Many people in Allston rejoiced in February 2005 when Clear Channel Outdoor removed their billboards from this building at 298 Lincoln Street after their lease expired in January. So you can imagine our dissapointment nine months later to learn that the building owner wanted to put billboards back on top of the building.Inspectional Services DENIED a permit because Allston's zoning says: Any billboard except those in existence as of the effective date [2003] of this Article, shall be forbidden.
The building owner appealed this decision to Boston's Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).
The Boston Redevelopment Authority reccomended denial of the appeal because billboards are a forbidden use, excessive, and would create a bad precedent in this residential neighborhood.
Several Allston residents wrote letters opposing this appeal and Paul Berkeley attended the ZBA meeting to testify against it. But Allston's City Councilor Jerry McDermott and City Council President Michael Flaherty SUPPORTED constructing these billboards in our neigborhood and the Zoning Board APPROVED the appeal.
So, soon Allston will have two more billboards than it does today.
what a shame;finally there is a fence along the pike of course not the sound barriers needed like further up after Allston but still looking better. Hopefully it will be maintained and graffitti will be removed a.s.a.p when it goes up and it will. I have found our elected officials to be pretty good , how could they support a billboard going back up ? As it is there are those illuminated ad boxes everywhere lining the streets and grass median strips now on Brighton Ave. too These do bring big revenues to the city . How do these billboards help? Another eyesoar slapping Allston in the face- What a shame.
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