UPDATE – Insufficient snow fall – STAND DOWN – WalkUP Roslindale Snow Clearance Collaborative – v. 6.1 ON ALERT

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UPDATE: The snow came late and it did make things look wintry (finally), but it’s definitely below 4″ (10 cm) here at WUR Snow Clearance Collaborative HQ, so we will not be officially calling out our forces. Still, it looks like we have something like 3″ (7.5 cm), so help out your neighbors if you see some trouble spots that require clearing. Thanks all!

Well, the forecasters and our old friend the Boston Yeti (who hasn’t been seen in these parts since early 2022) indicate that we may well have clearable snow (i.e., 4″ (10 cm) or more of the white stuff) with the coastal storm that is anticipated to start late tonight and last most of the day tomorrow. Accordingly, we are putting our snow collaborative forces ON ALERT and asking that everyone who can, please be ready to pick up a shovel and safely, calmly, and with maximum dignity clear out a bus stop, a curb ramp, or a critical pedestrian or cycle path wherever in Roslindale they may be, then send us a picture of the dug out location(s) at matthew.j.lawlor@nullgmail.com, and we’ll be happy to give you our deepest thanks and work with our friends at Roslindale Village Main Street to get you a $10 coupon to the Roslindale Square business of your choice. Thanks everybody and stay tuned!

The Boston Yeti: Social media sensation returns as area is struck by ...

Squares + Streets Presentation on 10 December 2023 – De-Brief

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Squares and Streets Initiative

This past Sunday’s public presentation on the Boston Planning & Development Agency’s “Squares + Streets” planning and zoning was carried off expertly by Taylor Mayes, Abdul-Rafik Zachariah, and Lydia Hausle. We had about 40 folks on hand and there was plenty of discussing and hanging around afterward. You are welcome to review the full slide show from the presentation (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), along with a Squares + Streets Glossary for reference.

Email subscription to our blog now available

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If you’d like to receive new postings by email, you can now do so at https://subscribe.walkuproslindale.org . If you’ve signed up previously on our mailing list (or here), you’ll need to sign up again — we wanted to make sure you really want to hear from us!

We will only use your email for WalkUP Roslindale posts and not share any of your information with any third party.

Other ways to follow us:

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.

We’re on Mastodon

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Folks may have noticed an exodus from Twitter/X in recent months. We’re still posting there but have been experimenting with other services as well. We are now on Mastodon at https://urbanists.social/@walkuprozzie (@walkuprozzie@nullurbanists.social) and invited users to follow us there. 

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

Squares and Streets Survey

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Squares and Streets Initiative

The City of Boston recently launched the Squares + Streets initiative to focus on activity-rich neighborhood centers along main streets across Boston. We encourage all WalkUP followers to complete the initiative’s survey by December 1. The survey is brief and you’ll be entered into a raffle for $100 Boston Public Market gift cards for filling it out. Please spread the word!

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.

Initial Poplar Street speed humps are now IN!

Matt Lawlor 5 Comments

Speed humps first appeared in our neighborhood with the Mount Hope-Canterbury Neighborhood Slow Streets installations a couple of years ago, and they have just been installed on the first couple of blocks of Poplar Street leading away from Roslindale Square/Washington Street toward Canterbury (we anticipate signs and more paint alerting drivers to the presence of the humps soon, as is typical). It seems this installation is both part of the Poplar Street safety improvements project for which we recently reaffirmed our support and also the Boston Transportation Department’s overall program of deploying 500 of these humble yet highly effective traffic calming devices citywide on an annual basis. It is worth noting that these are speed humps, not speed bumps – humps like these are much gentler on vehicle suspensions while still being highly effective and sized/placed to achieve the 25 mph citywide default speed limit on streets such as Poplar Street.

The folks at the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) have a useful explainer of the general concept behind speed humps here. We expect more speed humps soon in a nearby part of Roslindale with the imminent installation of the Lower South Street Neighborhood Slow Streets interventions, but we’d love to see them in many more places as quickly as they can be deployed. More of this please!

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!