Category: Government

New City Initiative Alert – “Spaces for You”

Matt Lawlor
Visual images of use of public spaces in Boston.
Source: Boston Planning Department.

In line with the way the Wu Administration has been seeking to emphasize systemic planning instead of project-based development review, they’re now out with a new initiative on public spaces they’re calling “Spaces for You” and which they describe at a very high level as follows:

Spaces For You is a collaborative and proactive initiative by the City of Boston to co-create, enhance, and celebrate public outdoor spaces that foster joy, belonging, and well-being for all residents. It seeks to bridge the gap between community needs and city resources, knitting together public and privately generated open spaces to create vibrant social places for all.

The project page can be found here and note that there’s a brief survey in which they’re seeking some initial feedback. Go ahead and let them know what you think!

District 5 City Council Candidate Forum – 8 July 2025 – 7 pm – Via Zoom

Matt Lawlor

We’re happy to be among the co-sponsors for the upcoming District 5 City Council Candidates Forum to be held a week from tomorrow via zoom. The registration link can be found HERE. We’d be delighted if you could attend. Thanks!

Roslindale Squares & Streets – Boston Zoning Commission Hearing on Deck – Wednesday, 21 May 2025, at 9:00 am – ADOPTED! UPDATE BELOW

Matt Lawlor

Roslindale Square - Squares + Streets | Bostonplans.org

The Boston Zoning Commission is set to hold their public hearing starting at about 9 am on this coming Wednesday, 21 May 2025, on the zoning text and map amendments developed through the small area planning process here in Roslindale Square over the course of the last year-plus.

LINK HERE: BZC agenda and information on how to register.

We encourage supporters of the proposed zoning changes to attend and offer testimony at the hearing, which will be over zoom, if at all possible. Whether you can make it or not, we also encourage you to submit supportive written comments to the Boston Zoning Commission’s Secretary, Jeffrey Hampton, at their official email address of zoningcommission@boston.gov. We’re going to submit our WalkUP Roslindale comment letter around the time of the BPDA Board vote last month. Hope to see many supporters on hand on Wednesday morning and here’s a LINK to a helpful tool that was put together for the BPDA Board meeting, but is also very helpful for preparing for the hearing and submitting your written support in advance!

UPDATE:

As first reported by Universal Hub (“Denser zoning approved for Roslindale Square”), the Roslindale Squares & Streets zoning amendments – both text and map – were adopted by the Boston Zoning Commission at their hearing this past Wednesday morning by a unanimous vote of 11 in favor, 0 against. As we have said many times, deep thanks go to the mayor and her administration, especially the folks at the Boston Planning Department, who worked tirelessly over the last 15 months to solicit feedback, develop the small area plan, and then craft zoning amendments to meet this moment in our neighborhood and city. Now we will all get to see what kinds of improvements and projects the new zoning will engender. Onward!

Bike to Work Day & Festival on City Hall Plaza – Friday, 16 May 2025 – WR/Roslindale Convoy Departs at 7:10 am in Adams Park

Matt Lawlor

This really is a great event every year and if you register early enough, you get a free Boston Bikes t-shirt. Get with the program if you can! Registration link is HERE.

Soft Open Alert – Roslindale Gateway Path Phase 1!

Matt Lawlor
Roslindale Gateway Path at Arboretum Road Entrance.
The newly opened entrance at Arboretum Rd.
Arboretum Map showing the new entrance and a view toward the Blackwell Path connection.
Updated Arboretum Map & Blackwell Path connection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We here at WalkUP Roslindale have been advocating and organizing around the Roslindale Gateway Path since our inception almost a decade ago and, thanks to the sustained leadership and partnership of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Arboretum Park Conservancy, LivableStreets Alliance, the Tufts University Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, Rozzie Bikes, Hubluv, the Solomon Foundation, and of course the City of Boston (especially the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu as well as the Parks and Recreation Department, the Department of Public Works, and the Transportation Department), we now have the first tangible result of those efforts – the Phase 1 extension from the terminus of the Blackwell Path at South Street alongside and then under the MBTA Needham Line tracks to a brand new and fully fledged Arboretum entrance on Arboretum Road. This is a great step forward in providing better access to this Emerald Necklace jewel to/from this part of Roslindale. It’s long overdue and very welcome, and we will continue to advocate for the rest of the path going forward, so that improved access can be achieved at Archdale Road and at the Roslindale Village Commuter Rail Station. We also urge everyone to mark your calendars for Saturday, 19 July 2025, when the formal grand opening celebration will be held. We’ll share details on that as they become available. Many thanks to all of the players who made this possible!

Our most recent summary piece on the full path can be found here: Roslindale Gateway Path.

 

Squares + Streets Zoning Map – Roslindale Square – Closeout Meeting – 8 April 2025 @ 6 pm on ZOOM

Matt Lawlor

Close on the heels of the end of the comment period yesterday, the Planning Department is hosting their scheduled closeout meeting on the zoning map and the revisions made thereto since its release in February. We encourage supporters to attend and thank the staff who have worked so hard over the last year to move the process from visioning to the small area plan and now the adoption of a new zoning map for the plan area. Information on the meeting and how to sign can be found HERE. Thanks!

Roslindale Square - Squares + Streets | Bostonplans.org

 

The “Paris-ification” of Cambridge – Go read this piece now!

Matt Lawlor

As we continue to work our way through the Squares & Streets planning and zoning reform process here in Roslindale and look ahead specifically to the Rozzie Zoning Zoom on the 13th of March in which one of our panelists will be none other than Cambridge City Councilor Burhan Azeem, we simply cannot commend enough this piece by Susan Gittelman from B’nai B’rith Housing that recently appeared in Banker & Tradesman

Cambridge legalized multifamily housing citywide…

It’s a quick, but hopeful read about the compelling message that one of our principal, short-, medium-, and long-term goals must be to “build housing where people want to live.” That the Cambridge City Council voted 8 to 1 to support this fundamental a change in that city’s approach to how it zones for housing is indeed remarkable. In the end, the broader idea is to move toward that goal in the way that makes the most sense for every city, town, and neighborhood. As City Councilor Sumbul Siddiqui, co-chair of the council’s housing committee along with Councilor Azeem, notes in the article: “Cambridge has unique economic forces and a unique culture that will affect the details of how other communities might want to apply these concepts.”

Call for action on Hyde Park Ave safety improvements

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Hyde Park Ave. is a key connection between Roslindale and adjacent neighborhoods but has long suffered from significant safety issues as a result of decades-old road design decisions that encourage fast and unsafe driving. On December 11, 2024, the City of Boston ran a “Community Open House” for the initiative to improve safety on this street. It had been advertised in advance that draft designs would be shown at the meeting, but instead it was announced that the City will spend all of 2025 running additional community meetings. Streetsblog Mass covered this meeting in detail.

Residents dismayed by this delay are circulating a letter (English / Español) to sign in response, requesting more immediate action.
We support this effort and encourage our supporters to check out the blog post and join the letter.

Public meeting tonight (12/11) on Hyde Park Ave Redesign and Other Upcoming Events

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Comment Letter on Squares + Streets Zoning Amendments

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Today, we sent in our comment letter on the proposed zoning amendments from the Squares + Streets initiative. Given the significant impact on our core issue of housing, we collaborated with Rozzidents for More Rozzidents and Abundant Housing Massachusetts on the comment letter. The full letter is reproduced below.

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