The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), alongside MassDOT and the Greenway Conservancy, held an open house Monday evening to narrow down the Parcel 2 site’s programming options by requesting further input from community members.
Participants were encouraged to visit different stations that discussed aspects of the park such as who they’d visit the park with, at what time of the day, what activities would they like to see, and what aesthetic would they like the park to have.

A brief overview of the previous meeting was discussed where officials confirmed the restrictions of the site would limit the amount of trees that could be planted and that a splash pad for a fountain would not be feasible.
A decorative scrim was constructed around the space in August and sidewalk updates are expected to occur soon. Surrounded by traffic from all directions, a focus of the design team is to bring the park down to human scale to make it feel less exposed and more like a neighborhood park. Officials also hope to create a connection between the West End and the North End, as well as a connection with the rest of the Greenway system.

The site currently sees strong sunlight/shade and strong winds during certain seasons, which is another aspect the design team would like to address when deciding on options for the park. The design team has also attempted to sketch out sharp edges and pinpoint where the most natural ports of entry would be. Some suggested ideas for activities at the park were temporary art installations, pop-up vendors, and performances or exhibitions.

Located where Mill Pond formerly existed in 1796, the Parcel 2 site has undergone various changes throughout the years. Officials and the community are excited about the prospects of bringing green space to the area. On October 2nd from 6pm – 7:30pm at City Hall, the project team will present multiple design options and request feedback from the community regarding the design direction. (Please be aware that the date of September 30th is incorrect and the meeting was moved to October 2nd due to the holiday.)
More information about the Parcel 2 project can be found here. Follow NorthEndWaterfront.com coverage of this topic by searching the tag Parcel 2.