Allston Construction Mitigation Subcommittee 3/3/2026 Notes
Priscilla Anderson
Future meetings:
Tuesday April 7, 2026 Zoom registration
Tuesday May 5, 2026 Zoom registration
Tuesday June 2, 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 D14 community service
Sgt. McMahon is retiring this month; welcome to Sgt. Mark Kervin, born, raised, living in A/B
Numbers are good
2 house breaks: people were home when the suspects entered the house; unlocked window/door/air-conditioner
2 arrests for car breaks, unlocked/key fob left inside
2 package thefts: you can have them delivered to Staples or CVS
1 mailbox on Surry St check stolen and whitewashed: put bills/checks in
Fraud: Social Security asking for things over the phone: they will never do that for real
Anything that's too good to be true is too good to be true
Fraud: offer to purchase a membership list for Chamber of Commerce
Neighbor concern: graffiti tagging/vandalism increase in Allston on both homes and businesses; not the same as murals, not an acceptable part of city life; Mayor needs to bring attention to this.
Defacing property is a felony
Harvard Construction: Ed LeFlore
Enterprise Research Campus
Exterior work, finishing up in the park
Restriping lines that got removed during snow
Milling and overlay of Western Ave to take place in April
Neighbor concern: AMA restaurant: no onstreet or building parking, so you have to valet park for a fee; is this permanent?
American Repertory Theater
Also more exterior work
Masonry being done behind the curtains
Tony D'Isidoro, Allston Civic Association
Allston Labworks parking lot is available to neighbors to park during a snow emergency; up to 100 cars; can enter 2 hours before the snow emergency is issued
New projects getting started:
250 Everett St
Former Post Office on Harvard Ave
Allston Green on Pratt also starting up
Brighton Ave
Elected Officials reports
Mayor Wu's office, Allston-Brighton neighborhood liaison Jennifer Roberts, jennifer...@boston.gov
Thursday coffee hour with the Mayor with the city hall departments; Mayor's Office Hours
Graffiti busters is an initiative of the Mayor's office Graffiti busters team
Block party : https://www.boston.gov/departments/transportation/how-host-block-party
State Rep. Mike Moran's Office, Ben Tocchi, 617.834.0803 Benjami...@mahouse.gov
City Councilor Liz Breadon's Office, Matt Costas, matthew...@boston.gov
Alex Rocha is new District Director and majority of constituent service work; Allston resident; will be attending local meetings including this one
Office hours/listening tour of A/B: https://mailchi.mp/f55486b6a557/join-me-for-office-hours-on-thursday-march-5th
Upcoming budget is going to be cut; basic city services will be provided; may not be able to start new projects
Ben Tocchi, State Rep. Mike Moran's office
This Sunday Rep. Moran hosting annual St Patrick's Day brunch at the Stockyard starting at 10am; Governor will be there too
Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday!
Be careful about online and telephone scams: foreign bot farms are doing industrial scale scams, so just don't send money to anyone you don't know!
Next month Ben will share the construction schedule for all DCR projects in our community this summer
No movement on the NASDEP pipe, but Ben expects some developments soon.
Storm drain overflow and sewage going into the Charles River is still a problem
DCR owns the Charles River and the embankments on both sides; drainage is separate from the MWRA-owned overflow discharges and also separate from BWSC infrastructure
DCR has started hiring lifeguards for this summer 2026; really important to keep swimming pools open to have enough lifeguards; $20-25/hour; they provide training/certification
No news on funding for the Mass Pike/I-90 realignment; still working with consultants that MassDOT is hiring for this project.
Neighbor concern: sidewalk damaged at 40 Windom St
Neighbor concern: need a stop sign on Hopedale St at West Sorrento (not the other way around...)
Neighbor concern: James Roberts Park: neighbors want a dog park, but it's not in the new plan because there's an ordinance that a dog park has to have a 100-foot setback from homes; current plan is focused on trees and the splash pad; neighbors want to keep the fence around the tot lot.
Neighbor concern: snow plowing making it impossible to shovel sidewalks, especially at corners
Neighbor announcement: 25th anniversary of Honan Allston Library in June in Malone Park.
Neighbor request: we want to have a block party in the Hopedale/Windom Street area this summer; asking for help from neighbors to organize it
Oak Square has a block party every summer
We had annual parties for 9 years
Set up your grill in a yard
Old neighbors would come back
Had pony rides, jumping house, band
State Rep. Kevin Honan's office, Alex Camarena, Alejandro...@mahouse.gov