Letter to Editor, Charlestown Patriot Bridge, 9/14/2023:

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To the Editor: On September 5, 2023, the Charlestown Community Council voted unanimously at their general meeting to object to the approval of the draft PLAN and the related zoning code changes  before in-person community meetings are held in Charlestown. Our objection letter is available on our website: cnc02129.org  

 

The council calls on the Mayor and the BPDA to create a community centered, transparent approval and close-out process by: attending community meetings in-person, in Charlestown where our neighbors can hear, see, and interact directly with the Mayor, BPDA Chief Jemison, their respective staffs, our elected officials and each other; revising the draft Plan approval schedule to a more realistic time frame that allows for meaningful community engagement; and providing thoughtful, transparent, and data driven answers to the community’s questions, especially concerning the origins of the unexpected building height increases along Medford St. and at the Bunker Hill Mall and how the draft Plan’s proposed growth will be supported.

 

The council believes that in-person community meetings are necessary given the significant, unilateral changes made by the BPDA in the draft Plan published on July 28, 2023 - which were never presented to the community, and which also violate the guiding principles of the Plan as communicated to the community by the BPDA over the course of countless meetings. The September 6th revised draft Plan and the September 11th close-out meeting hosted on Zoom by the BPDA did not allay our concerns regarding these issues.  The council is offering to host one of the community meetings to provide a neutral forum that is not controlled by the proponents of the draft Plan and where all residents may speak.

 

The council has not been made aware of any circumstances requiring the immediate approval of the draft Plan and related zoning changes.  Community members who volunteered any amount of their time, expertise, or community knowledge to the years-long  Plan: Charlestown process and the entire neighborhood, deserve far better treatment from the administration and the BPDA than what we have seen in the BPDA's hasty closeout and approval process.   

 

We invite the residents of Charlestown join us in asking Mayor Wu and BPDA Chief Jemison to extend the PLAN: Charlestown comment period until in-person community meetings are held in Charlestown and significant open questions about the Plan are addressed.  Be sure to copy the individuals listed below on your emails.  Thank you for engaging in Charlestown’s future.

 

Sincerely,

 

The Charlestown Neighborhood Council

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Mayor Wu: Mayor@boston.gov

BPDA Chief: arthur.jemison@boston.gov
District 1 City Councilor: gabriela.coletta@boston.gov
Dan.Ryan@mahouse.gov,
Sal.DiDomenico@masenate.gov,

BPDA Community Engagement Manager jason.ruggiero@boston.gov>
ONS Charlestown Liaison sean.breen@boston.gov>
Erin.Murphy@boston.gov,
Ruthzee.Louijeune@boston.gov,
Julia.Mejia@boston.gov,
Michael.F.Flaherty@boston.gov,

cnc02129@gmail.com