With its seemingly infinite legal budget, the Boston Redevelopment Authority filed an appeal this week of a Superior Court judgement protecting Long Wharf from development. The March 2017 ruling was the latest loss by the BRA in the “Long War of Long Wharf” versus a North End resident group (dba “North End Ten“) and the National Park Service. At Read More…
The decade-long effort to protect Long Wharf‘s open space by a group of current and former North End residents (dba, the North End Ten) received another win this week with a Superior Court judgement against the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA, now known as the Boston Planning & Development Agency). [See Mahajan et al. Read More…
As the City wraps up its recommendations for the Downtown Waterfront Municipal Harbor Plan, we recently received a letter from the National Park Service (NPS) to the State asking about Long Wharf Park … not just the small pavilion at the end, but ALL of the activities / uses / structures around the Marriott hotel and the commercial building on Read More…
The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) lost its appeal in federal appeals court this week in what has been a decade long effort by the city agency to lease the end of Long Wharf for a restaurant development, once proposed as Doc’s Long Wharf, a 220-seat, 4,655 square-foot eatery/bar with outdoor tables. On September 23, 2016, the appeals Read More…
The fight over Long Wharf continues to be a legal slugfest with oral arguments being heard last week in front of a three judge panel at federal appeals court. Despite having spent over $500,000 in legal expenses, the Boston Redevelopment Authority continues to fight for a commercial restaurant development while the National Park Service is intent on keeping the Read More…
Legal expenses by the Boston Redevelopment Authority nearly doubled last year in its fight to lease the space at the end of Long Wharf for a restaurant development. The city agency spent $238,281 during 2015 in legal billings, primarily in a lawsuit against the National Park Service. Last year’s expenditures make up almost half of the $552,386 grand total of legal expenses put toward Read More…
The Boston Redevelopment Authority filed an appeal last week of the Federal Court ruling barring development at the end of Long Wharf. US District Court Judge Saris determined last August that the National Park Service was correct in its assessment that the pavilion and surrounding open space are protected as recreational parkland under the Land and Read More…
A group of local residents, loosely referred to as the “North End Ten,” celebrated the recent federal court ruling against the Boston Redevelopment Authority and its plans to lease the space at the end of Long Wharf for a restaurant development. The NE10 have been fighting the BRA since 2008 to keep the area as an open space park, in Read More…
A federal court judge ruled late Wednesday against the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) in what she referred to as the “Long War of Long Wharf.” The BRA planned to establish an enclosed 220-seat, 4,655 square-foot restaurant/bar with outdoor tables at the end of Long Wharf, once referred to as “Doc’s Long Wharf.” The court ruling favored the defending Read More…
In yet another twist of the six-year fight over the end of Long Wharf, the Boston Redevelopment Authority has filed suit against the National Park Service. In Federal Court, the BRA lawsuit objects to a NPS determination supporting the efforts of a North End citizens group (sometimes called “North End Ten”) to “Save Long Wharf.” Read More…
Long Wharf is soooo Boston. It hits all the buttons—quiet space or active, public uses versus private, lazy landlords sucking the juice from a property with no idea how to be good citizens, a government agency stymied by a need to make money. Something has to give if this place is to live up to Read More…
In a status update this week regarding the disputed Chapter 91 license at Long Wharf, the State has released a letter indicating that the proposed “Doc’s Restaurant falls within the Section 6(f)3 park boundary.” The letter implies the entire end of Long Wharf falls under the Land Water and Conservation Act which protects public investments Read More…