Allston Construction Mitigation Subcommittee 5/5/2026 Notes
Priscilla Anderson
Future meetings:
· Tuesday June 2, 2026 Zoom registration
· Tuesday July 7, 2026 Zoom registration
· Tuesday August 4, 2026 Zoom registration
Chaired by Harvard Allston Task Force (HATF) member Ed Kotomori, this subcommittee invites developer construction mitigation and community relations staff, Boston Police Department District 14, local and state elected officials and their representatives, and local North Allston neighbors, to discuss construction and safety issues in the neighborhood. All are welcome to attend and contribute.
Notes
Police report, Officer Christine Marini, BPD D14 community service
· Only 2 calls in North Allston this month: car blocking a driveway; loud music call on Hopedale St: don't call 311, call 911 for loud noise, multiple calls make a difference; email Offr Marini
· Housebreaks on BU side of Allston, doors unlocked; Storage place on Comm Ave got hit twice
· Wallet stolen, other cars broken into; make sure to lock car doors! Crimes of opportunity
· Packages, bicycles stolen, scams (IRS, fake parking tickets)
Harvard Construction: Ed LeFlore
General
- There is no Boston Calling this year.
- A food festival Pandafest taking place on May 15, 16 and 17 at Ohiri field (Harvard's athletic fields on N. Harvard St).
Enterprise Research Campus
- Western Av paving; mill, overlay, pave completedwith permanent striping to happen one upcoming night; will work on sidewalks, HBS side bike lanes
- Neighbor concern: not all of the extent of Western Av has been milled, despite having the same level of damage as the part that has been milled so far;
- Hague St will be addressed during Phase B.
- Neighbor concern: large dirt piles need to be covered off of Almay St
American Repertory Theater:
- Around a million bricks were laid to complete the residential building facade; tarps are being removed so you can see them; looking for certificate of occupancy by June, and to occupy it when the students come back in August
- ART occupancy permit hoped for end of October; still a lot of work to do before they can host performances there, so mid-2027
Cambridge St hazard near intersection with Lincoln St at the I-90 overpass
- Construction-related trucking and material staging is happening; we can reach out to Ed and Holly if we need expedited information
Elected Officials reports
Mayor Wu's office, Allston-Brighton neighborhood liaison Jennifer Roberts, jennifer...@boston.gov
- May is small Business Month - Link
- Overnight closures of Soldiers Field Rd Eastbound - Link
- Mayor appoints new Parks commissioner - Link (official city press release is not live yet)
- Allstonway welcome weekend - Link
- Harvard drone show - May 22 + May 23 Link
State Rep. Mike Moran's Office, Ben Tocchi, 617.834.0803 Benjami...@mahouse.gov
- Sidewalk and street repairs list for Allston will be shared; weather dependent
- Memorial Drive and Storrow/Soldiers Field Rd closures are not being coordinated; DCR isn't sharing in a timely way; there are eight projects going on in this neighborhood
- Leo Birmingham Pkwy phase 1 road construction should be completed in next two months, then will do the planting (sod next to road); will be dug up again next year for Eversource's Electrical Reliability project.
- Even though Eversource services both Boston and Cambridge, there is currently only one transmission connection between the two otherwise separate grids. A second will be added at the high-voltage substation in Allston. We don't know how they will be run, how they will cross the river. There are several proposals but no decisions yet.
- One issue is that there is a shortage of construction contractors for road crews, they are deployed in as efficient way as possible, which affects timely communication/last minute changes. Notifications to emergency responders and MBTA are prioritized.
- Electric bills will be going up this summer due to hydrocarbon fuels
Neighbor concern: lane-assist on new cars doesn't work well with all the road work and it's hard for some people to turn it off; this needs to be taken into consideration by city planners working on road construction plans. Especially dangerous for cyclists because the lane-assist doesn't detect them. Send Ben an email and he will bring it to DCR's attention.
Neighbor concern: sight-impaired people can't hear electric vehicles approaching; can ride-share Apps have accommodations to alert the driver to impairments, service animals, etc. Ben will talk with the transportation department; perhaps warning signs can be programed into GPS/mapping systems.
Neighbor concern: no level 3 fast chargers in Allston, but other neighborhoods have or are getting them. There are so many ways to get power, why is it so hard to access it? Ben says the complexity involves a privately owned power company that then charges everyone an extra rate adjustment; the challenge of how to store electricity; have to make switches that go both directions; question as to whether electricity be sold at cost or with a slight profit, and charging different rates to residents vs non-residents; Ben suggests advocating with large retailers to build solar panels on top of parking lots and then use the electricity directly to charge shoppers' cars
City Councilor Liz Breadon's Office, Alexand...@boston.gov
State Rep. Kevin Honan's office, Alex Camarena, Alejandro...@mahouse.gov
Tony D'Isidoro, Allston Civic Association