Things to know for Monday: North End Scene on Warmer Days: https://www.instagram.com/p/BRJfSkChgto/?taken-at=254372545 Notable news found elsewhere: City OKs downtown waterfront plan, paving way for 600-foot Harbor Garage tower After years of meetings and debate, real-estate developer Don Chiofaro was given a major step forward when the Boston Planning & Development Agency approved a downtown municipal harbor plan that Read More…
Last minute revisions were released Tuesday to the Downtown Waterfront Municipal Harbor Plan draft by the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA, formerly the BRA). The BPDA Board is expected to approve the plan on February 9th so it can go to State review. The 11th hour revisions are substantial, an effort to incorporate public comments and guidance from the State, said Read More…
The Wharf District Council (WDC) is pushing for a significant increase of 200,000+ square feet in open space on the waterfront as part of its own Public Realm Vision plan released this week. The draft document shown below in its entirety comes in response to the public realm initiative being put forth by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA, formerly the Read More…
The September 28th meeting of the Downtown Municipal Harbor Plan Advisory Committee, hosted by the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), formerly known as the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), heard a presentation from the New England Aquarium (NEAQ). The team presented their concept for a corridor, 1000 feet long and about 80 feet wide, dubbed the Read More…
New pocket parks and public open spaces … expanded Harborwalk … renovated Aquarium plaza … ferry terminal … upgraded public access … the game of trade-offs is afoot in a package of “offsets” to the major developments proposed in the latest draft of the Downtown Waterfront Planning Initiative. The end is in sight for the multi-year planning process that will Read More…
Citywide media were on the scene for the latest City Hall employee indictment, but North End / Waterfront residents tried to get the Mayor’s attention on several community issues at Wednesday’s coffee hour. Neighbors came out in force to protest the closing of the North End Nursing Home and to stop the proposed developments at Harbor Garage and Read More…
Opposition to Don Chiofaro’s Harbor Garage Project has heated up. But some of it is the pot calling the kettle black. Or people in glass houses throwing stones. Hypocrisy is addressed in the New Testament. “why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine Read More…
City officials and the Chiofaro Company have been unable to agree on the “feasibility” of certain development parameters at the Harbor Garage site, adjacent to the New England Aquarium. Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Director, Brian Golden, responded today to concerns by members of the Downtown Waterfront Municipal Harbor Planning Advisory Committee regarding the lack of progress, Read More…
Concerns regarding a stalled planning process for the Downtown Waterfront are being expressed by several members of the Municipal Harbor Planning Advisory Committee. The planning process will set the guidelines for major development sites, including Harbor Garage and Hook Lobster site. In addition to asking why 14 meetings were cancelled this year, the committee members Read More…
The Friends of Christopher Columbus Park Board of Directors sent a letter this week to the Boston Redevelopment Authority highlighting its concerns with the ongoing Downtown Waterfront Municipal Harbor Plan. Complying with Chapter 91 fulfills the spirit of the law: the waterfront first and foremost belongs to the public at large and the interest of the public Read More…
As reported earlier in the month, the Boston Redevelopment Authority released its recommended guidelines for three key Downtown Waterfront sites including the Harbor Garage, Hook Lobster and Long Wharf. The BRA proposes a maximum height for the Harbor Garage of 600′ (up from 150′ current zoning) and minimum open space of 30% (down from 50%). Read More…
After a long pause, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) resumed its meetings for the Downtown Waterfront Municipal Harbor Plan (MHP) Advisory Committee Wednesday at City Hall. The 5th floor Piemonte Room was filled to capacity as the public, mostly Harbor Tower residents, and the press came to hear about the recommendations the BRA is proposing. The three sites discussed Read More…