A rainy night could not stop residents from packing the Nazzaro Center to attend the first official Impact Advisory Group meeting under the BRA Article 80 Large Project review for the Lewis Wharf Hotel proposal by JW Capital Partners.
Above: Enjoy video coverage of the entire September 30th meeting.
Key topics and concerns discussed by IAG Members:
Much of the discussion was dedicated to the traffic study that attempts to predict the project’s impact on traffic in the neighborhood. Reading into the data, several IAG members questioned the credibility of the traffic study due to the numbers being derived off of statistics measured on a Tuesday night in October of 2013 (See video 20:23).
New traffic analysis is being conducted and will be released as soon as possible. IAG members were looking for better analysis on how the hotel amenities like the restaurant and bar will impact traffic in addition to the hotel guests. Also, does the traffic measurements take into consideration the several other projects around the neighborhood, with more buildings set to be built in the North Station and the Seaport?
What will be the distance from the historic Lewis Wharf building to the new building, how far apart would the two buildings be taking into account the distances of the road, parking space, and sidewalks?
A request was made for a rendering from ground level compared to existing buildings due to it being “hard to conceptualize the actual size and scope of this proposal,” emphasizing the need to show the “reality” of the size than just sticking to the, “55 feet height.”
How will the public space be utilized and will it actually be open to the public and up for use? (See video 1:01:35).
What will this development do to benefit the North End? (See video 1:19:06).
Overall, the size of the project, noise concerns and the traffic impact on the community carried the conversation during the meeting.
Meeting Comments and Questions:
- How is it possible that this project can “almost double the amount of green space?”
- Noise will be a factor, not just in the evening with bars and weddings, but food deliveries and garbage pickup.
- The need for project renderings with measurements on the actual diagram with numbers, baselines, etc. “Numbers and measurements are mentioned but none are shown in actual renderings.”
- Safety for people who will be staying in a zone that could be dangerous under harsh weather conditions like Hurricane Sandy.
The official public comment period is open until October 15th. Comments can be emailed for the record to christopher.tracy@boston.gov.
On Wednesday October 7th @ 7:00pm the public is invited to another community meeting where the project will be presented again. This meeting will be in the Nazzaro Center gymnasium and will be more of an open forum and everyone will have an opportunity to speak.
I am not knowledgeable re: the laws, but I’m sure there are those who are, and hopefully they will have the ability to dismiss this Lewis Wharf ‘destruction’.
There are a myriad of issues to consider, some of which are population density in the area, day / night use of new hotel, achievable noise reduction, intrusiveness of pedestrians and vehicles to area, loss of privacy for Lewis Wharf residents, and loss of water view. It would indeed be very disheartening if this plan passes.
If we want to reduce traffic density in the area, how about we review the timing of the lights at then end of Atlantic ave. You have to wait 5 minutes to get 2 cars across, to then wait at another light, to take a left to wait at yet another light. As for noise reduction and traffic, has anyone considered maybe limiting the festivals? I had fireworks set off by crew members at 10pm on a Sunday night. I understand they are considered religious/cultural events, but I don’t really understand why we need weekly events.
Nobody is going to limit the Feasts in the North End which have been held for 100 yrs. You knew about them when you moved here so get over . Go away for the weekend if they bother you that much. Each feast is in honor of a different saint so there are processions or feasts every weekend. This comment has nothing to do with the issues at Lewis Wharf.
Taylor, there are now only 4 Feasts a year & as Joyce wrote in her post a time honored tradition for over a century.As for the suggestion of ” limiting the festivals” some people would find that comment totally disrespectful.It isn’t fair to compare the feasts to the issues at Lewis Wharf.