Letter from
Chuck Turner, Boston City Councilor, regarding the proposed
expansion by Northeastern University
CALL THE BRA TODAY.........
“Let the Residents Chose the Development of Parcel
18.”
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This Thursday, December 21st, at the Boston Redevelopment
Authority (BRA) board room on the 9th floor at City Hall,
the BRA Board will vote on whether to approve the
Northeastern University proposal to put 1,200 dormitory
beds, classes, offices, and retail spaces on the corner of
Ruggles and Tremont Streets, across from the Whittier
Street Housing Development.
There are those in the Lower Roxbury community who support
the project, including the leaders of the resident
associations at Whittier Street and Alice Taylor Homes. It
is also supported by Senator Wilkerson who proposed last
December that Parcel 18 be used for the sighting of
Northeastern University dormitory beds. Their support, I
believe, is based on NU’s agreement to put a hotel on
the other side of Parcel 18, the economic stimulus provided
through the students at the site, and the community
benefits.
While I understand their concern for economic stimulus and
jobs, I believe the number of students will overwhelm the
Lower Roxbury community and turn it from a residential
community into an area dominated by students both on the
streets and in the surrounding area that now houses
families in Lower Roxbury. I also believe that this
development is viewed by NU as the first step in taking
over more land in the Roxbury community.
My concern that NU’s Parcel 18 proposal is the
beginning of a major expansion into Roxbury is driven by
the fact that NU, the Madison Park Development Corporation,
and Trinity Developers are proposing 1,200 beds for Parcel
3 across street from Parcel 18. This is the same group that
developed Davenport Commons, ten years ago with 600 student
beds on Tremont Street a few blocks from Parcel 18.
In addition, NU is in the process of PURCHASING from Ken
Guscott 36 units of family housing on Massachusetts Avenue,
off of St. Botolph Street. While NU SAYS that they will
honor the Section 8 rental housing subsidy agreement for an
additional 17 years, NU ALSO SAYS they are NOT IN THE
BUSINESS OF PROVIDING HOUSING FOR FAMILIES. Why is NU land
banking additional properties in Roxbury/South End if they
say their objective is to build dormitories on their
campus.
However, whether you support or don’t support the
proposal, I think it is critically important that you call
the BRA to NOT move forward with the proposal until the NU
and BRA commitment to the community is fulfilled.
Their commitment in June was that the abutters of the
project and other organizations in Lower Roxbury through
the Parcel 18 Task Force would be given an opportunity to
choose the number of beds to be put on Parcel 18. They made
this commitment given the fact that while they are
proposing 1,200 beds, in February Roxbury representatives
to the NU Master Planning Task Force had proposed 471 beds.
Although the commitment was made in June, there have been
no meetings which have given residents a chance to examine
the impacts of the two approaches and choose between them.
There have been meetings at the Whittier Street and Alice
Taylor developments but there were no presentations that
enabled residents to choose between the 471 proposal and
the 1,200.
There have been no meetings for church parishioners of St.
Cyprian’s or St. Katharine Drexyl or for residents at
Madison Park Village, all of whom are abutters.
Also, there have been no meetings at the United Neighbors
of Lower Roxbury, Lenox-Camden development, or Camfield
Gardens which are located near the site.
I believe that as a community, we can not allow this
proposal to move forward without the community residents
having an opportunity to evaluate the alternative plan to
make their own choice as to the number of dormitory beds
and the design of the building to house them.
Haven’t we been in a forty year struggle in Lower
Roxbury to assure that the perspective of the members of
the community ON ANY LAND DEVELOPMENT issues are heard and
valued by the public officials.
Isn’t this a right that the neighborhoods across the
City are able to exercise with the cooperation of the BRA.
Why not here?
If you agree with me, I urge you to call Mark Maloney,
director of the BRA, at (617) 722-4300 and let him know
that the BRA needs to keep its commitment to the residents
of Lower Roxbury, so that they have the opportunity to be
informed of the impacts, and to choose between the
alternative of 471 beds or 1,200 beds.
Given the fact that the Roxbury representatives to the Task
Force were willing to agree to the use of Parcel 18 for
dormitory beds, the least the BRA and NU can do is to allow
the residents to choose.
If you would like to discuss this issue with me further,
please call (617) 635-3510. We also urge you to share with
us any responses you receive from the BRA.
Sincerely,
Chuck (Turner)