton Community Discussion Facebook page (https://tinyurl.com/5bjzkd8x) and the only other notification that could be found was an Instagram post. 

“I was on the Impact Advisory Group (IAG) for 155 N. Beacon and so I was very interested to learn more about the project,” said resident Ellen McCrave. “I found out about this meeting through kind of a fluke. I get the Boston Planning emails, but not the BHA or MOAC emails. I would like to see more of an outreach to the rest of the neighborhood. I let a lot of the people on that IAG meeting know about it and a lot of them were musicians. I’m not a musician, but we fought hard to advocate for the musicians losing space.” 

McCrave added that there are a lot of other residents interested in finding out about the project. “People were very supportive,” she said. 

Former Sound Museum patron Jesse Vengrove echoed this sentiment. “I was part of the meeting that happened in July and I’m on a bunch of mailing lists and I had no idea this meeting was happening until Amy told me about it this past Friday,” he said. “So I just want to emphasize the point that however this can be broadcast to the community, it should. Not just to let folks know, but also so that musicians know the process is moving forward. It kind of seems like things have been falling into a void.” 

He also said he wanted the space to remain as affordable as possible. “The Sound Museum building, while it was in poor condition and not well managed, was very affordable and it was one thing that was really great about that building.” 

Bamberg said they will have a “really robust outreach strategy,” and said that usually, the BHA reaches out to its residents first through its network, but said they will expand this outreach to make sure the public is aware of future meetings. 

Ami Bennett of Art Stays Here also spoke during the meeting, and pointed to the recent departure of Kara Elliot Ortega, the role of which has been ostensibly taken by the Boston Director of Culture Joseph Henry. “She left two weeks ago for Detroit,” Bennett said. 

Former Sound Museum owners Des Desmond and Katherine Desmond said in 2023 they believed the city’s designation of The Record Co. to temporarily provide space for Sound Museum tenants was a conflict of interest, as she was in a relationship with the non-profit space’s direct Matt McArthur (though Ortega and the City of Boston stated neither was involved in the selection process at the time [https://tinyurl.com/mkj993b3]). For more information on the project, go to https://tinyurl.com/ 478439vu 

Boston Bulletin (January 2, 2025):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_8___2jan2025.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

ACA reviews crime and schedules of events (Katie Krom, The Bulletin: May 29, 2025)

On May 21 at 6 p.m. members of the Allston-Brighton community met in a virtual format to discuss weekly happenings and any questions or concerns the community might have. Anthony D’Isidoro, the president of the Allston Civic Association (ACA), ran the meeting. 

The meeting started with Boston Police Department (BPD) District D-14 Sargent Edward McMahon from District 14 giving a police report. McMahon discussed the recent road rage incident on Commonwealth Avenue near Packard’s Corner involving a hatchet wielding driver who ran another vehicle off the road and proceeded to attack the vehicle and driver. 

“He has been identified and an arrest warrant had been issued,” McMahon said. “He was apprehended very quickly and he is now off the streets.”

For the police report, McMahon said there were some commercial burglaries, five residential burglaries, 18 smaller robberies, and motor vehicle crimes have been down. McMahon stressed the importance of getting your packages delivered in a hidden location and not forgetting to lock up your bike. 

McMahon mentioned that the National Night Out this year will be on Aug. 5 in Smith Field. This get-together is a community policing-awareness program that aims to strengthen a sense of community and promote local safety between police and citizens. 

“Try and get out of work early and show up, we want a good turnout this year,” D’Isidoro said. “This year there will be newer businesses involved, it’s just such a good way to introduce yourselves to the community. We have been trying to have more events at Smith Park, so we are very grateful to have this year’s Night Out there.” 

Kevin L’Herrou, the Allston Brighton Liaison from Mayor Wu’s office, then spoke about some updates from the mayor’s office. Mayor Wu will be having a coffee hour on May 29 at 10 a.m. on the Brighton Commons. There will be free donuts and house plants. 

L’Herrou said, “This is such a good way to connect with city departments and ask questions.” 

L’Herrou gave some more updates about new speed humps that will appear later this summer being placed on Faneuil Street, Parsons Street, Goodenough Street, and Arlington Street. 

In June, the city will continue its Rodent Walkthroughs with inspection services around Allston and Brighton. These are presented by the city as an opportunity to address resident concerns and hear recommendations on termination. You can find more information on the city’s website, https://www,boston.gov. And L’Herrou encouraged everyone to sign up for their neighborhood newsletters to receive updates. 

The Veronica Smith Senior Center’s new HVAC system still has no updates, but be on the lookout because L’Herrou said there will soon be a community meeting for this matter. 

There were also some event updates; Doug Bacon, from Hobson’s Bar and Grill, spoke about his new plan for utilizing the parking lot of the restaurant for an outside bar, live music, pool tables, and electronic games during the late summer and early fall. 

Bacon still plans to get approval from the City Department, Mayor’s Department, Licensing Board and Boston Police and Fire, but said he wanted to share this with the community first and get feedback. 

Bacon only received positive feedback during the ACA meeting. Christine Varriale, an Allston-Brighton resident said, “I love this. There’s a lot of good music content in our neighborhood, it’s always good to see stuff like this pop up.” 

“Don’t hesitate to come by Hobson’s Bar and Grill if you have any questions,” Bacon said. 

Anna Fitzloff, managing director of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T) and her attorney, Ryan Gazda, are working to get a community space liquor license for their outside events space in Cambridge. This is a new type of license that is given to non-profits for community use. 

Gazda explained that the Franklin Park Zoo just received this new community space liquor license for their space, and that having this license for A.R.T would be an amenity to the community that attends the theater. 

“We still need to go through an approval process,” Gazda said. “But if we show them a viable plan, construction underway, and a schedule, this could really be possible.” 

Judith Gibson-Okenieff, from the Boston Transportation Department, then spoke about electric vehicle charging updates. 

“Access to chargers is a real issue in Boston,” Gibson Okenieff said. “And Allston Brighton has the 5th largest number of electric vehicles in Boston.

Gibson-Okenieff spoke about how emissions are very dangerous to our long-term health and it is the city of Boston’s goal to become fully carbon neutral by 2050, and Massachusetts to require all new cars sold to be electric vehicles by 2035. 

Many people do not have a driveway and unfortunately rely on public charging for their EV vehicles, but it is Boston’s goal for every resident to live within a five-minute walk of an EV station by 2030. 

Unfortunately, parts of the city cannot handle superchargers, but Boston is currently working towards adding Level 2 Chargepoint Stations, and some fast chargers throughout. Boston is currently receiving surveys from Boston residents about locations for new chargers. The company Greenspot is currently helping plan charging stations and there are already plans for new spots on 140 Western Ave., 615 Washington St., 85 Tremont St., 1825 Commonwealth Ave., and 2060 Commonwealth Ave.; but these are subject to change. 

The city is now also working with It’s Electric to put curbside charging outside of residential buildings and homes, and property owners will receive some of the profit. And on July 26th, at the Harvard Business School, there will be a Recharge event where you can test drive an EV for free, with the goal of residents switching to EVs. 

The next ACA meeting will be posted to the https://www.AllstonCivicAssociation.org 

Make sure to attend if you have any questions, concerns, or just want to learn more updates about your community.

Boston Bulletin (May 29, 2025):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___29may2025.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

ACA reviews shootings, meetings - Bestows John Woods a lifetime award (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: June 26, 2025)

The Allston Civic Association (ACA) met last week in a virtual format and discussed neighborhood issues.

First, Boston Police Department (BPD) D-14 Community Service Officer Christine Marini discussed two shootings that occurred two weeks ago.

“They don’t usually occur,” she said. “The first was on June 12 on Pomeroy Street, which if you’re not familiar, it’s off of Gordon Street closer to North Beacon. We got a number of calls around 8:09 p.m. of shots fired. We did locate a juvenile male on the sidewalk there, he had a head injury from the fall and a gunshot wound to the chest. He is in critical condition and homicide has taken that case.”

The juvenile victim later succumbed to his wounds on June 17. He was 15 years old.

“Last night, there was another shooting incident around 9:20 p.m. around 282 N. Beacon,” she said, which is adjacent to the Faneuil Gardens Boston Housing Authority (NHA) building. “We got a lot of calls and when officers arrived they found the victim with a gunshot wound to the arm. They applied a tourniquet and got him to the ambulance and he’s going to be okay. Fortunately, on this incident the BHA has video and they anticipate an arrest shortly.” Marini said both shootings did not appear to be random.

In some good news, Marini said the neighborhood is a little safer in one regard, at least. “House breaks are really down,” she said. “We had four last month for the whole month. They’re still in that Gardner, Ashford and Pratt area. We have some video and the detectives believe this is the same person hitting this area and they’re hoping to get a little more on that and make an arrest soon. The suspect came in and the (victim) had a camera and wasn’t home. She called us quickly because she was alerted from her camera someone was in the house. He came in and threw a blanket over the cam era so they have good video for that.”

Marini said another incident saw a witness observe the suspect jumping out of a window, and the witness called the homeowner first before calling the police.

“So my advice is if you see anything like that call us first,” she said. “Then he called the neighbor, she wasn’t home, she got home and she said she believes he got in through the front window. They removed the bars and pushed in the screens. So the best thing to do, and I know the window is nice and you like to leave the windows open, but if you’re on ground floor you really need to shut the window.”

In other news, D’Isidoro announced that the ACA had selected Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation (ABCDC) Director John Woods by the group for this year’s Joseph M. Smith Community Service Lifetime Achievement Award.

D’Isidoro said Woods was selected, along with that of the ABCDC, for helping to bring affordable housing to the neighborhood, which has been seeing home prices and rents spike for the better part of a decade.

“He’s out there doing God’s work,” D’Isidoro said. “As you know, we got the Hill Memorial Project on North Harvard Street and the Warren Building on Washington Street. They purchased some additional units as well and are retrofitting Raymond Street. They’re just doing an extraordinary amount of good work that has taken place in this community. So John, congratulations.”

Woods said he was surprised, to say the least, when he heard.

“I guess it really blew me away when Tony called because it means an awful lot to me to be acknowledged this way,” Woods said. “I’m very grateful and very humbled by the award, especially knowing who got it in the past. There have been a lot of serious hard workers who have gotten it and I really appreciate it. But as Tony mentioned, I’m representing an organization. My mug is very often who you see, but I’m blessed to have a very strong and active board that gives me directions on what to do and very fortunate to have a staff that does most of the things you see celebrated, so thank you very much.”

Woods added he really didn’t believe D’Isidoro when he got the call. “At one point I thought I was getting punked a little bit by Tony, but thank you,” he said. “I want you to know it means a lot to me, thanks.”

Also at the meeting, D’Isidoro said the ACA will be looking to move back to hybrid in-person meetings in the fall at the Community Room of the Honan Allston Branch of the Boston Public Library

ZBA approves farming at West End House (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: June 26, 2025)

The Boston Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) unanimously voted to approve a proposal for farming at the West End House Boys and Girls Club in Allston.

The farm would be a hydroponic indoor 350-square foot farming system housed in a shipping container to both provide food and education for the club’s members. Representative Kevin Gaughan said the additional space will be housed in the existing envelope of the site. He said the project could grow 4,000 to 6,000 pounds of leafy greens for the Food for Families and Daily Meals programs, and would employ about 10 teens for planting and harvesting.

“The only relief we re quire for this is the use, and it’s obviously a very unique use,” he said of the zoning variance relief requests.

CEO of the West End House Andrea Howard said the organization has been in the city for more than 120 years. “And in Allston for almost 55 years,” she said. “This exciting building opportunity enables us to expand on our long-term commitment to food security currently, which focuses on scratch-made meals daily, and our Food for Families program which provides food for families every month to more than 900 folks, approximately 25,000 pounds of food every month.”

Howard said the partnership with Container Farms is growing around Boys and Girls Clubs across the nation. “There are several successful ones here in the Commonwealth,” she said. “We are excited about the opportunity to grow up to 6,000 pounds of culturally-preferred vegetables for our families and it also creates a great opportunity for our STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities for our younger kids and it’s going to be a workforce development component with our employment of 10 teens there.”

Gaughan said they have received a lot of support from the local community on the project, and Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services (ONS) liaison Siggy Johnson backed that up. “Our office would like to go on record in support,” he said. After Boston Mayor Michelle Wu took over, ONS has rarely offered an endorsement, preferring to “defer to the Board’s judgment” in most cases.

“Our office flyered within 300 feet of the proposed application and received one letter of opposition which has been filed with the Board. The Allston Civic Association is in strong support of this application, and the West End House is a cornerstone of the Allston Brighton Community, providing extensive benefits to residents and ONS is enthusiastically in support of this application.”

District 9 City Councilor Liz Breadon’s representative Moira McCrave said the councilor was in support of the proposal as well. “The West End House provides critical programming and services to youth and their families in Allston and Brighton,” she said. “With this proposed project, they’ll be able to expand their programming and also be able to expand their services related to food access and security.”

State Rep. Kevin Honan’s representative Alex Camarena also expressed his boss’s support for the project. “Rep Honan wished to highlight some of the benefits of this project, in particular he notes the expanded access to healthy food in our neighborhood, as well as the creation of meaningful opportunities for our youth,” he said. “Rep. Honan urges the Board to support this dynamic proposal and support a project that will strengthen both the health and economic wellbeing of our community and beyond.

Boston Bulletin (June 26, 2025):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___26june2025.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

Flatiron pausing Brighton facility (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: July 3, 2025)

Flatiron Energy announced last week that it is pausing its proposed battery facility at 35 Electric Ave. in Brighton.

The facility was pitched as a storage area for renewable energy to help keep the grid going when wind and solar weren’t providing enough electricity. The new battery system was sold to the neighborhood as filling a need, as it was presented that the local demand for electricity will be increasing by 150 percent in the coming decades.

Flatiron announced to the city last week in a letter – https://tinyurl.com/bdzynwzn – that the proposed battery energy storage system is on pause, citing a lack of clear regulation from the state.

“Please accept this letter as Flatiron Energy’s formal request to pause any further review of our Lite Brite project on Electric Avenue in Brighton,” Chief Development Officer Brett Cullen wrote. “It is our intention to wait until the final BESS safety regulations are published to determine our next steps. We very much respect the work of the City and their state counterparts to finalize their process before moving forward. Our team is pursuing every opportunity to set a new standard of safety for energy storage in Massachusetts and beyond and will continue to share expert industry perspective and analysis where all feel it could be helpful.”

Residents had their own set of concerns during the Boston Planning Article 80 Large Project Review process. Though that process is focused on zoning, development and other such regulations – the state has its own safety review process for these types of infrastructure projects – residents were still concerned about this BESS because of reports coming out of similar facilities bursting into flames.

Most BESS facilities have been sited in rural areas not so close to urban settings, and though accidents and fires are not by any means a common occurrence, they are happening and they spew harmful chemicals and make the air unhealthy to breathe.

Though Faltiron representatives pointed out, any smoke is unhealthy to breathe. These BESS facilities can experience what is called a thermal runaway, in which on cell in the battery complex gets too hot and triggers a chain reaction within the system, setting off other cells and eventually they can catch fire. Many safety systems, including those that were proposed for the Electric Avenue project, try to detect and cut off the thermal runaway before it can really become a problem, but if it does get away from such safety systems, there isn’t much one can do but let it burn.

Much like natural gas systems.

Flatiron maintained in its letter that it would still be proposing safety measures above and beyond what is required.

“The scientific work performed to date clearly demonstrates the limits of community impact under any adverse scenario and the level of safety margin built into the facility, and we were looking forward to sharing those results,” Cullen wrote. “However, as we respect and hear our neighbors in Brighton and their very real concerns for the safety of this facility, we are proactively suspending our process while final safety regulations are enacted.”

For more information on the whole project, go to https://tinyurl.com/4z29bzvt

Boston Bulletin (July 3, 2025):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___3july2025.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

290 North Beacon represents mix of interests (Kwot Anwey, The Bulletin: July 31, 2025)

Eager musicians from across Allston-Brighton and curious residents from the Faneuil Gardens housing community gathered in the apartment complex’s courtyard Wednesday evening, hoping to learn more about the proposed adjacent music space at 290 North Beacon Street.

In a partnership between the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC), the public meeting centered on the shared goal of creating a multi-story building that replaces the lost musician rehearsal space following the forced relocation of Sound Museum, an affordable rehearsal and recording space. The organizations have committed to creating a minimum of 40,000 square feet of music and rehearsal space and potentially developing an additional 30,000 square feet of arts space. BHA also hopes to incorporate public housing into the property.

In December 2021, 155 North Beacon Street was sold to IQHQ and its tenants—including the Sound Museum— were displaced. The space at 155 North Beacon is currently under construction, to be made into a biotech lab and affordable housing. After months of tension between the City of Boston and artists who were forced to relocate to either temporary city-provided practice space or more expensive practice spaces, the city struck a deal with IQHQ, providing the down payment for the acquisition of 290 North Beacon.

“I think one of the things that musicians in particular in Boston have struggled with the most is the inability to plan and rely on their spaces for work and also for performance,” said Allston Brighton resident Lizzie Torres. “I think a lot of people forget that being a musician is a job, and it is work and it is labor. What you’re essentially doing when workspaces [are] removed is that you’re literally taking someone’s office, which if there was the closure of a huge factory or a huge workspace, that would be a very tragic thing. It’s the equivalent of a layoff.”

According to the City of Boston website, the 48,000-square foot parcel will be the first space that will be erected and perpetually devoted to arts, culture and housing. The possession of the property comes after years of complaints that Allston-Brighton is losing its vibrant musical reputation and failing to preserve its music history.

“One of the challenges as we understand and [hear] is how difficult it is to make a music rehearsal space work in a sustain able, long term way, so we put additional investment into the project to ensure that whatever comes forward sustains itself in the long term and operates as a proactive and positive neighbor within the neighborhood,” said Joseph Henry, the Director of Cultural Planning for the City of Boston. “‘How does this work? How do we keep it affordable? What do we mean when we say affordable?... What is the long term ownership model of this space?’”

The meeting took place at the abutting BHA-owned public housing property, Faneuil Gardens. Though the BHA does not have formal property rights over 290 N Beacon, the organization is favored to secure ownership over the parcel. While the two projects were emphasized as separate tasks, the importance of including Faneuil residents in the conversation about 290 N Beacon was heavily highlighted, in large part because drawing strong connections between the two could simultaneously help secure funding for both projects and accommodate “complimentary development”.

“The most successful investments and projects that we’ve done are ones where we can really make a meaningful and sort of obvious connection to the community development of the broader neighborhood,” said BHA Director of Planning and Development, Joe Bamberg.

BHA received approval from the Boston Planning Department for the five-phase development process of Faneuil, also receiving construction approval for the first building, but the organization is still anticipating state-provided funding. The full redevelopment plan could take a decade to complete.

 “290 is not going to have state public housing units, but it will have similar public investment, and we’re working really closely with the City of Boston and MOAC to explore what are the available sources of grant funding and other funding that can support 290,” said Bamberg.

Within the approximate 80 person meeting, the majority of attendees were residents from Faneuil Gardens. Roughly 15-20 people were musicians and artists, some of whom were affiliated with the Art Stays Here coalition, and fewer than ten were abutters. Each group was clustered together in their respective cliques. Ahead of the meeting, which received more turnout than anticipated, staff members from BHA set up additional chairs outside of the event tent.

The meeting sparked concerns from residents about how new construction at 290 would impact their own housing; while artists expressed anticipation and hope for the project, Faneuil tenants voiced anxieties about their ability to return after reconstruction, the overall timeline for the project, and the lack of parking in the area. Murmurs broke out after it was revealed that 290 N Beacon could take two-to three years to begin construction.

“I don’t think it’s realistic. I think it’ll take longer,” said Faneuil Gardens building manager Daniel Martinez. “They really don’t have a plan yet. I mean, Faneuil Gardens was supposed to start years ago, and it’s been delayed a long time.”

At the end of the gathering, individuals got a chance to answer prompts encouraging the envisioning of the neighborhood. The shared prospect of community-building through music and the arts piqued interest in both groups: the idea of kids and seniors from the community taking music lessons from skilled artists while musicians gain access to affordable housing inspired individuals, and there was an emphasis on creating a variety of different housing to accommodate a number of different lifestyles.

“One of the things I was really looking forward to for this meeting and I think was a positive outcome was that there are Allston-Brighton neighbors who came into Faneuil Gardens,” said Faneuil Gardens and 290 N Beacon Project Manager Rahul Ramesh. “Sometimes, I do think there is somewhat of a separation, like ‘public housing residents versus Allston Brighton residents’. I think having that moment of coming together and thinking about this project as one large community was helpful.”

After the BHA officially secures formal ownership of 290 North Beacon, more public meetings are expected. Following the expansion of the small team from BHA and MOAC in the fall, the plan is to add co contractors, developers and arts consultants onto the project, potential plans to demolish the site will be reviewed, looking deeper into safety and accessibility at the site. The design process would follow. Parties of interest could expect 6-12 more months of public comments, at some point transitioning into formal public comments and feedback as outlined by Boston’s Article 80 process.

Too much parking at 80 Gardner? (Jeff Sullivan, The Bulletin: July 31, 2025)

The Boston Planning Department hosted a virtual meeting last week on the proposed addition of 36 units at 80 Gardner St. in Allston.

The plans say addition, but in reality it’s the construction of a new building on a parcel with an existing building. The new building is sited to be built over the existing building’s parking lot. While it would add some parking, architect Dennis Greenwood said they would have a net loss of 10 parking spaces for the two buildings so that the design could accommodate more greenspace. The total number of parking spaces for the two buildings would be 26, and combining the old building’s 28 units, that means 26 spaces for 64 units.

Greenwood said they are looking to eliminate one curb cut to replace it with a drop-off area. The two buildings would have 14 feet separating them.

In terms of open space, he said there would be a shaded tree area on the Gardner-facing side, some benches and greenery in between the buildings and several spaces would be taken out for a greenspace in the back of the existing building.

Most of the comments were positive however several residents had questions regarding the developer and future landlord, Alpha Management.

“In terms of Alpha Management’s long, terrible history of poorly maintained apartments is there any intention of bringing apartments up to a modern standard before starting new construction?” said one resident.

Developer representative Jay Walsh said this is a step in that direction. “This is an example of the work that’s going on within Alpha, to kind of-” he said, before he was cut off.

“To rehab the image, more or less?” said the resident.

“I was going to say improve the existing housing stock,” Walsh said. “Not only with new development, but improve the existing inventory as well. Part of the focus of what we’re doing is to improve operations in terms of how the properties are maintained.”

Walsh said the majority of code violations against Alpha have been related to overflowing trash – and according to Walsh those citations were not the fault of the landlord or tenants, but because of illegal dumping. And so he said they’re trying to rectify that.

“We’ve brought in new members of the team to make sure those areas are secure; we’ve brought in surveillance cameras and things like that,” he said. “Some of the issues of the past have been corrected.”

Greenwood said the trash management plan for this building, which representative Johanna Schneider said is indicative of Alpha’s trash management strategy as a whole, includes expanded trash collection areas and enclosing the trash area, making it only accessible by residents.

“I obviously can’t speak across the whole portfolio, but in this particular instance, that’s the game plan,” he said. “We’re actually looking at expanding the size of the trash as well to make sure it’s sized appropriately.”

But by far the most talked about issue was parking. Resident Jery Zhou said there was too much parking.

“Out of all the people I know, maybe one person owns a car,” he said. “It looks like parking is being reduced, which is good to hear, but I do want to point out that there’s a project at 1035 Commonwealth Ave. that’s like five minutes away from this site that’s a 55-unit project with zero parking spaces. So, there are probably going to be a bunch of students who are living here and students usually don’t bring their cars because it’s such a big expense.”

Several residents pointed out that if you overbuild on parking that can lead to inducing more cars coming into the already choked neighborhood. Residents also pointed out that there is a lot of public transportation in the area, with the Green Line and the 57 Bus both being about a five-minute walk away.

For more information on the project, go to https://tinyurl.com/3wkj4sr3

Boston Bulletin (July 31, 2025):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___31july2025.pdf

[Anthony D'Isidoro]

The hidden gem on the Charles (Matthew MacDonald, The Bulletin: August 7, 2025)

This past Saturday night, Aug. 2, the Friends of Herter Park held its annual Blues Extravaganza at Riverstage (formerly known as the Herter Park Amphitheater) in Allston.

The free show drew about 300 people, nearly half of whom (judging from the hands that went up in response to the question) were visiting the outdoor performance space for the first time.

Although the amphitheater is next to a large parking lot, it could easily be overlooked in the sprawling Christian Herter Park (1175 Soldiers Field Rd.) that it is part of: it’s on a small, round man-made island that is surrounded by an overgrown moat fenced in by enough trees that– if not walking directly toward its clearly marked bridge – one could walk past completely unaware.

Once on the island, however, visitors are instantly removed from all that is around it: the larger park, the river (a literal stone’s throw away), the noise of the road traffic, and the city in general.

The Blues Extravaganza was the most recent performance in the 2025 Riverstage season.

The Love Dogs – a stalwart on the New England blues scene since the 1990s – headlined, as they do every year, and played two sets of horn driven jump style blues that had many in the audience up and dancing in the plaza behind the seating section and in front of the large wooden stage.

They were joined by two special guests: trumpeter/ singer Johnny Blue Horn and singer Toni Lynn Washington Boston’s 87-year-old “Queen of Soul and Blues.” They both sat in for a portion of both sets and it all made for a good time that was made even better by the familiar friendliness of the performers and by the musical comfort food they were ex pertly serving up.

Love Dogs bandleader Ed Scheer estimated that they’ve been playing the venue for about 10 years and – from that first time playing it as part of a larger revue – he and his band were drawn to it. “It sounds good, it looks nice, it’s very pastoral,” he said after they had all finished packing up in the quiet, wooded stillness after the show. “It’s very relaxing. You know what I mean?”

After that first time, Scheer and the Friends of Herter Park came up with the Blues Extravaganza, which became an annual event featuring the Love Dogs and their guests a format that the bandleader at tributed to the tight-knit nature and of the New England blues community. “We are like a big family, and it’s just great,” he explained. “The more people onstage, the better for me.”

It is the Friends of Herter Park who manage the seasonal programming and scheduling for Riverstage, as well as everything else – landscaping, maintenance, infrastructure, expenses – having to do with the site. In fact, the 501(c)(3) is in a five-year lease with the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) and wants to extend it to 15 years to at tract more funding.

The amphitheater itself has a history that goes back to the late 1950s. It was built to serve as the centerpiece of the Metropolitan Boston Arts Center, where – as Friends of Herter Park Chair Tim McHale remarked to the audience between sets – opera would be performed.

For assorted reasons, the opera never took hold and, after a 1964 fire, the amphitheater fell into disuse. Then, in 1971, the Publick Theatre took over to run its summertime performance program but eventually discontinued operations there. In 2010 the site again fell into disuse and disrepair.

It was in around 2016 that Friends of Herter Park – a small group of Allston-Brighton volunteers – took up the task of restoring the amphitheater and the site to performance venue standard. This was done in partnership with the DCR, as well as other entities, and was funded through private donations, sponsorships, and grants. Riverstage continues to operate in this same fashion.

McHale commented in more detail as the second set got going, noting that Friends of Herter Park aims to have about 30 shows per season, from early June through late October. He added that, currently, each show costs approximately $3,000 to stage, making for about a $90,000 budget.

Related to that, the non profit has hired its first executive director – Ciyadh Wells who took the helm a month and-a-half ago, and one of whose major job responsibilities is to bring in money.

“Once that fundraising gets going, there’s no stopping us,” McHale said. As for more imminent plans for Riverstage, he announced to the audience that a new canopy will be in stalled over the stage for next season, and that the DCR intends to repave the seating area sometime this year.

Wells – a classical guitarist– also commented on the programming plan for 2026. “We’re already starting to think about next year and what we’ll do,” she said. “We’ll have some repeating events and some new stuff, too.” Speaking further on this, the new executive director said that the focus is on concerts, but that plays – in keeping with the amphitheater’s past – are also a possibility.

On this comfortable summer night, however, it was all about the blues, and the Love Dogs, Johnny Blue Horn, and Toni Lynn Washington all brought to mind – in their own ways – what an East Coast center for the music Boston had served as for so many years.

Friends of Herter Park board member Peggy Iafrate alluded to this as she worked concessions while the Love Dogs tuned up. “Our goal for next season would be to have a blues show every month, all season long because it’s so popular, and it’s fantastic, of course. We all know that.”

The next Riverstage show will be on Saturday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. and will feature The Nightflies playing the music of Steely Dan. For more information, visit www.friendsofherterpark.org.

IAG discusses 449 Cambridge St. (Dilani Yogaratnam, The Bulletin: August 7, 2025)

On July 31, the Boston Planning Department held an IAG (impact advisory group) virtual meeting on a notice of project change for 449 Cambridge St. in Allston, which was once home to auto body shops and a parking lot.

The proposed multi-purpose building will include seven floors, IDP (inclusionary development policy) artist units, ground retail space as well as open amenity spaces and 63 garage parking spaces, according to the city’s website. It’s slated for 200 units on 449 and 445 respectively.

George Ledwith, representing ExCorde Capital, the development company for 449 and now 445 Cambridge St., gave a presentation, followed by comments by IAG members and then the public. The proposal at 449 Cambridge Street and 2 Emery Road were approved for development in 2022. The update covers adding 445 Cambridge for cohesion and more structural changes, like changes in apartment locations.

SCB (Solomon Cordwell and Buenz) was the original architect of the property since the acquisition in 2021, senior architect Ben Harrison said. The biggest change will be the corner lofts, adjacent to Cambridge and Rugg roads, which were acquired by ExCorde Capital and will be shifted around.

“The previous development was two structures located at 2 Emery Road and 449 Cambridge St.” Emery Road is a private way that separates the two sites. The parcel on the corner lot was 445 Cambridge St., previously not part of the development. Since 2021, much construction around the structures took place. The design team is looking to consolidate the two structures (445 and 449 Cambridge St.) for efficiency and to grow the number of apartment units.

Harrison then presented a slide showing a current rendering of the building compared to the proposed increases in the building, changing it from an L shaped building to a C-shaped shaped one, expanding it closer to Cambridge Street. All the zoning variances will remain relatively the same, which were granted in the previous proposal.

Elevation changes will occur on the south side at the corner of Emery and Rugg roads; a 15-foot grade change allows for parking and loading on the north side, with a full level of underground parking with street access and no frontage along Cambridge St. to allow for urban streetscape, Harrison said. All the ground floor units will be elevated, none at sidewalk level. A lobby will be a rotating artists’ display as this is an artists’ community, Harrison said. An increased retail space will be at the corner of Cambridge St. and Rugg Road.

The total units and IDP units increased, with 17 percent for IDP units; these units will also be the largest. The majority of IDP units will be at 70 percent area median income (AMI). Only the parking was reduced.

IAG member Niki Kuchipudi asked the most questions which seemed to cover many of the IAG members’ as well as public’s concerns. She was specifically concerned with traffic at the corner of Emory and Rugg roads and suggested they tighten the space for pedestrians or add greenspace and, since no response was given, Kuchipudi asked about retail space and suggested the area be broken up into two spaces for affordability for small business owners. Ledwith said he was open to that but it is not something done on day one due to the uncertainty of business owner interest.

Regarding questions around disability access, Harrison said they did not have a set amount of units yet but will definitely comply with the requirements. “These newer developments are often the only opportunities for accessible housing in this area. There’s lots of multi-family homes and older buildings. I think that’s really important,” Kuchipudi said.

Doug Arcand, who lives nearby, called the project exciting but said his concern was the high volume of Uber Eats, Ubers and other deliveries. He hoped for a designated area for this. Ledwith said a cut-out will be on Emery Road for this purpose. Arcand then asked for a date of demolition to which Ledwith said, “If we could do this yesterday I’d be out there myself with a hammer and sledgehammer.”

Because of the addition of 445 Cambridge St. they must redo the drawings, Ledwith explained. Next May or June is the prediction for a start date, noting it will give current tenants at 445 Cambridge plenty of time to find new residences.

Barbara Parmenter asked if it was possible to “geo fence” Emery Road to act as the pick-up spot for Ubers and such. Parmenter said she wasn’t sure if “geo fence” was the right term but when the address is typed in on an app she hoped Emery Road would appear. Ledwith assured her that Emery Road would be the road popping up on delivery apps.

“Can you make it more colorful? It’s just so gray,” asked Sarah Iwany. Ledwith said he would take the consideration but the gray color allowed for the murals to pop.

In response to a question from the public on why so many studio apartments Ledwith said, “It is not a perfectly perpendicular or rectangular site. There’s some angles and walls so it’s hard to get larger units in there.”

Ben Harrison, the principal architect of the design team for SCB, echoed Ledwith’s comment and added the strong need for housing in the area.

Cheryl asked for a reconsideration on AMI for the IDP. Seventy percent AMI “is still quite a chunk of change. I’d like to see a bit more of a range so more folks could be included.” Ledwith said 70 percent is an average so there is a range.

A public meeting took place on August 4 regarding the notice of change for 449 Cambridge St., which now includes 445 Cambridge St.

Boston Bulletin (August 7, 2025):

https://bulletinnewspapers.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/4/8/114832579/boston_bulletin_pages_1_to_12___7aug2025.pdf

[Executive Director]

I was so sorry to miss the Love Dogs and Toni! I hope they come back! 

Looks like I’ll miss another great show this coming weekend as I am out of town! Hopefully fall has an amazing calendar too!

Kelly

Brighton Main Streets

358 Washington Street

Brighton, MA 02135
617-779-9200

dire...@brightonmainstreets.org

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