Saturday, October 15, 2022

Explore A Weekend of Art in Fort Point

Fort Point Open Studios is here! 

This Saturday, October 15th and Sunday, October 16th from 12pm to 6pm explore the historic waterfront warehouses, meet local artists and craftspeople, and get a behind the scenes look at where Boston artists create their work. Find established artists, and discover new emerging talents, and buy original art directly from the people who make it.

Fort Point will be alive with art, music, workshops, demonstrations, dance, performances and public art popping up all over.

Numerous Studios will be open at:

The Artist Building at 300 Summer plus the FPAC Gallery
Factory 63 at 63 Melcher St
Boston Button Factory at 
50 Melcher St
249 A Street Artists Cooperative plus The Gallery at 249A
Midway Artist Studios plus the Midway Gallery at 15 Channel Center St

More Galleries at:

Atlantic Wharf at 290 Congress St.
Assemblage Art Space by FPAC at 70a Sleeper St (Envoy Hotel across from the Barking Crab)

Plan your weekend art adventure by taking a sneak peek at the program book or checking out the Fort Point Open Studios website.


For over forty years, the the Fort Point Arts Community (FPAC) and the artists of Fort Point have welcomed visitors into their live-work studios annually to share the arts, industry, and creative culture of this unique community. To learn more about the history of artists in the neighborhood and the history of Fort Point, read A Short History of Fort Point by Don Eyles including Fort Point: A Brief History by the Seaport Alliance for Neighborhood Design
.

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Fort Point Landmarks October 2022 Meeting

updated 10/13/22: with presentations.

The FORT POINT CHANNEL LANDMARK DISTRICT COMMISSION will hold a public hearing on:

Thursday, October 13, 2022
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 928 2247 0386# You can also submit written comments or questions to FortPointLDC@boston.

I.  DESIGN REVIEW HEARING

APP # 23.0268 FPC        44 THOMSON PLACE
Applicant: Bernard Lebow  
Proposed work: Install building signage including metal letters on the façade and a mounted flag sign.

 APP # 23.0284 FPC       36 THOMSON PLACE 
Applicant: Nathan Turner
Proposed work: Install three new sings including a wall mounted horizontal panel, a wall mounted blade, and a wall mounted placard. 

APP # 23.0214 FPC        308 CONGRESS STREET
Applicant: Amy Auerbach
Proposed work: Install an “Automatic Caution Door” sticker on the left street-facing door on Congress Street; install handicapped access button; install new door operator mounted on interior door.

APP # 23.0283 FPC        51 MELCHER STREET removed by applicant
Applicant: Alex Munoz
Proposed work: Updates to rooftop equipment installation and at-grade equipment.

APP # 23.0169 FPC        313 CONGRESS STREET 
Applicant: Rich Posluszny
Proposed work: Demolish and remove existing carport located in the parking lot behind 313 Congress Street with no proposed change in the layout or number of parking spaces.

II. RATIFICATION OF 8/11/2022 & 9/8/2022 PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES

III. STAFF UPDATES

IV. PROJECTED ADJOURNMENT: 8:00 PM

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

originially published 10.03.22

Monday, October 10, 2022

About The Neighborhood: This Week & Next

Coming Up This Week & Next

October 11: Boston Civic Design Commission Public Meeting: 244 -284 A Street and introduction of Deputy Chief of Urban Design Diana Fernandez Bibeau at 5pm.

October 11: City Council Redistricting Committee Public Meeting at 5pm.

October 13: Fort Point Channel Landmarks District October Public Meeting at 6pm.

October 14 - 16: 43rd Annual Fort Point Open Studios, celebrating visual and performing art by local artists. Meet artists in their studios, view performances and public art and buy local.

October 18: 330 C Street Public Meeting postponed to November 9th from 6pm - 7:30pm. The proposed project replaces a vacant one-story repair shop with a new six-story 74-room hotel with a ground-floor restaurant.

October 19: Fort Point Waterfront Community Design Workshop: Kick-off: 5:30pm - 8:30pm. Help shape the future of the Fort Point Waterfront! People who live in, work in, and visit the Fort Point neighborhood will join forces with architects, landscape architects, and other designers to develop proposals for future waterfront designs along the Fort Point Channel. Hosted by Boston Harbor Now, FPNA and the Boston Society for Architecture, the Boston Society of Landscape Architects and the Stone Living Lab, in partnership with the BPDA.

It is your neighborhood. Be Involved. Contact FPNA today!

Overnight Haul Road Closures This Wednesday & Thursday

On Wednesday, October 12 and Thursday, October 13, the westbound segment of Massport Haul Road to South Boston Bypass Road and I-90 East will be closed during overnight hours. 

Haul Road Closures:

  • Wed. 10/12/22 from 9 p.m. to Thurs. 10/13 5 a.m.
  • Thurs. 10/13/22 from 9 p.m. to Fri. 10/14 5 a.m.

Detour maps and descriptions below. These closures are required to setup expanded workzones in a safe and controlled manner, requiring access from the highway ramps.

As always, when driving through and near the work zone, we ask drivers to pay extra attention to speed, lane markings, detour signage, barriers, police details, and construction workers.


Contact the Project

On-site Construction Concerns: (508) 962-8091
Questions via email: construction@bostonseaport.xyz
Boston Seaport General Information: www.bostonseaport.xyz

City Council Redistricting Meeting Oct. 11th

The Boston City Council Committee on Redistricting will hold a meeting on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 from 5:00 PM to 7:00PM in the City Council's Iannella Chamber. The subject of the meeting is to hear public testimony regarding redistricting from residents. Additional information, including details on the currently proposed maps, may be found on the Committee website at boston.gov/redistricting. The public notice for the Committee meeting is at boston.gov/public-notices/15924471.

Due to the short notice and expedited timeline of the redistricting process, your assistance is respectfully requested to widely disseminate the information below and attached. If you have any questions or wish to submit written comments on the redistricting process or on any of the proposals currently before the Committee, please email ccc.redistricting@boston.gov.

Respectfully,

Liz Breadon
Chair, Committee on Redistricting
Boston City Councilor, District 9
elizabeth.breadon@boston.gov
Submit Your Comments

 

Please click on the links below for further information.

Map PDFs:

  Docket #1186 (Councilors Arroyo and Fernandes Anderson)

  Docket #1215 (Councilor Murphy)

  Docket #1216 (Councilors Breadon and Worrell)

Presentation Slides of Proposals

Datasets available on Analyze Boston

Interactive map of all proposed redistricting plans

Wednesday, October 05, 2022

About The Neighborhood: September and October Happenings

September Neighborhood Happenings

September 20: 244 - 284 A Street at Boston Civic Deign Commission at 5pm.  

September 20: How Climate Change May Threaten The Foundation of Boston (wood pile foundations on filled land and ground water levels) from 5:30-7:30pm at Rabb Hall in the Boston Public Library and online: Hosted by the Boston Groundwater Trust with opening remarks by Mayor Wu.

September 20 - Oct 2: The Boston Globe 150th Anniversary Exhibit at Seaport Common. Explore the poems and images that capture moments in time that have resonated in Boston and its people. 

September 21: Who-More-Is-Me/Humorist, a search for ideal forms of our corrupted selves, starting at 7pm at Midway Artist Studios, 15 Channel Center Street, Studio 102.  

September 22: Taking Back the Hill, a celebration of 25 years of community reclaiming this once abandoned site, from 5pm - 8pm at 95 G St. Join Spoke (Medicine Wheel) at No Man's Land for an evening of community, food and art showcasing works by over 60 young men and women from this summer's YouthSPEAK program. 

September 22: CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND TRANSPORTATION HEARING ON DOCKET #0722 (City Hall & Virtual) at 6pm. View Docket. A hearing regarding a comprehensive, district-wide planning process for Boston's waterfront. 
More details.To get zoom link or to offer written comments in advance, contact shane.pac@boston.gov. 


September 24: FPNA's 17th Annual Love Your Block, a volunteer event to sweep, pick and rake our way into Fall, from 10am - 12:30pm. Meet up at Wormwood Park (Wormwood & A Streets). Thank You Picnic in the Park starts at 5pm. 

September 24: Household hazardous waste, paper shredding, textiles, and electronics drop-off from 9am-1pm at the Central DPW Facility at 400 Frontage Road.

September 24: Opening Reception of the Annual Open Studios Members Show from 3pm - 5pm at the FPAC Gallery, 300 Summer Street. Free and open to the public.

September 25: Music in Martin's Park from 3pm - 4:30pm is taking place around the slides. Fort Point based Boston Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra will present a free concert for kids of all ages. Bring a picnic, a blanked or beach chair and enjoy.

September 27: FPNA Neighborhood Gathering, 6pm - 8pm at District Hall or via zoom (see details above).

September 28: Zero Net Carbon Building Zoning Initiative Regulatory Adoption Public Meeting, 6pm - 8pm.

September 28: South Boston Waterfront Life Sciences Job Training & Career Center Hors d'ouvres & Conversation from 5pm - 7pm at Hyatt Seaport, 295 Northern Ave. The center is part of the Seaport Circle (701 Congress) development. Learn about their mission to support Life Science industry committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. R.S.V.P. to Ellie McDermott

September 29: CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON REDISTRICTING HEARING ON DOCKET #1098 (at City Hall and virtual), a hearing regarding the adoption of City Council redistricting principles at 3pm. View docket 1098.To get zoom link or to offer written comments in advance, contact shane.pac@boston.gov 

September 30: NightOWLL presents "We Are One", bringing together artists who have a disability with those who do not to make the invisible visible, at 7pm at FPAC's Assemblage,70 Sleeper Street. 

Septembe 30 - Oct 2: Harpoon 32nd Annual Octoberfest. Must be 21and over and vaccinated. For hours and tickets click here

Coming Up In October

October 1: Atlantic Wharf Fall Festival from 12pm - 4pm. A free family event with children's music, food and activity for kids of all ages on land and Channel. 

October 1: Porter Square Books 1 Year Anniversary Celebration with 20% off items in the store and a party at 6pm. R.S.V.P today. 

October 4: 17 Farnsworth Impact Advisory Group Public Meeting, 6pm - 8pm. The proposed project replaces a 361 public parking garage with Life Sciences labs and office with no on-site parking. 

October 5: CANCELLED 776 Summer St. Phase 1 Public Meeting, 6pm - 7:30pm. The Phase 1 Project covers 8.4 acres / 364,409 square feet within the approximately 15.2 acre parcel. It includes the rehabilitation of the Edison Turbine Halls 1, 2, and 3 and the construction of the buildings on Blocks D and F.

October 11: Boston Civic Design Commission Public Meeting: 244 -284 A Street and introduction of Deputy Chief of Urban Design Diana Fernandez Bibeau at 5pm.

October 11: City Council Redistricting Committee Public Meeting at 5pm.

October 13: Fort Point Channel Landmarks District October Public Meeting at 6pm.

October 14 - 16: 43rd Annual Fort Point Open Studios, celebrating visual and performing art by local artists. Meet artists in their studios, view performances and public art and buy local.

October 18: 330 C Street Public Meeting, 6pm - 7:30pm. The proposed project replaces a vacant one-story repair shop with a new six-story 74-room hotel with a ground-floor restaurant.

October 19: Fort Point Waterfront Community Design Workshop: Kick-off: 5:30pm - 8:30pm. Help shape the future of the Fort Point Waterfront! People who live in, work in, and visit the Fort Point neighborhood will join forces with architects, landscape architects, and other designers to develop proposals for future waterfront designs along the Fort Point Channel. Hosted by Boston Harbor Now, FPNA and the Boston Society for Architecture, the Boston Society of Landscape Architects and the Stone Living Lab, in partnership with the BPDA.

It is your neighborhood. Be Involved. Contact FPNA today!



originally published 09.20.22

Monday, September 26, 2022

Fall Fort Point Seaport Neighborhood Gathering September 27th

 You Are Invited To A
Fort Point Seaport Neighborhood Gathering


Tuesday, September 27, 2022
6 pm to 8 pm
in person at District Hall (75 Northern Ave.)
 or
via Zoom

featuring
 
State Representative David Biele 
4th Suffolk District

Our Boston Police Community Officers 

Our South Boston Liaison, Anna White 

&
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
60 Seaport Blvd
requesting support for a liquor license & an entertainment license

plus
Fort Point Arts Community
 43rd Annual Open Studios
October 14 - October 16, 2022

including 
About The Neighborhood: News & Updates

If you have an idea, update or concern you would like to bring up, please let us know at fpnaboston@gmail.com

originally published 09.22.22

Will Redistricting Impact Fort Point & Seaport? Find Out At City Council Public Hearing Sept. 29th

The Boston City Council Committee on Redistricting is currently undergoing the decennial process of reviewing and redrawing the 9 City Council district boundaries according to 2020 Census redistricting data. New district boundaries will be in effect for the 2023-2031 municipal elections until redrawn in 2032 following the 2030 Census. Community engagement and public participation are essential to a redistricting process that strengthens our local democracy and is reflective of the communities that officials are elected to represent.

 The Committee will hold a public hearing on:

Thursday, September 29, 2022 
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
City Council's Iannella Chamber, 5th floor of Boston City Hall

There will be options to participate in-person or virtually, as well as to submit comments separate from the hearing. To get zoom link or to offer written comments in advance, contact shane.pac@boston.gov


Below is a message fom Councilor Breadon:

As Chair of the Committee on Redistricting, I want to emphasize that the Committee does not have a proposed map at this time, and this hearing is dedicated to discussing community priorities, values, and guidelines (see Docket #1098, Order for the adoption of City Council redistricting principles). Public testimony received will inform the drafting of a proposed district plan, which will then be followed by an extensive public comment and review period prior to final passage.

Due to the short time frame and the importance of engaging residents across every neighborhood of Boston, I respectfully request your assistance to disseminate information on Thursday's upcoming hearing to members of your organization, community, and neighbors. 

Further information on the redistricting process is available attached, below, and at boston.gov/redistricting. Also, since some voting precincts were adjusted, added, or renumbered this year, when giving public testimony about a specific neighborhood, it may be helpful to know your 2022 ward and precinct number at boston.gov/my-neighborhood or wheredoivotema.com.

The criteria and additional common considerations for drawing districts include: 

·    Compliance with the Voting Rights Act

·    Racial and language minority protections and voting strength

·    Equal population across districts ("One Person, One Vote")

·    Review of demographic data by race, ethnicity, and voting age

·    Compact districts with contiguous boundaries

·    Preservation of neighborhoods and communities of interest

·    Analysis of population change and projected growth

·    Encouraging competitive districts

Please do not hesitate to contact my office should you have any questions regarding the redistricting process. I appreciate any assistance toward ensuring that all of our communities' voices are engaged in this process.

Respectfully,

Liz Breadon
Chair, Committee on Redistricting
Boston City Councilor 
District 9 - Allston/Brighton
One City Hall Square, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02201
Liz.Breadon@boston.gov | 617-635-3113
boston.gov/redistricting

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Love Your Block. Meet Your Neighbors. This Saturday.

FPNA celebrates its seventeenth annual Love Your Block this Saturday as we sweep, pick and rake our way into Fall. Love Your Block is run in conjunction with the Mayor Office of Civic Organizing's volunteer neighborhood beautification program. 

Join your neighbors in the great outdoors and spruce up the neighborhood on: 

Saturday, September 24, 2022
10am - 12:30pm
Meet up at Wormwood Park (Wormwood & A Streets)
Tools will be provided



We will have coffee, snacks and water for all volunteers. 

Drop in for an hour or hang out with neighbors the whole time. How much the neighborhood shines depends on you. Please volunteer! Together let's make Wormwood Park, A Street and Melcher Street shine. 

Thank You Picnic in the Park at 5pm. 

Special thanks to our volunteers, Fort Point Market, Mayhew Wine Shop, Row 34,Serefina and Stone Provisions. 

Monday, September 12, 2022

Two Important Meetings You Won't Want To Miss: 244 -284 A St Tonight 9/12 & Waterfront Zoning Amendment 9/14

The BPDA is hosting a 244 – 284 A Street Public Meeting to discuss the draft 6th amendment to PDA 69 & draft development plan for PDA 69 on

Monday, September 12, 2022
6pm - 8pm

This 1 million square feet+ mixed-use development is composed of a residential building, an office building and a laboratory/research and development Life Sciences building plus required parks and open space. 

Last chance to give feedback. Did they make the changes we asked? Are the community benefits appropriate for a development of this magnitude?  

Comment deadline: Sept. 19, 2022 to Michael Sinatra at michael.a.sinatra@boston.gov

Related 244 - 284 A Street Posts

++++++++++

Wednesday, September 14: 2nd Public Meeting on Proposed Zoning Amendments of Floor Area and Other Definitions at 6pm – 7:30pm. 

The proposed amendments will update several terms in the definition sections in Articles 2 and 2A, including Filled and Flowed Tidelands, Gross Floor Area, Floor Area Ratio (FAR), and Lot Area. The purpose is to clarify that tidelands/land underwater is not included in lot area and FAR calculations and that above-grade parking structures are included in Gross Floor Area. The first meeting to discuss these amendments was held virtually on July 20, 2022. 

Based on comments received, the proposed text amendment has been modified to better coordinate with Chapter 91 Waterways regulations with respect to piers and wharves.

Public comments will be accepted on the proposed amendments until Friday, October 7, 2022. Public comments may be submitted via email to BPDArpz@Boston.gov. To attend the virtual meeting, register at bit.ly/FARmeeting-2.

Wednesday, September 07, 2022

Conservation Commission Wednesday & Landmarks Thursday

The Boston Conservation Commission (ConCom) will hold its next bi-weekly public hearing on:

September 7, 2022
6:00 pm
Dial-in audio: 1-929-205-6099
Meeting ID: 686 458 2044 #
Participant ID: provided upon log in

Neighborhood Agenda Items (View full agenda)

Item #1: Notice of Intent for DEP File No. 006-1889 and BOS 2022-044 and supplemental information from VHB on behalf of GI ETS Fort Point I LLC c/o GI Partners for the construction of sidewalks, an infiltration system, and electrical equipment associated with the redevelopment of an existing office building for life sciences purposes located at 51 Melcher St, South Boston, MA (LSCSF) *Continued from the August 17, 2022 hearing

Item #2: Notice of Intent for DEP File No. 006-1892 from Nitsch Engineering on behalf of the DIV Black Falcon, LLC for the installation of a new electrical conduit, transformer, and switchgear on an existing sidewalk located at 88 Black Falcon Ave, South Boston, MA (LSCSF) *Continued from the August 17, 2022 hearing

******

The FORT POINT CHANNEL LANDMARK DISTRICT COMMISSION will hold a public hearing on:

Thursday, September 8, 2022
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 929-205-6099 and entering meeting id 897 5092 3630# You can also submit written comments or questions to FortPointLDC@boston.

I.  DESIGN REVIEW HEARING

APP # 23.0162 FPC        12 FARNSWORTH STREET
Applicant: Jason Parillo
Proposed work: Replace existing vertical flex-face sign with new; install: two aluminum panel signs, one delivery plaque, one no smoking plaque, one set of illuminated letters mounted to canopy.

APP # 23.0163 FPC        5 CHANNEL CENTER STREET
Applicant: Jason Parillo
Proposed work: Install: one internally illuminated push-through sign cabinet, two sets of door graphics, one delivery plaque.  

II. RATIFICATION OF 8/11/2022 PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES

III. STAFF UPDATES

IV. PROJECTED ADJOURNMENT: 8:00 PM

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

Friday, September 02, 2022

State Primary: Voter Registration, Vote By Mail, Early Voting & Election Day

Voter Registration Deadline: August 27, 2022

Vote by Mail Application Deadline: August 29, 2022

Early Voting: August 27 - September 2

Election Day: September 6  from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

On Ballot: Representative in Congress, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor, Governor's Council, State Senator, State Representative, District Attorney, Sheriff, County Commissioner (only in certain counties).

Sample BallotsDemocratic  and Republican

Neighborhood Voting Location: District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue


As election day approaches and with the City's twenty new precincts (two new precincts for voters of South Boston), there is a need for poll workers. If you know anyone who may be interested in serving as an Election Officer, on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, please have them complete the online application
here. If you have any questions, the Boston Election department can be reached by email or by phone a 617-635-0905.

originally published 07.26.22