Friday, April 28, 2023

The What, When, Where & How of The Summer St. Pilot

updated 04/14/23 with greater detail on April 19th event.

The Boston Transportation Department's Transit Team is hosting three open houses for the Summer St pilot project, the first of which is this Thursday. The intention of the open houses is for BTD staff to answer questions about the Summer St Pilot and address the project's background, context, goals and status. BPDA staff will be in attendance to engage with residents regarding the South Boston Transportation Action Plan.

This six month spring pilot program will include bus/truck lanes, better bike lanes, and improvements to pedestrian infrastructure. The route is Summer St. from E 1st St. to South Station.

Pick the time and place that is best for you:

  • Thursday, April 13th from 5-8p at the Seaport Hampton Inn. 670 Summer St.
  • Wednesday, April 19th from 5-8pm with an Open House running from 5pm-6:30pm and a Presentation and Questions taking place from 6:30pm-8pm at the South Boston Tynan School, 650 E 4th St.
  • Monday, May 1st from 5-8p at District Hall, 75 Northern Ave.


Come by any of the open houses anytime between 5 and 8.


Reach out to transit@boston.gov or (617) 635 4689 with any questions related to the open houses.


originally published 04.11.23

Thursday, April 20, 2023

FPNA Hosts First Ever Neighborhood Hour

 Dear Neighbor,

With more than a few meetings taking place in, around and about the neighborhood, we didn't want to overwhelm you. We decided to change the format of our Tuesday, April 25th Neighborhood Gathering to a Neighborhood Hour.

We will be in the Convener Space at The 105 aka the CRISPR Therapeutics building at 105 West First Street from 6pm to 7pm.

Our Boston Police Community Officers from C-6 will kick off the hour with a crime update. The rest of the time will be unscripted. 

We hope if time allows you will swing by, meet your neighbors and exchange ideas or ask questions about our neighborhood. 

If you have not seen David Bryne's 150 foot mural collaboration with Artists For Humanity, now is your chance.  On your way enjoy taking a walk through A Street Park to see the early spring blossoms. The Mayor will be in the park on May 10th. 

Warm Regards,

FPNA

PS We will return to our regular format at the May 23rd Neighborhood Gathering
.

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Traffic Advisory: Overnight I-90 Ramp Closure 4/19-4/20 

Please be advised that the I-90 highway ramp from Logan Airport to the Seaport District (exit #135) will be closed to traffic on Wednesday and Thursday nights this week (April 19th and 20th). Detours will be set up and in place from 11:00pm – 5:00am on both nights  while structural steel is put in place as part of the 10 World Trade project.

Massachusetts State Police details will be present, and detour signage will redirect all vehicles to the Seaport via I-93 North to Government Center. Alternatively, vehicles coming to the Seaport from East Boston are encouraged to use the Sumner Tunnel for a more direct route.

Please anticipate additional travel time of approximately 10minutes when traveling to the Seaport / South Boston. Thank you for your patience and cooperation, and please continue to contact the 10 World Trade project team with any questions.

As always, we encourage you to reach out to the Project Team with any questions or concerns. Please see the following pages for more information, and we thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

On-site Construction Concerns: (617) 592-6531
Questions via email: mpagliocca@suffolk.com

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

About The Neighborhood This Week & Next

Here is what's going on about the neighborhood the weeks of April 18th and  April 24th.

April 18: Boston Civic Design Commission at 5pm. Fan Pier Parcel H scheduled for 6pm.

April 19 CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON CITY SERVICES AND INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY HEARING on  DOCKET #0146 at 2pm.  A hearing regarding the coordination of construction and utility permits.

April 19: Summer Street Pilot Open House Presentation from 5-8pm. Open House runs from 5pm-6:30pm and the presentation with Q&A takes place from 6:30pm-8pm at the Tynan School, 650 E 4th St. Will the South Boston neighborhood come together on the Summer Street Pilot connecting us all from from E 1st St. to South Station?

April 20: CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS WORKING SESSION ON DOCKET #0137 at 10am. A working session to discuss amending the City of Boston Code, Ordinances to establish protections for the City of Boston tree canopy. The public is invited to listen in. Public comment will not be taken at the working session.

April 21 - 28: Arbor Week with Speak for the Trees. For the second year, Seaport by WS Development is partnering with Speak For The Trees to bring a variety of activities to the Seaport in celebration of Arbor Week!

April 22: Park Serve Day at Moakley Park and Carson Beach at 9am. A special edition Moakley Park Clean-up celebrating Park Serve Day and Earth Day with the MA DCR.

April 24: Tips on Buying an Artist Live/work Coop or Condo at 5:30pm at FPAC Assemblage, 70 Sleeper St. across from the Barking Crab.

April 25: FPNA Neighborhood Drop In 6pm - 7pm at CRISPR Therapeutics, 105 W 1st St.

April 26- 28: 2023 Stone Living Lab Conference: Nature-Based Coastal Resilience in Urban Settings

Monday, April 17, 2023

To Buy An Artist Live/Work Coop or A Condo, That Is The Question

Have you ever wondered what the differences are between a condo and an artist live/work cooperative? Join artist Christine Vallioncourt to learn tips on buying one versus the other. 

Monday, April 24, 2023
FPAC Assemblage Gallery
The Envoy Hotel (across from the Barking Crab)
5:30pm - 6:30pm


Christine Vaillancourt is a painter and an original member of The Artist Building Cooperative at 300 Summer Street, a 47 live/work unit building for visual artists, founded by the Fort Point Arts Community (FPAC) in 1995. The Artist Building is located in historic Fort Point within the South Boston waterfront.

In the 70s and 80s, Christine earned a real estate license to find, buy, move in, fix up, and sell houses in Newport, RI. She was 25 when she purchased her first house. On a teacher’s salary, she renovated and sold 7 houses from 1971-1987. One of those houses, Christine converted into 5 condos, marketed, and sold them; another, she renovated a fixer-upper Victorian and created a 17-guestroom inn, operated the inn for a few years and then sold the business. Her father was a home builder who taught her some of his renovating skills.

Christine moved to Boston in 1989 to join a bigger artist community and to experience Boston city life. In 2014, she retired from her teaching career. As Chair of the Sales Committee at The Artist Building, she provides buyers with information and hosts showings of new listings. You may see some her art at the new MBTA GLX Ball Square Station in Somerville and at ChristineVaillancourt.com.

Friday, April 14, 2023

Upcoming April Happenings Starting This Week

updated with Fan Pier Parcel H at BCDC April 18th.

Here is a look at what happening this week and during the month of April to date. 

April 12: 232 A St Public Meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the proposed life sciences project and the potential impacts before the Proponent files their Project Notification Form ("PNF").

April 13: Fort Point Channel Landmark District Commission meeting at 6pm. View agenda for changes to Congress, A St, Sleeper, Necco & Melcher streets and more. 

April 13, April 19 & May 1 from 5pm - 8pm: Summer Street Pilot Open Houses. Pick the one that is best for you. May 1st open house is at District Hall. 

April 15: #OneBostonDay recognizes the resiliency, generosity, and strength demonstrated by the people of Boston and those around the world in response to the tragedy of April 15, 2013. Sign up for a volunteer event or perform your own acts of kindness. 

April 15: Friends of the Boston Harborwalk & Boston by Foot Fort Point Tour at 10am to learn about the engineering marvels of this industrial waterway and discover how the Channel came to be.

April 18: Boston Civic Design Commission at 5pm. Fan Pier Parcel H scheduled for 6pm.

April 19 CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON CITY SERVICES AND INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY HEARING on  DOCKET #0146 at 2pm.  A hearing regarding the coordination of construction and utility permits.

April 20: CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS WORKING SESSION ON DOCKET #0137 at 10am. A working session to discuss amending the City of Boston Code, Ordinances to establish protections for the City of Boston tree canopy. The public is invited to listen in. Public comment will not be taken at the working session.

April 21 - 28: Arbor Week with Speak for the Trees. For the second year, Seaport by WS Development is partnering with Speak For The Trees to bring a variety of activities to the Seaport in celebration of Arbor Week!

April 22: Park Serve Day at Moakley Park and Carson Beach at 9am. A special edition Moakley Park Clean-up celebrating Park Serve Day and Earth Day with the MA DCR.

April 25: Save the date for the FPNA Neighborhood Gathering at 6pm

April 26- 28: 2023 Stone Living Lab Conference: Nature-Based Coastal Resilience in Urban Settings. Register by April 8th for early savings.

originally published 04/13/23

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Fort Point Landmarks April 2023 Meeting

updated 4/12/23: linked available presentations below.

THE FORT POINT CHANNEL LANDMARK DISTRICT COMMISSION

will hold a public hearing on:

Thursday, April 13, 2023
6:00 PM
This hearing will be held virtually and NOT in person. 
You can participate in this hearing by going to the Zoom meeting link or by
calling  929-436-2866 and entering meeting id  971 0904 8361#.You can also submit written comments or questions to FortPointLDC@boston.

I.  DESIGN REVIEW HEARING

Applicant: City of Boston 
Proposed Work: Install receptacles on existing street lights along Congress and Sleeper street that would provide 24-HR power. Removal of following provisos from approved application 23.0515 FPC: Look into ways to mitigate pigeon issue on A Street; Preference for raw galvanized metal as opposed to painted black; Bike racks embedded when installed to make them more sturdy as opposed to surface mount installation.  

PP # 23.0812 FPC   25 THOMSON PLACE
Applicant: Nate Turner
Proposed Work: Continuation of 23.0654 FPC - replace existing transom glazing with louvers for mechanical equipment. 

APP # 23.0784 FPC   9 CHANNEL CENTER STREET- moved to administrative review
Applicant: 9 Channel Center LLC
Proposed Work: Installation of window at rear loading dock. Same design as approved in 2016 (APP #16.1102 FPC).

APP # 23.0588 FPC   280 SUMMER STREET
Applicant: David Woolaver
Proposed Work: Recladding all of the rotted window wooden trim with a matching aluminum.  

APP # 23.0759 FPC  253 SUMMER STREET
Applicant: Hazel Wood Hopkins 
Proposed Work: Install a non-illuminated blade sign @ 24" circle, at the entrance on Summer Street. 

APP # 23.0810 FPC  NECCO STREET AND MELCHER STREET- moved to administrative review
Applicant: Sherry Clancy
Proposed Work: Includes one (1) raised crosswalk on Melcher Street and two (2) new ramps; one (1) raised crosswalk on the west side of Necco Street at Necco Court and one (1) new ramp; one (1) conventional crosswalk on Necco Street connecting Necco Court east as well as sidewalk repair/replacement on the west side of Necco Street between Melcher Street and Necco Court. 

 II  ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW/APPROVAL

 III RATIFICATION OF 3/9/23 PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES

 IV STAFF UPDATES

 V  PROJECTED ADJOURNMENT: 8:15 PM

FORT POINT CHANNEL LANDMARK DISTRICT COMMISSION
David Berarducci, Susan Goganian, John Karoff, Lynn Smiledge, Vacancy
Alternates: Thomas Rodde, Vacancy

originally published 4.5.23

Wednesday, April 05, 2023

Atlantic Wharf Wants Changes To Our Public Spaces: Comment Deadline April 7th

updated 04/05/23 with FPNA presentation (under resources) at the bottom.
updated 03/20/23: Added link to presentation below along with links to MassDEP and the BPDA website.

MassDEP in conjunction with the BPDA are holding a meeting tonight regarding proposed changes to our public spaces at Atlantic Wharf as mandated under the MA Public Waterfront Act (Chapter 91) and need your feedback. The meeting was held:


Monday, March 13, 2023
6pm
Atlantic Wharf Fort Point room or online

Comment Deadline: April 7th 
Submit comments to DEP.Waterways@mass.gov with the subject line “Atlantic Wharf"

Boston Properties, Atlantic Wharf's owner, is proposing changes to their special public destination facility or interior public spaces part of their Chapter 91 license #11419 requirements. The major changes are to:

  • relocate the Fort Point Room from its existing 2nd floor space to existing ground-floor space fronting Congress Street, combining a space previously used as a restaurant (Boloco) with space operated by the Boston Society of Architects (BSA space)
  • convert the existing Fort Point Room to commercial office uses
  • discontinue the use of the existing 2nd floor exterior deck

Boston residents and abutting neighbors are encouraged to attend Monday night to discover more about the changes above and all changes under consideration:

  • Will the new proposed space meet the needs of the public and abutting neighbors?
  • Will the ground floor be activated in a way that adds value and enhances the existing standards/experience?
  • How will the public interact with the spaces and what will be the public experience?

  • How will privatizing the Fort Point room and deck provide public benefits & support programming?
  • How will the loss of 2,630 square feet of interior public space be reinstated or recaptured? This does not include the loss of 3,270 sf from the 2nd floor terrace. 

  • What will happen to the 2nd floor non-profit office space? 
  • Why is the civic cultural concierge being replaced by a digital information screen?
click on image for better viewing

There is a lot to consider in determining whether the proposed changes benefit the public more or less than before, especially when regarding this special destination facility of public accommodation.

In addition to the 2nd floor Fort Point room and the 2nd floor non-profit office, the original ground floor approved in 2006 included:

  • A "Town Square," of approximately 6,300 square feet of skylit civic gathering space within the atrium area of the Graphic Arts and Tufts Buildings, with programming and promotion to be provided by the Proponent (to remain in the current size & condition)
  • A Multi-Media Performance Area, approximately 3,800 square feet, providing a destination location for visitors and city residents to learn about Boston's history, culture, diversity and future (BSA space being replaced by a multi-media room?)
  • A waterfront restaurant and cafe/performance venue, part of the Fort Point Channel "RestaurantRow," providing flexible space for alternative uses and populations at different times of the day (being replaced by a multimedia meeting room)
  • A "Channel Concierge," providing information, maps, ticketing, and details on current events (being replaced by a digital information panel)
  • A Community Art Gallery (to remain in the current size & condition)

The comment deadline is April 7,2023. Comments should be submitted to: DEP.Waterways@mass.gov with the subject line “Atlantic Wharf”.

Atlantic Wharf (formerly known as Russia Wharf) underwent redevelopment in 2005 for the properties at 530 Atlantic Ave. and 270-286 Congress St.  The site planning started with the BPDA (then BRA) and the Fort Point Downtown Municipal Plan and as stated above is subject to the MA Public Waterfront Act, commonly referred to as Chapter 91, administered by MassDEP. MassDEP required a SPDF or special public destination facility to offset the impacts of the redevelopment and to provide exceptional public spaces, programming and public benefits. 

Resources
originally published 03/10/23