Category: Events

UPDATE: Partial Orange Line Shutdown Incoming – Monday through Thursday – 18 to 21 March 2024 PLUS BostonBikes Convoy

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Image courtesy Streetsblog MASS and MBTA.

In contrast to the full shutdown back in 2022 that, in hindsight, was sadly much less than met the eye, the MBTA are doing a partial shutdown of the line from Jackson Square to North Station for the next four days – Monday through Thursday, the 18th through the 21st of March 2024. Our friends over at Streetsblog MASS have the details, emphasizing that this is part of the ongoing, largely successful thus far, year-long effort to eliminate all slow zones on the core rail transit system. The major highlights are as follows:

  • There will be free shuttle bus service that will make stops at all of the stations between Jackson Square and Back Bay, so that riders can take the Commuter Rail toward South Station.
  • Shuttles will also stop at Copley station so that riders can take the Green Line toward North Station.
  • The fare gates will be open at both Jackson Square and Back Bay stations, signifying free fare. There will also be free fares at Copley station heading inbound/eastbound.
  • The Commuter Rail will be free between Forest Hills, Ruggles, Back Bay, and South Station.
  • Plan extra time in commutes to anticipate longer than normal wait times for trains.

We’ve bolded the free Commuter Rail option because Ruggles is ideally situated right in the middle of the shuttle portion of the closure and it’ll be a free ride from Forest Hills all the way into South Station for the period of the shutdown. That really looks like the best overall alternative transit-based travel option. We also want to note that Boston Bikes have been leading bike commuting convoys on the Mondays of this month, starting at 8:00 am at Adams Park in Roslindale Square with stops at Green Street (8:20 am) and Jackson Square (8:30 am) before ending at City Hall Plaza. The return trip in the afternoon starts at 5:15 pm from City Hall Plaza and retraces the morning’s inbound route in reverse. So, see you all there at 8:00 am tomorrow at Adams Park and we’ll see if we can get Boston Bikes to sponsor convoys for the following 3 days of the shutdown. Stay tuned! UPDATE: Boston Bikes have agreed to lead the convoy again tomorrow, Tuesday the 19th, but that will be it for this week.

 

 

Squares + Streets – Small Area Planning Process – Roslindale Square Kickoff Open House – Saturday 24 February 2024 @ 10:30 am – Substation Upstairs

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Yes, another Squares + Streets post!

From the BPDA webpage for Squares + Streets:

The BPDA is hosting an open house to officially kick off the 6-9 month planning and engagement process for the Roslindale Square Squares + Streets plan! At this event, community members can learn more about the Squares + Streets planning & zoning processes while helping us understand their priorities, history, and hopes for Roslindale Square. 

Childcare, translation services in Haitian Creole and Spanish, and light refreshments will be provided for meeting attendees. Please note that on-site childcare will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis with limited capacity. 

Pre-registration is encouraged (especially important if weather causes this in-person event to be shifted to zoom since the link will be provided to registered attendees).

We encourage attendance by anyone interested in making Roslindale Square a more welcoming, connected, and active place while helping to combat the housing crisis in our neighborhood, city, and region. We hope to see you there!

Squares + Streets Public Meeting with Mayor Wu and BPDA/City Planning Director Jemison – Monday, 29 JAN 2024 – 7 pm @ Hyde Park Municipal Building – BE THERE!

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That’s it. That’s the post.

If you support the program’s goals and objectives and want to see it move forward and succeed as it proceeds through initial floating zone adoption to small area planning efforts and then action plans and targeted rezoning, we encourage you to attend, in person (the only option we’re aware of right now), and make your support known.

The Hyde Park Municipal Building is located at 1179 River Street in Cleary Square. Thanks!

WalkUP Roslindale Year in Review 2023 – The year that was…

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Well, another year has come and gone and we here at WalkUP Roslindale thought we should pause as the new year gets underway to look back at what seem to us to be major stories/events/improvements to our neighborhood and/or city that would be worth remembering, so:

WINTER

In January, we marked the reconstruction efforts (which continue) for the Square Root/Belgrade Building after a West Roxbury resident lost control of his motor vehicle and plowed it into the unsuspecting building on a Sunday morning the previous December, while also noting that the Square had its first bookstore – Rozzie Bound – since the demise of Village Books lo these many years ago.

SPRING

In April, we marked the very significant rebranding of our long-time walking advocacy partners, WalkBoston, to WalkMassachusetts, reflecting the fact that their work had been all across the state for well more than a decade.

In May, along with everyone else in Boston, we welcomed the Boston Transportation Department’s “safety surge” as they declared the end of eye-droppering street improvements and, among other things, marked the end of the Hunger Games-like Neighborhood Slow Streets program and pointed to a massive, city-wide program to install 500 speed humps per year for the foreseeable future. This was and is a big deal.

In June, we were thrilled to host a community screening of The Street Project at the Rozzie Square Theater (complete with a brief welcome and introduction from Mayor Michelle Wu and attendance by locally-based but internationally-respected urban designer and author Jeff Speck that we described in a post the next month).

SUMMER

In July, we co-hosted a District 5 City Council Candidate Forum with Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale, the Forum for Racial Equity via Educational Experiences in Hyde Park, Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, Keep Hyde Park Beautiful, Longfellow Area Neighborhood Association, RozzieBikes, and the Ward 18 Democratic Committee.

In September, we hosted a post-Annual/Board meeting public presentation double-header featuring Jarred Johnson from TransitMatters on their Orange Line Extension report and our own Greg Tobin giving an update on the start of construction on the Roslindale Gateway Path. At that meeting, we welcomed new board members Nikki Kong and James Guerrier.

FALL

In October, we happily marked the installation of several speed humps (part of the BTD safety surge and the result, in part, of our post Poplar Street Walk Audit advocacy) on the section of Poplar Street between Washington and Sycamore streets. Motor vehicle operating speeds dropped immediately and permanently.

Finally, in December, we paired our fall board meeting with a presentation from Boston Planning & Development Agency staff on the Squares + Streets program.

 

Roslindale Parking Benefit District Hearing this Thursday 12/7 at 11am on Zoom

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As part of the planned improvements for managing parking in Roslindale Village, the City is holding a hearing this Thursday, December 7, 2023, at 11am on Zoom, to discuss the possibility of a parking benefit district (“PBD”). We urged the City to consider implementing a PBD in our original comments on the parking changes and are pleased to see progress on this front. A PBD would direct funds from local parking meters to physical improvements and beautification projects in the square. We encourage supporters to attend and support this pilot initiative.

More information at https://www.boston.gov/public-notices/16058741.

Public Presentation on the new Squares + Streets Initiative – Sunday, 10 December 2023 – 5 pm Upstairs at the Substation

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We’re pleased to announce that, on Sunday, 10 December 2023, at 5 pm at the Substation (Upstairs) in Roslindale Square, we will be hosting a presentation from representatives of the Boston Planning & Development Agency on their recently-launched Squares + Streets planning and zoning initiative. The top-line description of the initiative from the BPDA webpage reads as follows:

Squares + Streets, a new planning and zoning initiative that will focus on housing, public space, arts and culture, and transit in neighborhood centers and along main streets.

We are looking to enhance small areas that are near transit and already provide essential goods and services for local residents, businesses, and visitors.

Squares + Streets will:

  • Focus on housing, public space, cultural amenities, transit assets etc. that reflect the unique needs of each area
  • Develop a number of Small Area Plans in 6–9 month timeframes that are shorter, more intentional, more transparent, and more predictable

This project is meant to complement and support Design Vision and Zoning Reform work.

What are Squares + Streets?

Squares + Streets are centers for activity within a neighborhood. They are often important places of gathering that connect residents to essential goods, transit options, services, and job opportunities.

Planning for Squares + Streets is one of the first steps towards what citywide zoning reform might look like. By focusing on key squares and streets across the city, our goal is to develop high-impact, short-term recommendations for areas that can be implemented through zoning.

Squares and Streets will focus on centers of activity in neighborhoods.
Squares + Streets will focus on centers of activity in neighborhoods.

What are small area plans?

Small Area Plans will zoom in on specific squares and streets throughout Boston’s neighborhoods to make detailed, action-oriented plans. They will focus on the local level and are not neighborhood wide.

Small Area Plans will support housing growth, and provide investment opportunities supported by city services in our neighborhoods.

Once completed, each Small Area Plan will outline near-term implementation actions such as:

  • Modified zoning to support housing and healthy business districts
  • Infrastructure projects to address transportation and public space needs
  • Programs and funding to promote small businesses and arts and culture

This looks like a great event – GreeningRozzie Climate Coalition – Walkshop on 28 Oct 2023 – 4 to 6 pm

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Checking things out through a walk is such a fabulous idea. As the sign says, you can find out more information on their webpage HERE.

Democratic Ward Committees for 11, 18, 19, and 20 – City Council Districts 5 & 6 – Final Election Forum – 24 October 2023 – ON ZOOM

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We’re co-sponsoring with the above ward committees, plus Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants and West Rox Bikes. Go to this link to register. We hope to see you there!

WUR’s 2023 Annual Meeting Report – Board Members and Officers for 2023-2024

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At our annual meeting a week ago Sunday, 17 September 2023, we were pleased to elect 2 new board members, return several other existing board members for full 3-year terms and re-appoint our executive committee team for another year, such that the full board and EC team for the next year is as follows:

  1. Ricardo Austrich – 2024
  2. Lisa Beatman – 2026
  3. Benjamin Bruno – 2025
  4. Jason Bylsma – 2026
  5. Devin Cole – 2025
  6. Steven Gag – 2026
  7. Elizabeth Graham-Meredith – 2024
  8. James Guerrier – 2026 (NEW MEMBER)
  9. Adam Kessel – 2024 (Vice President)
  10. Nikki Kong – 2024 (NEW MEMBER)
  11. Matthew Lawlor – 2026 (President)
  12. Sarah Kurpiel Lee – 2025
  13. Margaux Leonard – 2024
  14. Elvira Mora – 2025
  15. Mandana Moshtaghi – 2024 (Treasurer)
  16. Robert Orthman – 2024
  17. Kathryn Ostrofsky – 2026 (Clerk)
  18. Courtney Pong – 2026
  19. Adam Rogoff – 2025
  20. Adam Shutes – 2025
  21. Mark Tedrow – 2025
  22. Marc Theiss – 2026
  23. Greg Tobin – 2024
  24. Muge Undemir – 2025
  25. Alan Wright – 2026

As always, our corporate formation documentation and our 2023 annual report to the MA Secretary of the Commonwealth’s corporations division can be found on their website HERE. Note that we are officially incorporated as “Walkable Urban Place Roslindale, Inc.,” with a d/b/a of WalkUP Roslindale. Thanks all!

Video Recording of District 5 Candidate Forum

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On Tuesday, June 18, 2023, we cosponsored a forum for the candidates running to represent District 5 (much of which is in Roslindale) on the City Council. The candidates were (alphabetically) incumbent Ricardo Arroyo, Enrique Pepén, Jose Ruiz, and Jean-Claude Sanon. In case you missed the forum, a video of the event is below. You can also read a summary on Universal Hub. Our own Rob Orthman asked questions about our priority housing and transportation issues about 39 minutes into the event.