Author: Ben Bruno

Show Support for Affordable Senior Housing Tonight!

Ben Bruno

rendering of 4259-4267 Washington St developmentTonight at 6 PM, there’s a public meeting about B’nai B’rith’s proposal for a 6-story, PassiveHouse-certifiable building with 41 affordable senior homes and new retail — including a new home for the Thrift Shop — on the former Bank of America parking lot on Washington St (between Chilacates and the recycling center).

This is exactly the kind of thoughtful, sustainable development that many Roslindale residents hoped would come out of the Squares + Streets rezoning. Let’s show up and show support!

Here are two quick ways to help Roslindale say YES to more affordable homes:

📅Join the Public Zoom Meeting — Tonight, Monday October 20th at 6:00 PM
Register here: bosplans.org/4259Washington-1015

✍️ Send a Written Comment of Support
Use this tool to write and submit a public letter in under 2 minutes.

Cummins Highway Walk Audit – Wed Oct 15, 3:30 – 5:00 PM

Ben Bruno

Join us on our third and final walk audit in this year’s series this coming Wednesday! We’ll meet in Adams Park and depart by 3:35 to observe and document how safe, accessible, and welcoming the street and sidewalks are for people of all ages and abilities.  We will not be entering the Sarah Roberts school grounds so as not to interfere with school dismissal and buses, but we will observe and document the issues and challenges on this busy corridor at rush hour / school dismissal time from the opposite site of Cummins Highway.

Cummins Highway (Adams Park to Sarah Roberts Elementary School)
📅 Wednesday, October 15th
🕞 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

👉 RSVP here to let us know you plan to join. While RSVPs aren’t required, they’ll help us prepare enough materials for everyone.

Hope you can join us!

 

Our 2025 walk audit series is made possible by the AARP Community Challenge, a grant program that funds quick-action projects to help communities become more livable for people of all ages. It’s part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative. Learn more at AARP.org/Livable.

Speak Up for a Safer Hyde Park Ave: City Council Hearing Oct. 6

Ben Bruno

Early Monday morning, yet another serious crash on Hyde Park Avenue left a pedestrian critically injured near American Legion Highway. Streetsblog MASS reports that Boston EMS transported the victim to the hospital after being struck by a driver — the latest in a long line of preventable tragedies on this corridor.

For years, residents have pushed for long‑promised safety improvements along Hyde Park Avenue. Despite hundreds of people participating in meetings and engagement processes, the City has delayed action — most recently stalling traffic‑calming measures tied to repaving near Forest Hills. As Streetsblog has noted, the administration has cited the need for “more feedback,” even as the corridor project remains without funding or a timeline. Residents living near Hyde Park have organized the Boston Better Streets Coalition to push for change.

Now, the City Council’s Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee is holding a public hearing to focus on the northern stretch of Hyde Park Ave, from Walk Hill Street to the Arborway. This is our chance to make sure the community’s voice is heard.

👉 How you can help:

  • Arrive by 5:55 pm on this coming Monday, Oct. 6 at the BTU School gym (25 Walk Hill St.) to get on the speaker list.
  • Share your own travel story — whether you walk, use a wheelchair, push a stroller, bike, take the bus, or drive.
  • Highlight the safety challenges you face and how better infrastructure could make the corridor safer and more accessible.
  • Keep it short: just 2 minutes is enough to make an impact.

If you sign up here beforehand, the Better Streets Coalition will help coordinate and offer tips on effective testimony!

If you can’t attend, you can still send written comments to the Council by email, but a strong in‑person showing is the most powerful way to push for change.

From Audit to Action: Washington St. Sidewalks Repaired!

Ben Bruno

We are happy to report that our walk audit of Washington St on August 23rd has already yielded meaningful results – the Public Works Department was out on the sidewalks yesterday repairing the biggest sidewalk issues we identified!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Enrique José Pepén (@enriquepepen)


Thank you to Councilor Pepén’s staff for elevating these concerns, and to the Disabilities Commission, the Parks Department, and the Public Works Department for their work, and finally all of you who participated in our walk audits and helped bring these changes about!

 

Want to be a part of this kind of change in our neighborhood?

Join us on our third and final walk audit in this year’s series!

#3: Cummins Highway (Adams Park to Sarah Roberts Elementary School)
📅 Wednesday, October 15th
🕞 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

👉 RSVP here to let us know you plan to join. While RSVPs aren’t required, they’ll help us prepare enough materials for everyone.

Hope you can join us – see you around Rozzie!

 

Our 2025 walk audit series is made possible by the AARP Community Challenge, a grant program that funds quick-action projects to help communities become more livable for people of all ages. It’s part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative. Learn more at AARP.org/Livable.

Walk Audit #2: Adams Park + Roslindale Square Area – Wed 9/17, 3:30-5pm

Ben Bruno

The 2nd walk audit of our 2025 walk audit series is coming up next week! In this, audit we’ll be examining the heart of our Roslindale community. We’ll begin in Adams Park and walk around the Roslindale Square area, observing and documenting how safe, accessible, and welcoming the streets and sidewalks are for people of all ages and abilities. Together, we can identify opportunities for improvement.

Walk Audit #2: Adams Park + Roslindale Square Area
📅 Wednesday, September 17th
🕞 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

map of walk audit area- Adams Park (meet here) and Roslindale Square area

👉 RSVP here to let us know if you’ll be joining us – while not required, this will help us prepare enough materials for everyone and know to expect you.

 

This initiative is made possible by the AARP Community Challenge, a grant program that funds quick-action projects to help communities become more livable for people of all ages. It’s part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative. Learn more at AARP.org/Livable.

Walk Audit this Saturday 10:30am – Washington St from Basile to Archdale

Ben Bruno

📅 Saturday, August 23rd
🕥 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Our first in a series of three walk audits is this Saturday – please join us! We’ll be meeting at the corner of South St and Taft Hill Terrace and departing shortly after 10:30am. We’ll walk north to Washington Street and begin in earnest at Basile St, cross to the other side of Washington St at Healy Field and continue to Archdale Rd. We’ll observe and document how safe, accessible, and welcoming our streets and sidewalks are for people of all ages and abilities. Together, we’ll identify opportunities for improvement.

Walk Audit #1 Map - Washington St - route from mtg point to Basile to Archdale

Please note that it will be farmer’s market day, so the area is sure to be busy. Consider walking/biking/taking the bus if possible and look for our sign at the meeting spot! If you are running late, we’ll be moving slow so you can catch up with us along the route (click the route map above to view an enlarged image).

👉 RSVP here to let us know if you’ll be joining us – while not required, this will help us prepare enough materials for everyone and know to expect you. Hope you can join us!

Join the Walk Audit Series!

Ben Bruno

We’re excited to host three walk audits in the coming weeks and months, supported by an AARP Community Challenge microgrant. These events are open to all, and we’d love your input.

A walk audit is a community-led stroll through a neighborhood to observe and document how safe, accessible, and welcoming our streets and sidewalks are for people of all ages and abilities. Together, we’ll identify opportunities for improvement—from crosswalk visibility to sidewalk conditions to traffic calming—and gather insights that can inform future advocacy and planning like the Roslindale Transportation Action Plan.

 

Upcoming Walk Audits

#1: Washington St Corridor (Adams Park to Archdale Rd)
📅 Saturday, August 23rd
🕥 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

 

#2: Adams Park + Roslindale Square Area
📅 Wednesday, September 17th
🕞 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

 

#3: Cummins Highway (Adams Park to Sarah Roberts Elementary School)
📅 Wednesday, October 15th
🕞 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM

 

👉 RSVP here to let us know which walk audits you plan to join. While RSVPs aren’t required, they’ll help us prepare enough materials for everyone.

Hope you can join us!

 

This initiative is made possible by the AARP Community Challenge, a grant program that funds quick-action projects to help communities become more livable for people of all ages. It’s part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative. Learn more at AARP.org/Livable.

Comment Letter on 1200 Centre Street

Ben Bruno

We sent in our letter (PDF, DOC) to express our strong support for the Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL) project at 1200 Centre Street that will create a 78-unit affordable senior housing community.

Arboretum Block Party this Saturday 7/19 11am-2pm!

Ben Bruno

Flyer with details about the Arboretum Rd Block Party on July 19, 2025Join the Arnold Arboretum for a Block Party on Arboretum Road this Saturday, July 19 from 11am-2pm to celebrate the new entrance to the Arboretum (Phase 1 of the Roslindale Gateway Path)! Free pizza, face painting, and more!

View the flyer in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.

Please stop by our community table to chat with us about the Roslindale Gateway Path, pedestrian improvements we’re advocating for in and around the Arboretum, and more.

Hope to see you there!

 

Welcome Home, Boston Phase 3 in Roslindale/Hyde Park

Ben Bruno

The Welcome Home, Boston initiative seeks to create new homes for first-time homebuyers on city-owned land. Phase 3 will involve the vacant city-owned land at 917 American Legion Hwy and Wilmot St. The neighborhood-specific workshop for Roslindale/Hyde Park is this Tuesday May 20, 6-7:30pm (virtual).