NorthEndWaterfront.com
News & Views for Boston's North End & Waterfront Community
Following a controversial zoning relief decision at 536 Commercial Street, the single-family residence was listed for sale this week at $3,995,000. Last summer, the Zoning Board of Appeal approved the conversion of the 3-family building into a single-family including an enlarged head house and roof deck on the 4-story building. The property was purchased for [...]
It was a celebratory mood at Friday’s official announcement by Mayor Tom Menino that the City of Boston is acquiring the North End / Waterfront property at 585 Commercial Street to be renovated for a new K-8 public school in Downtown Boston. Since the news initially came out, it was disclosed that the City’s purchase [...]
News on the development of 585 Commercial Street has taken a serious turn toward the benefit of Downtown Boston families as the City of Boston is close to acquiring the property for a new K-8 public school, according to people close to the situation. The new school is expected to open in 2016 and serve [...]
With cranes in the air and City Hall’s declaration that “Boston’s Back,” it is not surprising to hear rumblings about new and revived development projects in the North End / Waterfront area. A perennial candidate receiving a boost on the chatter front is 585 Commercial Street between the public tennis courts next to the N. [...]
Batting 0-2 with the neighborhood groups, the property owner at 420 Commercial Street did not receive the support of the North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) to add Segway rentals / tours as part of his zoning use. Owned by Frances Lauria, the current zoning use at the location of the former Mobil site [...]
A requested zoning appeal for Segway rentals and tours at 420 Commercial St. did not receive support by the North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association in a vote of 7-22 against the proposal. The corner site at Hanover & Commercial Streets was formerly a Mobil station. It is owned by Frances Lauria and currently leased [...]
The trash cans at the small park on the corner of Richmond and Commercial Street are gone. Joy M. shares this news and wonders: Why did they take out their trash cans in the park? I know a lot of people eat at that park on the benches and it is nice to have trash [...]
On January 17, 1950, the Great Brink’s Robbery took place in Boston’s North End at the corner of Commercial and Prince Streets. Known today as the “Brink’s Garage,” the property marks where $1,218,211.29 in cash and $1,557,183.83 in checks, money orders, and other securities were taken in the “crime of the century” and the largest [...]
January 15th is the 94th anniversary of the Great Molasses Flood. Twenty one people were killed and another 150 injured on Commercial Street in Boston’s North End when a tank of molasses ruptured and exploded on January 15, 1919. Click images for slideshow. See more at the Boston Public Library’s Flickr gallery. A huge wave [...]
When the City installed the North End bike lanes, they also decided to paint lines as to where parking was permitted on Commercial Street. As you can see from this photo, the permitted parking line extends well beyond the “No Parking” arrow. Ryan Kenny of NEWNC’s Traffic and Parking Committee said that at least one [...]
The North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association, NEWRA, held its monthly membership meeting at the Nazzaro Community Center on November 8, 2012. The following is a summary of the issues heard and votes taken. NEWRA President Jim Salini took the gavel for the first time after October’s annual meeting and elections. He said that among [...]
In addition to Greenway park issues, the North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council, NEWNC, voted on four zoning and licensing request brought by neighborhood residents and business owners. The video shows the presentation, discussion and votes. All four votes were unanimous in favor of the applicant, as noted below. 00:00 in video 64 Cross Street [...]
A woman was robbed Monday night, around 9:30pm, on Richmond Street while walking toward Commercial Street with another woman. According to the Boston Police report, two males were walking in front of the women when a female behind them grabbed the victim’s purse. The suspects were identified as in their late teens/early 20′s and dark-skinned, [...]
This came in from the neighborhood bat line: “Matt, why is no one talking about the unbelievable traffic congestion on Commercial Street since they changed the lanes (removing a vehicle lane to make room for bike lanes)?” Ok, we’ll start. It’s true, driving on Commercial Street from Battery St. to Cross St./Atlantic Ave., less than [...]
The North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association, NEWRA, heard three zoning and licensing requests on Thursday; overwhelmingly supporting one, decidedly opposing another and taking a pass on the third. All three applications were previously supported by the Neighborhood Council, NEWNC. 7 Baldwin Place, Anthony Bova has filed an appeal for zoning relief to change the [...]
Boston Transportation Department representatives from traffic enforcement and engineering attended the July 2012 North End Public Safety Meeting regarding crosswalk signage and parking restrictions in the neighborhood. Traffic enforcement officers clarified that residents cannot park beyond the 2 hour limit in visitor spots, unless it is specifically posted for resident parking. A follow-up with Ryan [...]
Monday night’s public meeting of the North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council, NEWNC, was well-attended with several zoning-related agenda items before the council at the Nazzaro Community Center. NEWNC is an elected council of 12 North End / Waterfront residents that makes advisory recommendations to city officials, primarily on zoning and licensing issues in the neighborhood. [...]
Many have recently admired the revitalized, blooming garden on the corner of Commercial and Fleet Streets, thanks to the efforts and contributions from North End / Waterfront residents and the property owner at 240 Commercial Street. The space is widely viewed by neighbors that walk by the area where Commercial St. meets Atlantic Ave. In [...]
Zoning, Licensing and Construction Committee Meeting Agenda Tuesday, June 26, 2012, 7:00 PM Mariners House, 11 North Square, 2nd Floor Zoning Appeals and License Applications 7:00 PM – 7:20 PM 7 Baldwin Place, Anthony Bova has filed an appeal for zoning relief to change the legal occupancy of the building from 5 residential apartments to 6 residential apartments, adding a one story [...]
The following Commercial Street real estate market analysis is by Chris Tuite of Gibson Sotheby’s (www.ChrisTuite.com). Data includes sales from multiple real estate offices. See the NorthEndWaterfront.com Real Estate Offices page, available under the “Living Here” menu. At the end of the day, the amount of time it takes to sell your home for the [...]
A contractor is caught dumping a pile of construction garbage in this photo taken at the end of Greenough Lane at the intersection of Commercial Street. Left on the curb Friday night, the trash will stay there until the next regular trash pickup on Monday morning. A neighbor captures the violation – a situation all [...]
The majority of the sewers on various streets in the North End have been cleaned and televised to determine their condition. A section of the Commercial St. (Atlantic Ave.) sewer between Cross and Richmond Streets will be lined the week of March 19, 2012. The work is expected to take 3 to 5 days to [...]
North End Stories produces another insightful interview as part of its historical digital narrative project on growing up in the North End. In this video, 94-year-old Nicholas DiCarlo describes the flat on Commercial Street he was born in and touches on why family is so important for Italian-Americans. View more videos and photos at NorthEndStories.com.
The Steriti skating rink on Commercial St. was packed with families and friends to enjoy a day of skating fun and support North End Against Drugs. In addition to public skating, several neighborhood organizations set up informational tables including NEAA – North End Athletic Association, NEWNC – North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council, Paul Revere [...]
A Citizens Connect user complains to the city today about a shredder truck, illegally parked outside Romney headquarters at 585 Commercial St. Mitt Romney’s giant Shredder Truck illegally parked outside his office on Commercial Street. This giant shredder truck often parked in tow zone in front of Romney National HQ, yet never towed or ticketed. [...]
The North End Welcome Station, NEWS, recently shared some information about their pending operations at 75 Commercial Street. According to Joe Ingram, VP Marketing, NEWS is a separate entity from Boston Gliders that has moved its Segway tours to the corner of Hanover & Commercial Streets. Regarding the “Coming Soon” signs in the window, he [...]
Occupy Boston was joined by labor unions in a march through Downtown and the North End / Waterfront to the Charlestown Bridge. The video of the march was taken on Commercial Street about 5pm on Thursday, November 17, 2011. Traffic was stopped along Atlantic Avenue, Commercial Street to the Charlestown Bridge. According to the Occupy [...]
The City has started changing the traffic lines on Commercial Street to accomodate bike lanes running both North and South around the North End / Waterfront neighborhood. In order to make space for the 5’ bike lanes, one Southbound vehicle lane is being removed. The proposal to “buffer” one bike lane inside of the parked [...]
This is how not to throw out paint. Photo taken Friday, October 7th on Commercial Street.
Former Massachusetts House Speaker and North End resident, Sal DiMasi, was sentenced to eight years in prison today by a federal court judge after being convicted on corruption charges last June. In his decision, US District Court Judge Mark Wolf said DiMasi’s life had been “a great American story to a point.” The ruling also [...]
The City of Boston would like your input on a bike lane proposal for Commercial Street and Atlantic Avenue. The proposed plan will create a Harborbike facility with a hybrid option including a cycletrack on one side and a standard bike lane on the other side.
A discussion emerged on the Forum regarding the new signs placed on Jackson Avenue which abuts Copps Hill Terrace (Slide Park) between Charter and Commercial Streets. We went out and took these photos that pretty much tell the story, as described in the forum by Sallie: “In the 30+ years I have lived in the [...]
A new stumbling block entered the mix at the third public meeting where the City’s bike lane proposal was presented for the North End / Waterfront. Using a more conservative safety analysis around driveways, the reduction in the number of resident parking spaces is now expected to be 15-20 instead of the previously thought 5-10 [...]
Mitt Romney will be opening his presidential campaign headquarters at 585 Commercial St. in the North End, according to Boston.com. This week, Romney announced an exploratory committee to run for President, which allows him to start raising money. (See the video.) The currently vacant building at 585 Commercial St. was also the base for Romney’s [...]
“Kitchen Nightmares” production setup on Clark, North and Commercial Streets. Having Hollywood film their movies and TV shows in the neighborhood is a good thing, right? We are told that it is a complement. It is good for the city, good for the economy, just plain good news all around. Until they arrive. Then comes [...]
North End resident Nate Swain has been looking out for the trees at the City park on the corner of Richmond & Commercial Streets. A week ago, Nate sent in the following pictures, noting that 5 trees were dead and the remaining 9 were “bricked in” and having difficulty with irrigation. After a month and [...]