Tell the City What Street Safety Means to You by This Friday 3/7

Ben Bruno

UPDATE: View WalkUP Roslindale’s letter to the administration.

Mayor Wu’s administration has announced a sudden 30-day “Review” of safety and transit improvements that have been implemented in the past three years. This could signal a pivot away from multimodal infrastructure & safe streets (Boston Globe, Streetsblog Mass, Boston Better Streets). It is critical that we all tell the city how much we appreciate the improvements, and how we use this infrastructure every day and rely on it for our safety.

There are good people who work in the administration who probably want to keep the safety improvements they’ve helped build over the past three years, but the people they’re hearing from are those who want it dismantled; our officials need to hear from people who use and support it in order to justify keeping it, and they need to hear by this Friday, March 7th.

In your message, we suggest highlighting 1-2 specific improvements and how you use them and how they how they have affected your life. Here are maps of the City’s bus improvement projects, bike network, and road safety projects for reference.

We recommend emailing the mayor, BTD officials, and city councilors by clicking here.

Submit Your Public Comment on Rozzie Zoning in 2 Minutes!

Ben Bruno

Boston’s Planning Department released good zoning updates for Roslindale Square, like removing costly parking mandates, allowing buildings up to 7 stories in the commercial core, allowing buildings up to 7 stories in the commercial core, and identifying a potential site for a thoughtful mixed-use high-rise development.

Public comment is open through March 31, and we want to show strong neighborhood support. Here’s how to make your voice heard!

Still want to learn more? Join The Rozzie Zoning Zoom on Mar 13 at 7PM for an expert discussion on how the new zoning could shape Roslindale’s housing, affordability, and walkability over the next 10+ years.

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.”

The Rozzie Zoning Zoom!

Ben Bruno

Join WalkUP Roslindale and Rozzidents for More Rozzidents for a virtual community meeting to discuss the recently released draft zoning map for Roslindale Square. Zoning decisions help shape the future of our neighborhood—affecting new development, community amenities, housing affordability, and the risk of displacement.

The Rozzie Zoning Zoom!            

Thursday March 13, 7:00 – 8:30 PM

We’ve assembled a panel of experts, including city planners, housing advocates, and local officials, to provide insights on the zoning map, its upside potential for the community, and strategies to address community concerns. The conversation will cover how the proposed changes could shape future housing patterns and what policies can ensure new development benefits all residents.

 

S+S Zoning Map

Ben Bruno

small snapshot of part of the new S+S zoning map

On February 14, the Planning Department released a draft of zoning updates for the Roslindale Square area. In addition to the maps, a Zoning Updates Guide (English) is now available to help explain the changes (the Spanish version is coming soon, the link will be here when it’s available).

This is a major step towards implementing the community vision that was detailed in the Land Use and Design Framework of the Roslindale Square Small Area Plan, which was adopted on February 13. The Planning Department will be engaging Roslindale residents and taking in their comments on the zoning updates from now through March 31st.

Public Meetings

Presentation and Resource Fair for Tenants & Owners – Register
Tuesday, February 25th from 6-8PM
The Substation, 4228 Washington St, Roslindale, MA 02131

Draft Zoning Updates Public Meeting – Register
Thursday, February 27th 6-8PM
Virtual (Zoom)

Office Hours

In-Person at the Roslindale BPL (Thursday Afternoons) Sign up
Virtual (Tuesday Evenings on Zoom) Sign up

Public Comment Form

Submit your comments until March 31st through this public comment form or email comments to squaresandstreets@nullboston.gov.

Here we go again: Roslindale Snow Clearance Collaborative Version 7.4 (UPDATE with Photos)

Matt Lawlor

Boston Yeti Takes to the Streets during Winter Storm Marcus ...

Lather, rinse, repeat. Our old, but fairly familiar this winter friend the Boston Yeti is calling us out for the fourth time this season! The reported snowfall before the rain came is in the range of 4-6″ (10-15 cm) and therefore exceeds our 4″ (10 cm) threshold. Accordingly, we are again calling our forces out onto the snowy streets to clear bus stops, curb ramps, and key sidewalk segments for our neighbors. As has been the case for many years now, if you send us pix of the clearing you’ve done, we will send you back $10 in Rozzie Bucks as a reward and heartfelt thank you. Send pix to info@nullwalkuproslindale.org. Thanks!!!

UPDATE: One of our neighbors just sent in the following photos upon clearing the storm drain at the intersection of Belgrade and Aldrich and indicated that a “satisfying whoosh” greeted the finish product as the water that had pooled was allowed to drain. Thanks!!

B

WalkUP Roslindale Snow Clearance Collaborative Version 7.3 – All Forces Deploy!

Matt Lawlor

Boston Yeti Takes to the Streets during Winter Storm Marcus ...

Yes, you read that right. This is not a drill. Our old friend Boston Yeti is calling us out for the third time this winter! The reported snowfall total of 6″ so far exceeds our 4″ (10cm) threshold, so we are again calling our forces out onto the snowy streets to clear bus stops, curb ramps, and key sidewalk segments for our neighbors. As has been the case for many years now, if you send us pix of the clearing you’ve done, we will send you back $10 in Rozzie Bucks as a reward and heartfelt thank you. Send pix to matthew.j.lawlor@nullgmail.com. Thanks!!!

Comment Letter on Squares + Streets Small Area Plan

Ben Bruno Leave a comment

Today, we sent in our comment letter on the Roslindale Squares + Streets Small Area Plan.

If you haven’t sent in your comments yet, you can still take a few minutes to do so by using the tools and resources from our prior post. But please hurry because the deadline is TODAY (1/31/25)!

Submit Comments by January 31 on the S+S Small Area Plan!

Ben Bruno 3 Comments

Make sure to submit your comments by January 31 on the Small Area Plan for the Roslindale Squares+Streets initiative!

  1. Draft your comment with this handy public comment generator (Español) or draw inspiration from these sample public comments and talking points.
  2. Submit your public comment (or send it to Eileen.Michaud@nullBoston.gov).

For a more in-depth pro-housing take on the Plan, check out Nate Stell’s what I like and what I dislike.

 

Wait, What’s the Small Area Plan?

The Small Area Plan sets a vision for new public investment and housing development in our neighborhood center. It recommends location, scale, and design standards for future development on our main streets, and it identifies priority improvements to public spaces, intersections, and transportation infrastructure. The Small Area Plan’s land use framework will inform the Planning Department’s zoning recommendations anticipated to be released in February 2025. The plan and the zoning recommendations are the culmination of Roslindale’s Squares+Streets process that began in January 2024.

 

Upcoming Squares + Streets Events

Virtual Office Hours (register in advance)
Thursday, January 28 | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Thursday, January 29 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Roslindale Square Squares + Streets Plan Closeout Meeting (virtual)
Thursday, February 6 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Call for action on Hyde Park Ave safety improvements

walkup Leave a comment

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.