7%342/8529^2/3,).$!,% %8//(7,1...Walter St. Jeff Sullivan Staff Reporter The Boston City Council met on Nov. 18 for its regular weekly meeting and voted unanimously in favor of a resolution

The long vacant lot at 99 Williams St is used as an ad hoc neighborhood park.PHOTO BY RICHARD HEATH

SNA gets itsway, but

takes heatRicharRicharRicharRicharRichard Heathd Heathd Heathd Heathd Heath

Staff Reporter

The Stonybrook Neighborhood As-sociation (SNA) has been arguing over97 -99 Williams St. for 10 months. Sothey were shocked during the Nov. 9,2020 virtual SNA meeting whenLindsey Santana of the Mayor’s Of-fice announced that the proposed six-unit, attached triple decker would go“straight to the Jamaica Plain zoningcommittee.

“We want to move expeditiously,”she said.

StStStStStonononononybrybrybrybrybrookookookookookContinued on page 10

Council topreserve 108

Walter St.JefJefJefJefJeff Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf SullivanananananStaff Reporter

The Boston City Council met onNov. 18 for its regular weekly meetingand voted unanimously in favor of aresolution to support the preservation,conservation and acquisition of 108Walter St. in Roslindale.

The land is the gateway to theRoslindale Wetlands, for which theLongfellow Area Neighborhood Asso-ciation (LANA) has fought for abouttwo decades to keep from development.District 6 City Councilor Matt O’Malleyand District 5 City Councilor RicardoArroyo sponsored the item, whichO’Malley said is part of the process foraccepting a grant from the Local Acqui-sitions for Natural Diversity (LAND)Grant program.

“It’s been filed for recommendationmade by the Commonwealth of Massa-chusetts Executive Office of Energy andEnvironmental Affairs to process theirawarded grant from an exciting upcom-ing project on 108 Walter St. for theRoslindale Wetlands,” O’Malley said.“Which lay between District 5 and Dis-trict 6. 108 Walter is designated as anUrban Wild area, otherwise known asthe Roslindale Wetlands Urban Wild.This location, as well as the parcel thatabuts it, is for sale.”

O’Malley said he and Arroyo havebeen working with LANA, theRoslindale Wetlands Task Force, thestate government, and the Boston ParksDepartment as well as the Mayor’s Ad-ministration. O’Malley said the grantwill fund the inclusion of affordable

WWWWWaltaltaltaltalter Streeer Streeer Streeer Streeer StreetttttContinued on page 13

The developers for 1717-1725 Hyde Park Ave. have reduced the size of the project and made improvements since the last publicmeeting, with the former proposal above and the new proposal shown below.

COURTESY PHOTOS

IAG meets with Hyde Park Ave. DevelopersDensity and community givDensity and community givDensity and community givDensity and community givDensity and community givebacks tebacks tebacks tebacks tebacks top concernsop concernsop concernsop concernsop concerns

Matt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldStaff Reporter

1111177777111117 HP A7 HP A7 HP A7 HP A7 HP AvvvvveeeeeContinued on page 11

On Nov. 30, the Impact AdvisoryGroup (IAG) for the proposed realestate community at 1717-1725 HydePark Ave. (aka The Residences atReadville Station) met with membersof the project’s team to go over re-cent updates having to do with thedevelopment.

The video conference – arrangedby the Boston Planning & Develop-ment Agency (BPDA) and hosted byProject Manager Lance Campbell –was attended by 27, including fourmembers of the IAG and five devel-

opment team members, and ran abouttwo hours.

The 1717-1725 team – headed byJan Steenbrugge, president and CEOof Ad Meliora, LLC, the Boston-basedreal estate investment firm that ownsthe site – also took questions about theproject, the site of which is partiallybordered by Hyde Park Avenue andthe Father Hart Bridge, and runs downto the inbound railroad tracks atReadville Station. Currently, the lot isundeveloped, aside from a vacantwarehouse.

The proposal includes two six-story condo/rental buildings wrappedaround a courtyard fronted by a small,

publicly accessible park located atthe site’s entrance on Hyde Park Av-enue, and underground garage park-ing for 200 to up to (if stacked) 330vehicles. Additionally, about 3,600square feet have been allotted for afirst-floor restaurant.

IAGs, comprised of nominatedmembers of the community, help todetermine strategies to mitigate pro-posed projects’ social and environ-mental impacts and – for the 1717-1725 IAG – its main meeting con-cerns were density and communitygivebacks. Proposed site changes re-

Volume 20, Issue 50 DECEMBER 10, 2020

Page 2Page 2Page 2Page 2Page 2 The Bulletin December 1December 1December 1December 1December 10, 20200, 20200, 20200, 20200, 2020

BAIA reviews Allston Greencommunity benefits

JefJefJefJefJeff Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf Sullivf SullivanananananStaff Reporter

BAIABAIABAIABAIABAIAContinued on page 7

The Bright Allston Im-provement Association (BAIA)met with representatives fromPartner Properties on the pro-posed Allston Green project atthe corners of Cambridge, Lin-den and Pratt Streets.

The project consists of threebuildings, with the northern-most building, Building A, atthe corner of Cambridge andLinden Streets with 172 unitsand seven stories (81 feet).Building B will be on LindenStreet and will also be sevenstories (78 feet) with 109 unitsand Building C, at the cornerof Linden and Pratt Street, willbe four stories (47 feet) with 68

units. The project initiallycalled for a 14-story building atthe corner of Cambridge andLinden, but because of commu-nity resistance to such densityand height, the developers re-duced the size of the project.

Johanna Schneider, ofHemenway & Barnes, said theyhad presented the project withthe BAIA back in Novemberbut did not have a completecommunity benefits packagespelled out at the time.

“We have since been backto the (Impact Advisory Group)and we have finalized what webelieve to be our package ofcommunity benefits,” she said.“We’re looking to go to theBPDA (Boston Planning andDevelopment Agency) Board inDecember, but we would liketo remind folks of what theproject is and discuss the com-munity benefits we will be pro-viding.”

PCA Architect David Snellsaid the proposal will have 15percent of its rental units dedi-cated for Inclusionary Develop-ment Policy (IDP) income-re-stricted affordable units, whichworks out to about 52 afford-able units.

“Six of those are reservedfor artists, and the AMI (areamedian income) is about 50percent AMI (about $47,000

annually) and that came fromdiscussions with the artist com-munity to come up with an AMIthat was in alignment with theirearnings,” he said. “This is anall-rental compact livingproject, and so that typologydue to its more efficient unitsizes is about $300 to $500 lessthan your typical market-rateunit.”

Snell said they are also pro-viding several public realm im-provements, which include thecreation of 20,000 square feetof open space that will be pub-licly-accessible but privately-maintained.

“That’s about $2 millionright there,” Snell said. “We’realso widening the sidewalksalong Linden Street and PrattStreet, and we’re providing 36new street trees around the site.We’re also spending $350,000to relocate existing utilities onthe ground on Linden on oursite. We’ve been working withthe artist community to buythose affordable artists unitsand on the ground in BuildingA there’s a coworking space forwhich the artists or anybody inthe neighborhood can use.That’s $60,000 a year to rentthat to a commercial tenant, butagain we want to support thethriving artist community we

Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3 Page 3The BulletinDecember 1December 1December 1December 1December 10, 20200, 20200, 20200, 20200, 2020

The former site of Junior's Automotive. Developers are proposing to put up retail and transit-oriented resi-dential units at the former garage.

PHOTO BY MATT MACDONALD

Matt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldMatt MacDonaldStaff Reporter

Apts proposed for former Junior’sAutomotive location

1111133333111118 Riv8 Riv8 Riv8 Riv8 River Streeer Streeer Streeer Streeer StreetttttContinued on page 8

On Monday, Dec. 7, a vir-tual public meeting was held bythe Boston Planning & Devel-opment Agency (BPDA) re-garding a residential/retailproject under review for theJunior’s Automotive site at1318 River St., Hyde Park. Itwas the first BPDA communitymeeting concerning this appli-cation, and had been resched-uled from Oct. 26.

The proposal for the nearly11,000 square foot lot consists

of a five story building with 32one and two bedroom rentalunits spread evenly over the topfour floors, as well as 1,500square feet of retail space anda 19 car parking garage on itsfirst floor.

Four affordable units arealso scheduled for the develop-ment which – rounded up – willmeet the City’s InclusionaryDevelopment Policy (IDP) re-quirement of 13 percent.

The small project reviewapplication (SPRA) was filedwith the BPDA by HP TraxLLC (1820 Hyde Park Ave.) on

Sept. 30. The developer has notyet filed with the City’sInspectional Services Division(ISD) regarding permits andrequired variances.

The meeting ran just underan hour and a quarter and wasdivided into a presentationgiven by principal architectMark Joyce (Phase Zero De-sign), followed by a questionand answer session handled byproject attorney John Pulgini(Pulgini and Norton LLP).


ATMs and “Jack benimble, Jack be quick”

Letters to the Editor

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin(Never known to fail!)

Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt.Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor ofHeaven, Blessed Mother of the Sonof God, Immaculate Virgin, assist mein this necessity. Oh Star of the Sea,help me and show me herein you aremy mother. Oh Holy Mary, Motherof God, Queen of Heaven and Earth,I humbly beseech thee from thebottom of my heart to succor me inmy necessity (make request). Thereare none that can withstand yourpower. Oh Mary, conceived withoutsin, pray for us who have recourse tothee (three times). Holy Mary, I placethis cause in your hands (threetimes). Say this prayer for threeconsecutive days and then you mustpublish and it will be granted to you.

—S.C.A.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin(Never known to fail!)

Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt.Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor ofHeaven, Blessed Mother of the Sonof God, Immaculate Virgin, assist mein this necessity. Oh Star of the Sea,help me and show me herein you aremy mother. Oh Holy Mary, Motherof God, Queen of Heaven and Earth,I humbly beseech thee from thebottom of my heart to succor me inmy necessity (make request). Thereare none that can withstand yourpower. Oh Mary, conceived withoutsin, pray for us who have recourse tothee (three times). Holy Mary, I placethis cause in your hands (threetimes). Say this prayer for threeconsecutive days and then you mustpublish and it will be granted to you.

—S.G.H.

DEAR HEARTOF JESUS!

In the past I have asked formany favors. This time I ask forthis special favor. (Mentionfavor). Take it dear heart ofJesus, and place it within yourown broken heart where yourfather will see it. Then in hismerciful eyes it will becomeyour favor not mine. Amen.

Say for 3 days, promise publicationand favors will be granted.

Grateful Thanks—S.G.H.

SCHOOL COMMITTEEMUST REPRESENTEVERYONE

To the Editor:I read Darragh Murphy’s let-

ter to the editor in last week’snewspaper on theappointed Boston School Com-mittee and his charges of racismagainst a number of the board’smembers.

The letter writer believes thatthe racist issues he brought upare “permanently damaging thisbody’s reputation.” To be honestthe only reason we have an ap-pointed school board today isbecause of the schoolcommittee’s past reputation, es-pecially when it was the five-member at large schoolcommittee, and to a lesser extent,when it became a 13-memberboard with nine district seats.

I believe the appointed boardhas not worked out well for Bos-ton residents or Bostonpublic school parents. Are thecitizens of Boston being servedby board members who are re-ally only responsible to the may-ors who appoint them? I think weall know the answer to this.

I have always been a sup-porter of our public schools andthe educational product the city’spupils are receiving. I haveworked for candidates seekingelection. I have myself attemptedtwice, once in 1977 when I was29 years old trying to get on the5-member board and then againin 1983 when I was 35 years old,this time for the District 1 seatcovering the North End,Charlestown and East Boston. Ifailed on both attempts buthave never given up on makingsure our public schools work forall our children.

The real answer isn’t forcingmembers toapologize and resign. The an-swer is to return to an electedboard of some type. The onlyway the people can have a voiceon our public schools is to electtheir own choices on the schoolcommittee. Make the schoolcommittee members responsibleto all of us.

Sal GiarrataniEast Boston

CHARLES PARK SHOULDBE SUPPORTED

To the Editor:The proposal to build 140

units on the west side of VFWParkway is commendable andshould be supported by the resi-dents of West Roxbury and theCity of Boston. This commer-cially zoned area is perfect for

converting to badly needed hous-ing - whether rental or owneroccupied. We have a serioushousing shortage in the greaterBoston area that is causing hous-ing prices to escalate beyond themeans of lower income andyounger people. The reasonscited by the opposition are with-out merit and reflect an entitle-ment that is correctly labeled“Not In My Backyard” -NIMBY.

Alan WrightRoslindale

CAMPAIGN OFPOLITICALMANIPULATION

To the Editor:Boston Planning (BPDA)

will soon host a virtual meeting,for the fourth time, to discussUnCommon Schools’ proposalfor building a high school at 361Belgrade Avenue. The membersof the Bellevue Hill Improve-ment Association, Inc., voted tooppose the plan after the firstpublic meeting. Since then,other groups and individuals inthe Parkway community havespoken in opposition to the con-struction of ANY school at sucha busy location.

More than three years ago,Uncommon Schools Inc., themanager of Roxbury Prep, begana lengthy process of trying toconvince the Parkway commu-nity to jeopardize its own al-ready-stressed traffic conundrumat the bottleneck entrance toWest Roxbury and Roslindale inorder to construct a large school.

The Uncommon Schools Inc.public campaign for 361Belgrade has been consistentlybuilt upon one point: Politicalmanipulation. It is most unfor-tunate that this manipulation hasovershadowed the gross safetyissues inherent in building a largehigh school on a postage stampspace at a heavily trafficked in-tersection.

Surely there is a suitable andsafe location for Roxbury Prep(the City of Boston. And yes,there are other locations. Ex-amples include 10 acres adjacentto Roxbury Latin School, a largeproperty across the street fromBPD at Ruggles, 88,000 squarefeet at 10 Vale Street owned byUnCommon Schools manager,and the former West RoxburyHigh School land. As an aside,the land at West Roxbury HighSchool would be very easy toprepare for a large schoolcampus. We do not agree withthe elected officials who havethe opinion that the land is too

difficult to build on. This mayor may not be true; we prefer towait for a professional assess-ment.

Ginny GassBellevue Hill Improvement

Association, Inc.

NO INPUT ONCHARLES PARK

To the Editor:With a goal of keeping this

communication short and to thepoint, as I would expect, con-struction is going forward atLaGrange and Centre St. on aproject which I have no recollec-tion of having any communityinput. As in the other case of thedeveloper’s additional wing atthe Spring St project, WestRoxbury residents will have noinput to “100 Charles ParkRoad,” the gateway to MilleniumPark.

As stupid as this may sound,I’ve been told there will be noparking at the LaGrange andCenter St. location and parkingwill be woefully short at the lat-est quest for maximum densityin WR.

Now aside from what appearsto me as being a confluence ofgovernment corruption and de-veloper greed taking maximumadvantage of the crisis created bythe China flu, Thank God theTrump Vaccine will begin roll-ing out to front line workers verysoon, my primary concerns atthis point are the required EPAstudies and actions required toprotect this small section of theCharles River (not already givenover to Harvard) and guarantee-ing the future use of this eco-logical gem for the residentsand preferably, Boston’s stu-dent population.

Additionally, I’m concernedwith the impact that nora llc’sfantasy with again, inadequateparking, will have on the move-ment of students to the educa-tional complex at the end of thestreet known as West RoxburyHigh. Now I feel 100% confi-dent that the students’ propertyhas already been disposed of inthe hallways and backrooms ofcity hall. Hopefully, every Bos-ton parent will “take a nutty”when the bull dozers begin roll-ing through WR High.

Hey Matt, wise of you to getout before the bullets reallystart flying over JP. Homicidesare up 54% this year. Looting,burning and rioting up every-where. Florida bound.

Kirby BoyceBoston

My Kindof Town/Joe Galeota

The next time you’re in asupermarket look at the peopleusing self-checkout: most ofthem are somewhat young. They’re not trying to protect thejobs of the cashiers, many ofwhom are elderly or recent im-migrants: foregoing the “12items or fewer” line, they justwant to get out of the store morequickly.

The argument can be madethat the self-checkout createsjobs for engineers, welders,machinists, and technicians, allof whom receive much heftierpaychecks than those issued tocashiers and their bagging col-leagues. But this is calledprogress.

The use of human cashiersis not featherbedding, which isthe creation of jobs for whichthere is no need. The epitomeof featherbedding used to oc-cur with railroads several de-cades ago: there needed to bea caboose on freight trains tokeep track of the paperwork,and there needed to be a “fire-man” in the diesel locomotive,even though it was equippedwith a dead-man’s throttle tostop a train if the engineer, say,fainted. Cashiers in stores withself-check-out easily solve theproblems that self-checkoutmachines and their opting cus-tomers struggle to do.

Somewhat resembling self-checkout machines in purposeare ATM’s. The average ageof those utilizing ATM ma-chines (yes, there’s a redun-dancy here since “ATM”means “automated teller ma-chines”) is also somewhatyounger than that of retirees. Some of us like to frequentreal, live tellers for transac-tions now that direct deposithas taken over so much in oursociety: our presence providesfor their job security, plus it’sa chance to exchange pleasant-ries with known workers in thecommunity.

In all my years of bankingwith the Brookline Bank since1974, no teller has ever madea mistake with the cash back: the teller counts it twice, and I

count it once before leavingthe window. The cashiersthere are accurate and, thoughit adds nothing to their accu-racy, friendly. The profession-alism and congeniality of long-time administrator Mary Creedat the West Roxbury branch areevident in the rest of thatbank’s personnel. As I said,there has never, ever been amistake in this regard.

Having to resort to using anATM on a recent Sunday at asuburban location brought tolight an unusual problem. Therequest for $500 in cash re-sulted in a not unexpectedplethora of $20 bills. Follow-ing this procedure but not re-ally anticipating any error, Ibegan counting my 20’s withmy now not so nimble fingersafter they were dispensed. Inthe middle of trying to count,I noticed that the receipt I re-quested was being issued. Fumbling with my glasses,mask, newly dispensed cash,and wallet after the counting,I then turned to grab the paperreceipt: too late, the machinephysically retracted the re-ceipt. No amount of cajolingon my part could make theATM reissue the desired re-ceipt.

The next time I will be onguard for the rapid snatch-backof the receipt, unless the ma-chines are programmed to al-low more time for manuallychallenged customers.

The Bulletin Newspapers, Inc.

Boston Office661 Washington St,

Suite 202Norwood, MA 02062 Tel: (617) 361-8400Fax: (617) 361-1933

email: [email protected]

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Tell ‘emwhat you

think with aPlease include your name,

address & telephone number.Unsigned letters will not be

published.


HPNA creates Planningand Zoning Committee

Chair of the new HPNA Plan-ning and Zoning Committee

Mimi Turchinetz

MarMarMarMarMary Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambony Ellen Gambony Ellen GambonStaff Reporter

In response to the number ofproposed developments sprout-ing in Hyde Park, the Hyde ParkNeighborhood Association(HPNA) met virtually on Thurs.Dec. 3 and created a committeeof concerned stakeholders to ad-dress the issue.

Called the Planning and Zon-ing Committee, it is designed toeducate the community about thedevelopment process and thenmobilize concerned residents,according to HPNA presidentJim Kirker.

“I think we need to speakspecifically to zoning code whenwe deal with the ZBA, ISD andthe BPDA,” Kirker said. “But Ithink we also need to get the gen-eral public involved.”

The committee will hold edu-cational workshops on the zon-ing code and the review processto help people gain a better graspof development concerns.

Chaired by former District 5City Council candidate MimiTurchinetz, it will include peoplewho have been concerned aboutrecent proposals near their prop-erty as well as others with a legalbackground. The other membersare: Kirker, Desiree Fortini,Frank O’Brien, Val Mayo,Connor Ebsary and Linda White.

“There’s just so much devel-opment going on, and one of thethings that we’re trying to do isget a handle on it so we’re not

addressing things as they comeup but being a little more system-atic,” Turchinetz said.

Eventually, a goal is “to cre-ate a vision of what Hyde Parkwould look like,” she added.Also, she said that a request isbeing sent to the Boston Planningand Development Agency(BPDA) so that the HPNA be thedesignated neighborhood asso-ciation that gets notices on allHyde Park development plans.

“We haven’t been gettingthat, and that’s written into thecode,” Turchinetz said.

This issue came up regardingthe 1318 River St. developmentmeeting on Dec. 7, where neitherabutters nor the HPNA was noti-fied.

Another big issue that cameup was the approval by the Bos-ton Cannabis Board of SunsMass to open a marijuana dispen-sary at 931 Hyde Park Ave. How-ever, it is against the zoning thatprohibits two pot shops withinone-half mile of one another. Fi-nal approval still has to begranted by the ZBA (ZoningBoard of Appeal) and the state’sCannabis Control Commission(CCC).

Roslindale residents SeanBerte and his wife, JillianDomenici, along with Roxburyresident Armani White, receivedZBA approval as equity appli-cants for their retail dispensarylicense in September. Their shop,Evergreen Farms, will be locatedat 883 Hyde Park Ave. Berte and

White, who attended the meet-ing, had received prior HPNAsupport.

Suns Mass met at the BlueHills Collaborative on Dec. 12,2018 at a meeting that drew about20 people, according to an articlein The Bulletin. Suns Mass nevermet before HPNA.

“The neighborhood was verymuch in support of the EvergreenFarms people getting that particu-lar space,” Kirker said. “For onething, they immediately satisfiedeverything that was set up by themayor.”

The applicants qualify as eq-uity applicants because White isa Black man, and both Berte andWhite had served time for minorcrimes concerning possession ofmarijuana. They are all local resi-dents.

By contrast, Suns Mass is anHPNAHPNAHPNAHPNAHPNA

Continued on page 9

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617.361.8400


Salat was selected by the Red Sox Foundation because of his hardwork and dedication.

COURTESY PHOTO

Salat wins $10,000college scholarship


T h i r t e e n - y e a r - o l dRoslindale resident AbdullahiSalat was one of 12 Boston Pub-lic School 7th graders to takehome a $10,000 scholarshipfrom the Red Sox Foundationrecently.

The Foundation set up theprogram to provide funding toresidents when they go to col-lege for a duration of up to nine

years to help them graduate withas little debt as possible. Salatwas selected as a ‘Straight A’ stu-dent and received Highest Hon-ors this year at his school, theBoston Teachers Union School,and received Student of theMonth at his Mosque for his aca-demic achievement.

Salat said this wasn’t an easyroad for him, and he workedhimself hard to get to this point.

“ I feel like I always had toSalatSalatSalatSalatSalat

Continued on page 9

City Council looking to createConservation Corps


ConserConserConserConserConservvvvvation Coration Coration Coration Coration CorpppppContinued on page 11

The Boston City Councilmet recently and discussed aproposal from District 8 CityCouncilor Kenzie Bok to cre-ate a city-level ConservationCorps. within the City of Bos-ton local government.

Bok said the idea would beto create a city-level dedicatedworkforce for capital projectsrelated to carbon neutralitywhile stimulating the localeconomy.

“This is an initiative that’sin line with other great climate-focused work on the council,”she said. “But my particularoperational focus today reallycomes out of my work as thecouncil’s chair of the Ways andMeans Committee. As you’veall heard me say before, invest-ing in a robust capital budget isone of the best counter-cyclicalthings we can do at the citylevel in response to the eco-nomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The City has afavorable bond rating and byusing it to invest in projects thatwill have a positive impact onBoston for years to come, wecan stimulate our localeconomy.”

Bok said the city on averageleaves about $100 million of

capital project plans on thetable, and she said one of thebiggest bottlenecks for theseprojects is the labor-intensiveRequest for Proposal (RFP)process required by the city.

“By utilizing an expandedcity workforce focused on thesetypes of projects, we could ac-celerate our capital projects andincrease the share of thoseprojects that are environmen-tally-focused,” she said. “Theoriginal federal civilian Conser-vation Corps was one of themost popular and successfulprograms in Franklin DelanoRoosevelt’s New Deal, and wasresponsible for planting morethan two billion trees, which isstill more than half of the re-forestation we’ve done in thiscountry, and created many ofthe hiking and walking pathsstill in use today. Much like theoriginal Conservation Corps, acity-level corps would expandthe types of capital projects wework on rather than increasingmore of the same and couldhelp us complete many of theinitiatives the EnvironmentDepartment has laid out in ourClimate Action Plan.”

Bok said cities like Los An-geles, Seattle and Austin havealready started hiring people fortheir Conservation Coprs.

“Which are staffed by

young people, many peoplewho have lost jobs due toCOVID-19, or people who arein transition out ofhomelessness to plant trees,tend to native plants, restorehabitats, install green infra-structure and solar panels andretrofit municipal and nonprofitbuildings for increased energyefficiency,” she added.

Bok said the Green NewDeal, which the council votedto support in a resolution re-cently, takes a lot of its inspira-tion from FDR’s New Deal, buthas a focus on equity for allAmericans.

“This is about the real needto make strides in our BostonResidents Jobs Policy in con-struction projects,” she said.“We recently had a hearing thatexpressed many of the frustra-tions we constantly encounterin making progress on thatfront. I think a ConservationCorps program could be a realway to expand and diversify theconstruction and laborworkforce in our city.”

Bok said there would be twomajor paths to help the cityachieve this.

“We can partner with unionsto do this by creating a broadproject labor agreement across


The community benefits package will include a new 20,000 square-foot park that will be privately main-tained by the building owner.

COURTESY PHOTO

BAIA continued from page 2have here.”

Snell said buildings B andC will also have murals oneach that they will commissionartists in Allston to work on.He added that two weekends amonth and five business daysa month the 20,000 square feetof open space would be dedi-cated to community program-ming.

Snell said there will also bea new BlueBike station onsiteand will bundle parking costswith rent, which he said hasbeen shown in studies to re-duce car ownership. He addedthat included in the lease agree-ments will be bans on resi-dents’ ability to apply for resi-dent parking stickers, so as tofurther reduce the impact of theproject on parking. He addedthere will also be a bike repairstation and 368 bike spaces forresidents.

BAIA Chair AnnabelleGomes said she is an IAGmember for this project, andwhile she said she felt theproject had seen a lot ofchanges, some good and somebad, she said she thinks now itis a good project for the neigh-borhood.

“Overall, I think this is agood project for the neighbor-hood,” she said. “A lot of theartists there are happy withwhat you’re doing and some ofthe residents I’ve spoken to arereally thrilled with it going

from commercial buildings toa park and really cleaning upthe area and hoping that it willmotivate the other owners in thearea to really transform theneighborhood for the better.”

Resident Bruce Kline askedabout soundproofing and insula-tion for the artist coworker space,since not all artists are quietpainters. He said he was con-cerned about noise spilloverfrom musicians. Snell said thereis a concrete podium on top ofthe coworker space that willdampen sound and added theywill use soundproofing materi-als to dampen the sound comingout of the sides.

“We have not fully designedthe entirety of the interior spaceof that artist co-working spaceand we want it to be a flexiblespace that can accommodate art-ists of all different kinds of art,”he said. “Related to musicians,if this is going to be a place formusic, there are added consider-ations we would put into that.”

Snell added that there will bepower in the park, which couldaccommodate live performancesas well.

One resident asked if therewould be free wifi available fromthe building to residents usingthe park. Schneider said thatwould not be a problem to pro-vide.

The project will likely becoming up at the next BPDABoard meeting,

Conserve our resources.Recycle this newspaper.

St. Jude’s NovenaMay the Sacred Heart of Jesusbe adored, glorified, loved andpreserved throughout the world,now and forever. Sacred Heartof Jesus pray for us. St. Jude,worker of miracles, pray for us.St. Jude, helper of the hopeless,pray for us. Say this prayer 9times a day. By the 9th day yourprayer will be answered. It hasnever been known to fail. Pub-lication must be promised.Thank you St. Jude. My Prayerswere answered.

In gratitude for helping me.

—P.M.


1318 River Street continued from page 3

Pulgini also announced HPTrax LLC manager BhavyaPatel and Phase Zero Designproject architect John Selle,neither of whom actively tookpart in the proceedings.

Joyce, during his presenta-tion, noted the plan takes ad-vantage of the site’s close prox-imity to the Hyde Park com-muter rail station, with a cof-

and James Kirker – Hyde ParkNeighborhood Association(HPNA) President – asked if itwould be possible for his groupto suggest a firm to do it. Re-ferring to the neighborhood’sresidential BPDA develop-ments now in various stages, heexplained his request. “Everytraffic study that’s done justsays that everything’s going tobe glorious and, you know, itprobably isn’t.”

Parking was a related issue:the project falls below the twospot per unit ratio and requiresa variance. Pulgini describedthis as a community benefit.“By limiting the amount ofparking where it’s adjacent tothe train station, and the demo-graphic of the person we’relooking for – younger peoplewho have grown up in HydePark and who want to remainhere and don’t want to beforced out – we feel that lessparking ratios will be better.”

Later in the meeting, how-ever, a Business Street residentdisagreed with the commuterbuilding concept. “People maytake the train to work,” he said,“but they still have cars, andthese cars need to go some-where, and the parking in thisarea is a disaster.”

Many questions regardingthe project had to do with siteenvironmental measures, in-cluding those having to dowith methods in place to en-sure an uncontaminated lot(it’s now home to a mechanic’sgarage, and was formerly thesite of a gas station), and sev-eral that focused on the possi-bility of constructing a net zerocarbon emissions building.

Initially, the response tocarbon reduction was noncom-mittal (when it was firstbroached, DaRosa responded,“TBD” and left it at that) but –when it continued to come up– both the developer (“Wewant to really work toward thatgoal of net zero, and we’recommitted to do that,” saidPulgini) and the BPDA (“TheCity is moving towards carbonneutral development, and netzero,” followed Campbell)seemed to warm up to the idea.

The building’s scale andfive story height was also a re-curring concern (following the

general theme of not being inkeeping with the neighbor-hood) and, at one point,Pulgini was asked about theprecedent of a developmentthat size in the community.

“We haven’t had any devel-opment in Hyde Park, actu-ally,” he said, pausing. “Off thetop of my head, I can think –in Cleary Square – there’s onebuilding being constructedright now. I do not know of anyothers that are under construc-tion or that have been built.”

Throughout the meeting,there was a wary familiaritybetween Pulgini and some at-tendees. This was, in part, be-cause of that one building – at24 units, much larger than itsneighbors – going up at 11Dana Ave., just across thetracks from Junior’s.

Also an SBRA project, andso not requiring an impact ad-visory group (IAG), it was atthe center of the HPNA’slengthy zoning dispute – overits first floor parking garage –with the City and the developer(HHC One Grant LLC), whoPulgini also represents.

Consequently – for 1318River St. – communicationsbetween the BPDA, the devel-oper, and the community be-came a meeting topic, withPulgini as de facto point.Neighborhood activist CraigMartin requested a commu-nity meeting with him oncethe project’s ISD zoning re-jec t ion le t t e r i s i s sued ,Kirker requested an HPNAmeeting with him regardingpreemptive mitigation forthe comprehensive impactof local BPDA develop-ments, and community orga-n izer Mimi Turch ine tzasked him to create an infor-mal IAG.

Dur ing the mee t ing ,Pulgini had offered every-one his cell phone numberand – near its end – he, ineffect, invited them all togive him a call. “I will meetwith anybody, anytime, any-where, and go over thisproject,” he said emphatically.“I want community input.”

For more informationabout the 1318 River St.project, visit:www.bostonplans.org.

fee shop envisioned for the re-tail space, and a public pocketpark to extend from the cornerof the lot (at River and Busi-ness streets) to the traffic is-land/memorial that splits Busi-ness at the intersection.

Other community benefitsinclude the proposed plantingof trees along River Street andpossibly Business Street, and

the installation of sidewalksand curbing around the site.

Joyce added that the targetmarket is a younger demo-graphic – “someone who is us-ing commuter rail, public trans-portation, Uber, Lyft, that willprobably not have two cars.”

While the building’s exte-rior is still under consideration,Joyce did say that – taking thebusy intersection and the traininto context – the design wasleaning modern, adding, “Wefelt that a little bit more of anurban texture would be appro-priate for this location.”

The question and answersession was moderated by thesite’s project manager, EbonyDaRosa and by Senior ProjectManager Lance Campbell, andtopics fell primarily into ahandful of categories: traffic/parking, environmental consid-erations, building scale, andcommunity/City/developercommunications.

The site – on one of HydePark’s main roads – is at abridge intersection leading tothe crossing of another trafficartery (Hyde Park Avenue) inthe neighborhood’s heart. It’salso at the corner of BusinessStreet, a side road and popularshort cut.

At the intersection, Busi-ness Street widens and is di-vided by a traffic island/memo-rial, creating another connectorto River Street and providing atwo-way outlet for the tworoads’ main crossing, whichoften becomes congested. Un-der the proposal, this outletwould be filled in and replacedby a public pocket park thatwould incorporate the memo-rial island. The main intersec-tion would be left intact.

Pulgini explained that Dept.of Transportation (BTD) engi-neers had determined that two-way traffic on both sides of theisland was a pedestrian hazard.Asked if there had been anyconsideration of changing theoutlet to a one-way, he re-sponded, “We have not had thatdiscussion with them. This wasBTD’s suggestion.”

The topic of a project traf-fic study was frequently raised,


HPNA continued from page 5

Salat continued from page 6study in order to get far,” he said.“The less I read and wrote themore lost I felt. It hasdefinitely helped, especially at-tending tutoring after school.”

Salat said he hopes to some-day study computer science, ashe has always liked computers,and putting one of his favoritesubjects, math, to work for him.

“My favorite subjects inschool are Math and ELA,” hesaid. “I like these subjects be-cause math challenges my think-ing, whether it is a simple multi-plication problem or solving al-gebra. I like ELA because writ-ing journals is fun, especiallywhen no one else can read it. Ilike discussions and getting toknow my peers through writ-ing.”

He added one of his favoritepastimes these days may play arole in his interest in computerscience.

“When I finish my assign-ments, I often take a nap whichsometimes leaves me with twohours to either play video games,attend the park or watch YouTubevideos about computer stuff be-cause I am really interested inlearning how to fix computers,”he said.

Salat said his Roslindale homeand his school in Jamaica Plainhave both really provided himwith a sense of community thathelped drive him forward andlearn about the world.

“Roslindale is definitely a funplace to live,” he said. “There’s somany play areas, the people arefriendly and I like the corner stores.My school is definitely challeng-ing but it has its own fun times. Ilike exchanging answers with myfriends, discussing math problemsor playing during recess. My neigh-borhood has definitely impactedmy studies because I have seen a

lot of older kids not attend col-lege because of both family andmoney issues and that motivatesme to attend college so I can latergive back to the neighborhood.”

The Red Sox Foundationscholarship program, known asthe Red Sox Scholars program,has given scholarships to 313 stu-dents to pursue college careerssince 2003. One hundred percentof the Red Sox Scholars havegraduated from high school andhave enrolled in a two- or four-year college program. The pro-gram is funded by AmericanStudent Assistance, Aramark,Biogen Foundation, EasternBank, Doris Buffett’s LettersFoundation, The Lynch Founda-tion, Northern Trust and PGATour, Sunovion Pharmaceuti-cals, and Winter-Lehman Foun-dation as well as by Red SoxFoundation fundraisingevents. Red Sox outfielderJackie Bradley Jr. and his wifeErin serve as the Program Cap-tains.

entity of Harvest Mass Holding,an Arizona-based company. Thisis the seventh state in which Har-vest will have a dispensary.

“We were absolutely opposedto this group going in,” Kirkersaid. “They’ve had a lot of prob-lems everywhere they’ve gone,to be blunt. We simply did notwant that in Hyde Park. Wethought this was a dead issue.”

Kirker said this larger firmwould crush a local retailer. Har-vest also had to pay a $500,000fine in Ohio, Kirker said, forclaiming a Black woman was theCEO for an equity requirementfor ownership and then firing hera day after it opened.

The group has mobilized aletter writing campaign in sup-port of Evergreen Farms to bringto the ZBA in opposition to SunsMass.

Berte said he is in the designreview process currently with theBPDA and is “thrilled with thesupport we’ve gotten from all ofyou and the fact that we’ve got-ten to fulfill one of our dreams.

“I’m not going to lie,” he con-tinued. “We’re greatly concernedto have a competitor within 650feet of us potentially.”

Kirker also gave an updateregarding 11 Dana Ave., whichhas been the primary zoning con-cern for two years. The decisionon the case before the ZBA isscheduled for Tues. Dec. 8 at 1p.m. After the initial hearing sev-eral months ago, information hadto be reviewed by the City’s lawdepartment before the ZBA couldmake a determination.

A debate ensued about

whether the HPNA had legal ac-cess to the opinion that the Cityof Boston lawyers are giving tothe ZBA before the decision isannounced at the hearing becauseof attorney-client privilege. CraigMartin argued that, at the Octo-ber HPNA meeting, District 5City Councilor Ricardo Arroyosaid that the group “can’t be privyto their correspondences untilthey reach a decision.” Now thata legal opinion has been reached,he argued, the group is entitledto know it.

“Councilor Arroyo told ustwice that, not only are we privyto that decision, but also the ex-planations that support that de-cision,” Martin said. “It’s incum-bent upon his office to go get thatdecision for us.”

Caitlin Fleishman, Arroyo’schief of staff, made a clarifica-tion.

“Communication and legalopinion in that case, not the de-cision, is sealed,” she said, “andthat is what is attorney-clientprivilege. So from there, that ishanded over to the ZBA. TheZBA then puts forward the deci-sion. Then that is what is pub-lic.”

Ninety days from the date ofthe meeting, the communicationand legal opinion will be avail-able, she added.

“What we’re saying is theZBA is tied to the decision of thelawyers,” Kirker pointed out.“The lawyers could say, ‘Theseguys came up with a really solidargument … and the ZBA couldlook at it and say, ‘We’re goingto go with as of right.’ We don’t

know.”“He did say that, Caitlin,”

Kirker stressed, referring to Ar-royo.

Martin asked that Fleishmanrequest an email of clarificationfrom Arroyo, which she said shewould do.

Krayla Brice came before theHPNA to introduce herself as theproprietor of a new seafood res-taurant in Logan Square. Gour-met Fish will be located at 10Fairmount Ave., the site of theformer Wingz N Tingz. A gradu-ate of the hospitality program atBoston University, she hasworked as a private chef, special-

izing in seafood dishes.“We’re working on the menu

right now,” she said, noting it willlikely include haddock, grouperand snapper. Brice added she’dlike to serve clam chowder “anda really nice fish sandwich.

“To be honest, we don’t wantto rush it, so we’re consideringopening the kitchen just to createrevenue due to things beingpushed back because of COVID,”she said. “But then, maybe switch-ing and doing a rebrand and re-opening in the spring with a fullmenu and everything up and run-ning.”

The 25 participants appeared

very enthusiastic about anotherdining opportunity in Hyde Park.Kirker noted the timing is perfectbecause of the opening of the newfish market in Cleary Square.

Also on Fairmount Ave., Riv-erside Theatre Works is hoping tomake progress toward gettingfunding for an elevator. RTW ex-ecutive artistic and educational di-rector P.J. Terranova said he hada conversation with Arroyo onOct. 5. Fleishman and Terranovahave discussed a meeting in mid-December, he said.

“The elevator is somethingwe’ve been fighting for for a longtime,” Terranova said.


Lot plan showing the two attached three-family houses, their setbacks and parking arrangement off StedmanStreet. COURTESY PHOTO

Stonybrookcontinued from page 1The 97-99 Williams St. sub-

committee chair Scott Gliddensaid the developers “are stone-walling us.

“They’ve stopped communi-cating with us,” he said. “Allcommunication is coming fromLindsey.”

Joseph Federico first broughthis modest plan for an eight-unitbuilding to the Feb. 10, 2020SNA meeting. Federico boughtthe two parcels in Dec. 2019 for$2.2 million.

Their architect ElaineScales-well known inStonybrook- described her planfor a double building with twingables that was sited for mini-mum impact on the tree canopy.The site is nearly opposite theMinton Stable Community Gar-den.

It was assigned to the usualad hoc SNA subcommittee thatraised criticisms: it wanted a flatroof, fewer units, more trees andimproved driveway access.

Pete Fraunholtz of 109 Wil-liams St. was mainly concernedabout losing the neighborhoodpocket park that had evolved onthe private lot over the years.

“This will radically changethe nature of the neighborhood,”he said at one SNA meeting.

Scales’ revised plans shesubmitted to the JP ZoningCommittee showed a flat roof,three-story, six-unit doublehouse connected by a glass stair-way atrium with glass skylight.

SNA sprang into action onthe eve of the zoning commit-tee meeting on Dec. 2. A mani-festo from the steering commit-tee was stapled to light polesaround the property announcingthe virtual zoning committeemeeting and stating in part:

“We have been ignored bythe developers. We have in goodfaith proposed reasonablechanges. We are the stewards ofour neighborhood’s built fab-

ric… for a social, secure andsustainable neighborhood. Joinus and vote to oppose thisproject.”

The zoning committee hear-ing was less a review of a smallscale, multi-family house on avacant lot than a referendum onthe Stonybrook NeighborhoodAssociation itself.

After listening to a presen-tation by Scales that emphasizedthe site plan and relation of herangled setback buildings withthe neighboring triple-deckers,zoning committee memberMichael Reiskind commented.

“I’m going to hold my noseand vote against this,” he said,“but Stonybrook has to realizethat intransigence is not in theirfavor. They have to learn howto bend.”

Committee member GerryO’Connor agreed.

“I will vote against this butI’m very disappointed,” he said.“I usually support the neighbor-hood but I’m not happy withthis. This has been going on toolong. SNA should take heart; itwill lose credibility.”

Architect Kendra Halliwell,also a committee member, ig-nored the comments and votedto approve.

“This is a great solution,” shesaid. “A really great approachthe way you’ve matched therhythm of the existing build-ings.”

SNA steering committeemember Jon McCurdy said,"My worry is that this [building]skips steps,” he said. “It goesaround the local civic associa-tion. This has not appeared be-fore SNA for vote. It’s still insubcommittee.”

McCurdy said Federico hadignored four e-mails requestingdeferral.

Committee chair DaveBaron was impatient with thisline. “Why are we here today?”

he asked.Subcommittee chair Scott

Glidden, who lives at 12Stedman St., thought big.

“We take our responsibili-ties very seriously,” he said. “Wekeep in mind our future neigh-bors,” he said. “Their qualityof life. If the process had con-tinued this could’ve beenwrapped up. Nine violations aresignificant.”

Baron pressed on.“Say something substan-

tive,” he said. “I understandyou’re unsatisfied, but goingfrom eight to six is significant.Can you say where the problemsare?”

Andrea Howley is a commit-tee member. “How long has thisbeen in subcommittee?” sheasked.

Federico said he made hisfirst presentation to SNA on Feb10, 2020. He said he negotiatedback and forth with the subcom-mittee through August.

“We reduced the unit countfrom eight to six,” he said. “Wepulled back the west block. Scottlives next door. He didn’t like

the gables. He said they blockedhis view, so we added a flat roofand showed it on Aug. 4.

“We asked for an SNA votein August but they declined,”Federico said.

Baron gave more back-ground. He explained there wasan intervention from theMayor’s Office on a Zoom call.

“Not from Lindsey[Santana] but from her boss.They discussed the processproblem,” he said. “Going onfor a very long time. TheMayor’s Office asked to sched-ule this [zoning committee]meeting. They want to move thisalong.”

Baron told The Bulletin af-ter the meeting that the Zoomcall was on Nov. 16 with ONSDeputy Director Faisa Sharif,SNA steering committee mem-bers Jennifer Urhrane, McCurdyand Paige Sparks and Glidden.

“Faisa made clear that thecity can’t have a project in theSNA area take three to fourtimes the amount of time as inother areas of the city or evenJP. I do think ONS made thepoint that they are not going tokeep supporting a SNA process”that keeps a project on hold forso long.”

Santana was on the zoningcommittee call and said that azoning board date would bescheduled for January or Febru-ary.

Committee member LeeGoodman was incredulous.

“I’ve never, ever heard theMayor’s Office stopping a com-munity process,” he said.“Something is very wrong here.”

Howley was equally non-plussed.

“Ten months for six units?”

she asked. “At this rate 40 unitswould take five years. It’s im-portant that these projects getpushed along. We’re in verytough time, but people need tomove forward."

Howley was more accuratethan she knew.

SNA has spent the last threeyears debating low-scale hous-ing at 84 Stonley Road that isnow beginning a third phase bythe same developers.

Max Glickman voted to ap-prove.

“The project looks a lot bet-ter,” he said. “Six families arealways better than a vacant lot.But I want to say somethingabout the process. You will losecredibility with the Mayor’s Of-fice.”

Committee member KevinMoloney disagreed. “We shouldnot let anyone push around aneighborhood association. Notthe Mayor’s Office, not the de-veloper,” he said.

The motion to approve failedfive to four with two absten-tions.

Federico then agreed to de-fer and return to the SNA for fur-ther negotiations and a repeataudience with the zoning com-mittee.

Baron was unhappy. “I’mpersonally annoyed,” he said.“I’ve never heard any respect forthis committee from the SNA.You need to get out of your ownway. Six units kicking aroundfor ten months? No. No. Thishas gone off the rails. [You’re]losing legitimacy.”

No one on the call from theSNA steering committee ac-knowledged the rebukes or re-sponded to Federico’s offer todefer.


a major batch of new work to train climate corps members asthey work on capital projects and provide a pathway into unionjobs, and the other way would be to create a dedicated cityworkforce that works on new types of projects directly,” she said.“What’s important here is we can either wait for the market torespond to our climate needs, which we’ve seen to be unlikely toproduce career paths that are inclusive, or we can grow this di-rect workforce and green economy with equity in mind and witheconomic opportunities for all.”

Conservation Corpcontinued from page 6

The Boston Lodge of Elks #10 delivered 100 Thanksgiving din-ners to Seniors in West Roxbury, Roslindale, Hyde Park, Ja-maica Plain and Dedham. The Lodge usually hosts a Thanks-giving day event for more than 200 seniors, and representativessaid they were disappointed to have to cancel due to COVID-19 restructions and dangers. This year especially, seniors areincreasingly isolated and depressed and many would not havehad a Thanksgiving dinner. "We could not allow that to hap-pen! Our small group of volunteers delivered full Thanksgivingdinners, prepared by Salem Food Market, to seniors in the areain a socially-distanced manner. Many of these seniors were cry-ing and so happy to know that they had not been forgotten bythe Elks! It was a truly great experience to be a part of," saidElks member Jaclyn Greenwood. Greenwood said the Elks willbe looking to do something similar for the group's Easter Din-ner as well, depending on what Covid numbers look like in thespring.

COURTESY PHOTO

1717 HP Ave. continued from page 1ducing the total number ofunits from 285 to 273, and in-creasing the number of afford-able units to 15 percent (41units) from the IDP(Inclusionary DevelopmentPolicy) minimum of 13 per-cent (37 units) drew its imme-diate attention.

Mary Bender and RobertaJohnnene questioned whatthey considered to be theproject’s minor reduction insize, with Johnnene express-ing concern about health im-pacts the development couldhave on the community, giventhe pandemic. “This density isthree times the average, and Idon’t see any effort to scale itdown a little more to stopthat.”

Steenbrugge, describingthe COVID-19 pandemic as“a once in a hundred yearevent,” added that, in order tocover construction expenses,“20 single families are just notgoing to work.” He elabo-rated. “A quality building, youwant to make it look good.That’s expensive. You want tohave nice community rooms.That’s expensive. Parking un-derground is expensive. Allthese things require you to goto a certain size.”

When IAG member NicoleWiggins questioned the per-centage increase in affordableunits, Steenbrugge returned tothis theme, noting the highcost of building on-site units.“It’s much cheaper to just givemoney to the City and buy itoff,” he said, adding that – peron-site IDP unit – Ad Melioracould anticipate losing$200,000 to $250,000. “So anextra 4 units is easily a mil-lion dollars that we give backto the community.”

Under the City’s IDPpolicy, developers may eitherbuild on-site or off-site afford-able housing, or contributecash towards its creation orpreservation within the city.Campbell, however, didclarify that the BPDA hadnever had a scenario in placefor the 1717-1725 develop-ment team to buy out theproject’s affordability. “Thisis a part of the city that coulduse a shot in the arm – so tospeak – on 41, 42 IDP units,”he said of that decision. “It’sjust something in this part ofthe city that we don’t have.”

The development teamalso presented 10 mitigationand community benefits, oneof which was its proposed$10,000 contribution to sup-port local parks.

Martha McDonough – IAGmember and Neponset Riveractivist – advocated for its usefor the construction of aboardwalk/overlook alongMeadow Road, citing Fowl

Meadow’s environmental,historical, and scenic signifi-cance – and the heavy dump-ing going on in it – as reasonsto build a walkway that wouldalso serve as a protective bar-rier.

McDonough also spoke ofher difficulty dealing with theDept. of Conservation & Rec-reation (DCR) about theproject, saying that she hadbeen talking with them, butthat “when we thought theywere on the fast track to getsomething done for our com-munity, they just kind of dis-appeared.” She shared herconcern that it might be “five,six years, or seven years downthe road” before the DCR ac-tually gets to the project.

While Campbell offeredthe BPDA’s help in engagingwith the DCR, Steenbruggesuggested applying the moneyto the site through the City(Fowl Meadow is controlledby the DCR, while MeadowRoad is City property). He putforward, as an example, theinstallation of a camera as partof a system to prevent dump-ing at the site. “I think,”Steenbrugge said, “if it’s Cityproperty, it’s much easier tohave direct results effi-ciently.”

McDonough, while recep-tive to a monitoring system,emphasized the placement ofroad barriers along themeadow’s edge to prevent ve-hicles from easily dumping init. “There are people,” sheelaborated, “that will come upthat road during times whenthey know no one’s there, backup, and they’ll dump all kindsof stuff. And it’s such a sensi-tive area.”

Traffic items took up halfof the mitigations/communitybenefits list. These includedthe proposed completion of asidewalk extension to Reserva-tion Road, the creation andfunding of a transit incentivesubsidy program, the contribu-tion to the City’s Blue Bikeprogram, the installation of abus queue jump lane on HydePark Avenue, and the comple-tion of a post-occupancy traf-fic monitoring study.

The area is known for itstraffic congestion that rou-tinely bottlenecks at the Father

Hart Bridge, and this hascaused community concern re-garding both the proposed1717-1725 development andthe 36-40 Sprague St. projectapproved by the BPDA in Sep-tember, 2019; the Sprague St.site is a quarter mile away fromthe 1717-1725 lot and – likethe pending site – has its oneauto access point next to abridge at an intersection.

Traffic lights were installedon either side of the FatherHart Bridge at roughly thesame time the Sprague St.project was approved, but theyare still not fully operative, andarea traffic currently movesmuch as it did before the nowblinking lights were installed.

At the meeting, Transpor-tation Planner William Conroyannounced that the City washoping to finish the trafficlights installation “within thenext couple of weeks,” whilealso offering his apology to thecommunity for the delay in itscompletion.

The concerns remained,however, and Readville resi-dent Lisa Consalvo – Chief ofStaff for Suffolk 14th StateRep. Angelo Scaccia (who isopposed to the project) – ar-ticulated them at the end of themeeting. “I look at this list, andthis is beneficial to the City ofBoston.” Continuing, she alsopointed out that the trafficlights were to have been in-stalled as pre-emptive mitiga-tion “so that – at least for thedevelopers – we could say that,‘Okay. Well, it’s a little betterwith these lights.’ But I don’tknow, because of COVID andeverything, that didn’t happen.“But I would just say to theBPDA and to the people whoare going to develop, thereneed to be givebacks to thecommunity.”

This was the third IAGmeeting regarding 1717-1725Hyde Park Ave. Last Decem-ber – the project went beforethe BPDA’s Board of Direc-tors, which voted to table itrather than to authorize ascoping determination thatwould have waived any furtherreview.

For further informationabout the project, visit theBPDA website:www.bostonplans.org.

Elks deliver onThanksgiving

Novena to St. ClareAsk St. Clare for three favors,1 business, 2 impossible. Saynine Hail Marys for ninedays, with lighted candle.Pray whether you believe ornot. Publish on the ninthday. Powerful novena. Say“May the Sacred Heart ofJesus be praised, adored,glorified, now and forever,throughout the whole world.Amen.” Your request will begranted, no matter howimpossible it may seem.

—S.G.H.

Novena to St. JudeOh Holy St. Jude Apostle and Mar-tyr, great in virtue and rich inmiracles, near Kinsman of JesusChrist faithful intercessor of all whoinvoke your special patronage in timeof need, to you I have recourse fromthe depths of my heart and humblybeg to whom God has given suchgreat power to come to my assistance.Help me in my present and urgent pe-tition. In return I promise to makeyour name known and cause you tobe invoked. Say three Our Fathers,three Hail Marys and three Glorias.Publication must be promised. St.Jude pray for us and all who invokeyour aid. Amen. This must be said fornine consecutive days. This Novena hasnever been known to fail.

—S.G.H.

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Deaths

DeathsDeathsDeathsDeathsDeathsContinued on page 13

COYNEWilliam P. of West Roxbury,

November 20, 2020. Belovedson of the late William M. andCatherine E. (Gurry). Lovingbrother of Kathleen M. and thelate Richard G. and Kevin G.Dear friend of the late Kay Lane.Also survived by many niecesand nephews. US Army Veteran.Late member Local 25. A FuneralMass was celebrated in St.Theresa Church on Monday,December 7th. Interment MANational Cemetery, Bourne. Wil-liam J. Gormley Funeral Service617-323-8600.

DEMPSEYOliver J. In Hyde Park, for-

merly of Foxford, Co. Mayo, Ire-land, on December 4th. Belovedhusband of Mary (Cawley). Lov-ing father of Nicola and PaulDempsey. Grandfather of Liam,Olivia and Colin. Brother ofJackie, Vincent, Alacoque andthe late Mary, Gerald and Aiden.Funeral from the William J.Gormley Funeral Home, 2055Centre Street, WESTROXBURY, on Wednesday, De-cember 9th. In lieu of flowers,donations in his memory may bemade to Dana Farber Cancer In-stitute, 450 Brookline Ave., Bos-ton, MA 02215 or at dana-farber.org For directions andguestbook, please visit:gormleyfuneral.com William J.Gormley Funeral Home 617-323-8600.

DEVINEClaire T. Age 90, passed

away peacefully in her sleep onNovember 24, 2020 inMiddlebury, Vermont. She wasthe beloved wife of the late Tho-mas G. Devine and devotedmother of Thomas J. Devine, andloving grandmother of Brendanand Tristan Devine. ClaireDevine was born on June 23,

1930 in Boston, Massachusetts,one of four daughters born ofFrancis (Donahue) Lawlor andJames Lawlor. She graduatedfrom Girls Latin School in 1948and obtained her Bachelor’s de-gree in Education from BostonTeacher’s College in 1952. Mrs.Devine went on to obtain aMaster’s degree from BostonUniversity in 1956. It was at B.U.that she met her future husbandwhile they were standing in lineto register for classes. Mrs.Devine was a gifted and dedi-cated teacher. She taught formany years in the Boston publicschools, including the MargaretFuller School. She instilled alove of reading and knowledgein hundreds of children, whoseprogress she followed with pridelong after they had moved onfrom her class. Mrs. Devine wasa lifelong resident of JamaicaPlan until her move toMiddlebury, Vermont two yearsago. She was predeceased by hersisters, Mary McKnight, AnneHarrington, and Dorothy Fenick.She enjoyed travel, music andthe arts, Beatrix Potter, rides onthe swan boats, and conversa-tions with her cats. She was aquiet person with a wry wit andmemorable sense of humor. Shebelieved in doing the right thing.Her home was a well-known des-tination for the neighborhoodchildren who knew “there wouldalways be cookies on hand.” Shecherished time with her sisters,grandchildren, and her manynieces and nephews. A Mass ofChristian Burial was celebratedin St. Theresa of Avila Church,West Roxbury on Friday, Decem-ber 4. Interment private. In lieuof flowers, please consider a do-nation to the A.S.P.C.A.www.lawlerfuneralhome.comThe Mass will be live-streamed.Information about how to viewthe Mass remotely can be found

on the St. Theresa of Avila Par-ish website,www.sttheresaparishboston.comLawler & Crosby Funeral Home617-323-5600.

FRANCOEUR

Ronald F. “Bonzo” ofRoslindale, formerly of WestRoxbury, passed away on De-cember 5, 2020. Beloved son ofthe late Wilfred U. and Mary T.(Hickey) Francoeur. Devotedbrother of Jaqueline M. McLeanof New Mexico, and the lateMary L. Martin and WilfredFrancoeur. Also survived bymany nieces and nephews.Ronald was a veteran of the U.S.Air Force. He was a member ofthe Boston Lodge of Elks #10. Visiting hours will be held at theP.E. Murray - F.J. Higgins,George F. Doherty & Sons Fu-neral Home 2000 Centre St. WestRoxbury on Friday, December11th from 4-7pm. Funeral fromthe funeral home on Saturday,December 12th at 9am, followedby a Funeral Mass at SacredHeart Lower Church at 10am.Relatives and friends kindly in-vited, please follow all covidguidelines. Interment Blue HillCemetery Braintree. Expressions


Walter Street continued from page 1homeownership units on thesite as well as protection for thegreenspace there.

“This is something that is in-credibly exciting, and it’s alsoincredibly complicated,”O’Malley said. “We have anumber of different fundingsources, we have a number ofdifferent jurisdictions. Themere fact that this grant whichwas awarded several weeks agohas to then have a City Councilaffirmation in addition to anaccept and expend order thatwe will be voting on in a shorttime shows the level of nui-sance and complication thatcomes. But suffice it to say weare all united and just as a pointof reference, this has been go-ing on for decades.”

O’Malley said the workstarted with local residentsfrom the area who have beenworking on this since he was akid.

“Playing in these very fields

and wetlands,” he said. “I stillhave family members who livein the back of it. My dad grewup on that house on ConistonRoad. I would play there withmy cousins and with friends inthe neighborhood as a kid. Backthen, in those days it was seenas something that was likely tobe developed unless the neigh-borhood and the city couldcome together. Well we have onthis critical first step.”

The acquisition of this landhas been ranked as the highestpriority from the MassAudubon Society in its UrbanWild Management Plan. Ar-royo said this has been yearsof work by dedicated residents,and he added he hopes that thecity can step in for other areaswhere residents might not havethe means or the free time toadvocate so strongly for con-servation and land preserva-tion.

“One of the parts of this

resolution is that it supports theinclusion and preservation andconservation of 108 Walter aspart of the Roslindale Wet-lands Urban Wilds oncethey’re able to officially ac-quire that land, and speakingcandidly, this part of my dis-trict, it’s one of the nicest partsof my district,” he said. “It’s avery affluent space; we’re talk-ing about a very well-con-nected neighborhood commu-nity group that’s able to advo-cate for itself and understandwhere and how to navigatewhat has been very difficultwaters to get this done. It’s mydeepest hope that this city putsas much energy as they put intoacquiring this parcel for thiscommunity as they will forother parts of the city wherethose means and that ability tonecessarily advocate for thesethings at the same level andfervor isn’t readily available.”

Deaths continued from page 12of sympathy may be made inRonald’s memory to SacredHeart Church 169 CumminsHwy, Roslindale, MA 02131. Ar-rangements by P.E. Murray - F.J.Higgins, George F. Doherty &Sons Funeral Home, WestRoxbury.

McCARTYBarbara T. (Lydon) of West

Roxbury, formerly ofRusheenamanagh Carna, CountyGalway, Ireland, passed awaypeacefully at home surroundedby her family on December 1,2020. Beloved wife of the lateDaniel J. McCarty. Lovingmother of Marie and her husbandJim Zaylor, Jean and her husbandPatrick Cahill, Daniel and hiswife Janice McCarty, PatriciaKeohan, and John and his wifePeggy McCarty. Loving grand-mother of Emily and GraceZaylor, Lauren, Jillian andPatrick Cahill, Hannah, Sarahand Daniel McCarty, HopeKeohan and Matthew and SeanMcCarty. Devoted sister of thelate Mary Fahey, Margaret Walshand Coleman, Patrick, John,Michael, and Val Lydon. Alsosurvived by many loving niecesand nephews. Barbara’s sense ofhumor and beautiful smile willalways be remembered by thelives of those she touched. Fu-neral from the Robert J. Lawler& Crosby Funeral Home, 1803Centre St., WEST ROXBURY.Interment St. Joseph Cemetery.www.lawlerfuneralhome.comLawler & Crosby Funeral Home.617-323-5600.

SAARIAHOAnja August 6, 1945 – De-

cember 1, 2020 of Roslindale,passed away in her home on De-cember 1, 2020, after a fall. Shewas 75 years old. Born inPaavola, Finland, Anja was thedaughter of Leino and T. KaarinaMaki. At the age of six, she,along with her parents and fouryounger siblings, left their Finn-ish farm seeking a better futurein America. They arrived in EllisIsland, New York in March 1952

and settled in Fitchburg. InAmerica, Anja’s independentspirit blossomed and persistedthroughout her life. Once sheput her mind to something, therewas little that could dissuadeher. As a single mother of three,she worked hard to achieve thecredentials that allowed her tohave a long career at theVeteran’s Administration Hospi-tal in Jamaica Plain. She relishedher autonomy and was an inspi-ration to others (especially youngwoman) who were amazed at herability to accomplish everythingfrom cleaning gutters to trans-planting irises to hanging wall-paper single-handedly. Anjaloved spending time outdoors. When her children wereyounger, she often took themhiking and camping in the WhiteMountains. She was an avidskier and a long-time member ofthe Massa-Schussers Ski Club inGlen, NH. She loved to kayakalong the Charles River and golfat Ponkapoag and other localcourses. She also loved to travel,visiting her native Finland, aswell as China, Hawaii, and theGrand Canyon in recent years.When at home, she was equallyhappy to play Mah Jong with herfriends, spend time with hergrandchildren, read a good book,put together a puzzle in recordtime, or watch HGTV with herbeloved cats on her lap. She per-haps enjoyed nothing more thanto sit and swap stories with hersiblings and extended familyover a cup of coffee and a sliceof pulla. Her entire family willmiss her dearly, especially herchildren, Paul, Kim, and Jacob,her grandchildren Benjamin,Megan, Karina, and Julian, hersiblings Jorma, Eila, Antti, andKerttu, and ten nieces and neph-ews. A memorial service will beheld once we are able to safelygather. Letters of condolencemay be sent to the family care ofPaul Saariaho at 122 EastHodges St. Norton, MA 02766. Please consider supporting theMSPCA or the Home for LittleWanderers in lieu of flowers.

Arrangements by P.E. Murray -F.J. Higgins, George F. Doherty& Sons Funeral Home, WestRoxbury.

SANTOSDeborah M. of West

Roxbury, November 29, 2020.Dear and devoted wife of NicolaLupoli. Loving daughter ofCecelia (Matusik) and the lateManuel Santos. Dear sister ofMichael Santos of FL, CherylSantos-Hunt and her husbandAlan of Randolph, ChristinaEmery and her husband Cliffordof NH and Sharon Mason andher husband Carlo of Gloucester.Dear niece of Robert Matusik ofJamaica Plain and MonicaMastrorillo of Hyde Park. Alsosurvived by many loving niecesand nephews. In lieu of flowers,contributions in Deborah’smemory may be made toMSPCA-Angell, 350 SouthHuntington Ave., Boston, MA02130. Guestbook and obit avail-able at www.KfouryFuneral.com

STEARNSPatricia A. “Pat” (Parker) of

the Grove section of WestRoxbury, passed away peace-fully on December 4, 2020 at theage of 78. Pat retired after 20years from the Boston SchoolDepartment as an administrator.She was the former wife of Rob-ert Stearns, Sr. and devotedmother of Robert Stearns, Jr. andhis partner Karen Hogan, ChrisStearns and his fiance JeanieLoVuolo, Keith Stearns and hiswife Fanoula. Cherished grand-mother of Chris, Jr., Taylor Mae,Robbie, Kyle, Allison, Jared,Julianne, Nikolas and Marco. Patis also survived by her great-grandchildren Jacob and Nicho-las, and many nieces, nephewsand dearest friends. Funeral fromThe Robert J. Lawler & CrosbyFuneral Home, 1803 Centre St.,WEST ROXBURY. IntermentSt. Joseph Cemetery. For obitu-a r y ,www.lawlerfuneralhome.comLawler & Crosby Funeral Home.617-323-5600.


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7%342/8529^2/3,).$!,% %8//(7,1...Walter St. Jeff Sullivan Staff Reporter The Boston City Council met on Nov. 18 for its regular weekly meeting and voted unanimously in favor of a resolution