All the proposals, meetings and comment letters for new development may be for naught, at least until after November. According to a Banker & Tradesman article (subscription required), Mayor Menino will halt decisions on any controversial developments until after the November election. In and around our neighborhood, we have three major projects on the drawing board: Harbor Garage Redevelopment, Parcel 9 (Haymarket/Blackstone St) and Government Center Redevelopment, not to mention the zoning discussions as part of the Greenway District Planning Study. Around the city, there are also pending decisions for One Congress Street Garage and the Boston College expansion in Brighton.
Excerpts from the article can also be found at the Dorchester Reporter. The question then becomes, what happens after the election?
Then, there is today’s Herald article regarding the BRA’s compliance group set up to monitor promises made by developers to neighborhoods. After five years and a full-time staff of 4, not one report has been created.
My favorite quote by Christine Colley, the BRA’s debuty director of compliance, “We’ve been developing an automated data system, but it’s still in draft form,” Colley said. “But you can’t do that overnight or in a year or two years or three years.” Really?
