May 24, 2000
Robert Marr, Chairman
Boston Zoning Commission
Boston City Hall
One City Hall Plaza, Room 947A
Boston, MA 02201
RE: Loew's Boston Hotel Project
Dear Mr. Marr:
The Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods is an association of neighborhood civic organizations, formed to promote informed community participation and accountable public process in the city's development.
We are concerned that the Loew's project is moving forward without proper public information about the proposal, and without adequate opportunity for community evaluation and response. This is a high-impact project, proposing a building almost twice the zoned height in a historic, heavily residential neighborhood. To expedite the project as proposed, the Boston Redevelopment Authority has requested a U-District designation for the project.
The Chinatown Resident Association, representing the host neighborhood, has asked for all relevant information regarding the development process, including the documents detailing the Midtown Cultural District Plan, the Land Disposition Agreement between the developer and the BRA, and the provisions of the U-District designation. The CRA also requests proper notice of all process steps, including required filings and public hearings. Without such information, residents cannot judge the appropriateness of the BRA's review process, nor the potential impacts of a 28-story hotel.
The Alliance supports the CRA request. We appreciate the Zoning Commission's consideration of public process issues in denying U-District approval at the April 26 hearing on this project, and we ask that no decisions be made on the project until the community has been given all necessary information and sufficient time and assistance for review and comment. We look forward to your continuing attention to community needs in achieving a fair and complete project review.
Sincerely,
Shirley Kressel
President, ABN
CC:
Mayor Thomas Menino, Boston City Hall
Mark Maloney, Linda Haar, Susan Hannon, Boston
Redevelopment Authority
James Kelly, Mickey Roache, Peggy Davis -Mullen, Michael
Flaherty, Stephen Murphy, Chuck Turner, and Mike Ross, City
Council
Sik Lun Yan, Elena Choy, Henry Yee, Marie Moy, The
Chinatown Resident Association
Bernard Borman, Park Plaza Citizens Advisory Committee
June McCourt, Bay Village Neighborhood Association
Albert Rex, Boston Preservation Alliance
Henry Lee, Friends of the Public Garden and Common
Gene Clapp, Beacon Hill