April Newsletter from Lydia Edwards, City Councilor for District One (North End, Charlestown and East Boston):
I’m thrilled to share great news from the Boston Housing Authority and the Bunker Hill housing in Charlestown. The city is proposing a $30m investment in the redevelopment of Bunker Hill, something I’ve advocated for and fully support. The BHA has also pushed for and secured 1000 new vouchers, and will be exploring adjustments that greatly expand the buying power of these vouchers in our heated real estate market.
I’m proud our city is pushing forward to address real issues in our communities when, for many of us, things in Washington, D.C. seem dark. These local efforts and investments will make real differences in the lives of Boston and I’ll continue pressing forward locally to bring new resources for housing in Boston.
I wanted to share a few things going on here at the city council. We’re looking at a range of workforce issues in the City of Boston, including just in the past week equity in construction jobs and the rights of student workers. I firmly believe that economic opportunity should be afforded to all members of our communities and that every job should be a good job. I’m excited to see progress on city efforts towards construction equity, and I look forward to bringing in educational institutions to discuss working conditions on their campuses. Notably, some of the universities with active labor disputes also have lagged on their payment in lieu of taxes contributions – as major landowners and industries, we want to ensure institutions of higher education play a positive role in our city. More to come soon!
I’m also pleased to work with Councilor Essaibi-George and Councilor Andrea Campbell to call for a hearing on parking reform. Yes, parking is a fraught issue. I’ve heard from constituents with a wide range of concerns, including visitor parking, teacher and itinerant parking, parking for seniors, parking for residents at homeless shelters, need for new metered parking in commercial districts and, of course, transportation and traffic congestion! This hearing is meant to be a comprehensive conversation and to supplement existing dialogue around parking passes and parking for home health aides without missing out on key areas communities have asked us to discuss and debate.
Read more at the links about what’s going on at the links below, check out a list of upcoming hearings and stay in touch as the council continues to work through our FY20 budget!
Topics in this month’s newsletter include:
- Community impact as part of development plans.
- Luxury transfer free considered.
- Fair housing laws.
- Suffolk Downs 2.0
Read more about these topics and see upcoming community meetings in the full newsletter.
