Last night's Harvard transportation meeting

The question that Harvard put forth at last night's meeting was "Is having Stadium Way better than not having Stadium Way?" The goal stated for creating Stadium Way is a noble one - reduce cut-through traffic on Windom Street and create an road other than North Harvard St to connect Cambridge St and Western Ave. The problem with this approach is that it seems to be the result of such a narrow and limited vision. There are so many tranportation problems in this area: 1) Cut through traffic on Windom St 2) Difficulty exiting the Mass Pike westbound to go to Allston, Brighton, Cambridge, or Storrow Drive. 3) Difficulty getting from Cambridge St onto Storrow Drive or across the river into Cambridge 4) Poor pedestrian and bicycle access on Cambridge St that cuts off the neighborhood from the river. And there are many more. So why, at the beginning of this fantastically huge development project, is the proposal so modest? As buildings and new roads (like Stadium Way) get built it will only make it harder and more expensive to make the fundamental improvements that this area so badly needs. Transporation design and construction design have come a long way in the decades since the Turpike was built. Roads, bridges, and buildings that couldn't be imagined years ago are now becoming commonplace (like Boston's new ICA and the Central Chinese Television Tower being built in Beijing)

Harvard's 50 year plan

So I think the real question is "How many of our biggest transportation problems should we try to fix before starting one of the biggest developments in Boston history?"

Last night's Harvard Construction Mitigation meeting

There is a lot to say about the meeting last night, but here is a snapshot.

Harvard built a first-class barrier wall and planted trees on Hammond Street in Cambridge.

But Harvard’s offer to Allston is a chain link fence covered with green cloth

City Council seeks increased fines for loud parties

Parties tied to violence, Council says - News

"Linking partying to violence in Boston, the City Council yesterday called for stiffer fines against loud parties among other measures to curb the wave of violence hitting the city. Linking partying to violence in Boston, the City Council yesterday called for stiffer fines against loud parties among other measures to curb the wave of violence hitting the city.

Councilor-at-Large Sam Yoon proposed the city raise its fine -- currently $300 -- for noise violations as a means of curbing late-night partying, and he suggested the Council create an exploratory committee and hold a hearing to further investigate the problem."

There's a new blog in town

Check out Mike Pahre's Brighton Community Blog.

Construction Mitigation meeting on Wednesday

Wednesday at 6 at the Honan Library is a meeting to discuss construction mitigation with Harvard. One issue is the appearance of the areas where the existing buildings will be demolished and where construction will happen. In Cambridge Harvard built these nice 20' walls and planted mature pine trees between the wall and the neighborhood to block noise from the construction site and make the neighborhood look better. It would be great to see this on Western Ave, Travis St, and elsewhere.

Past separated from future?

Past separated from future? - The Boston Globe: "As historic sites go, the weathered sign outside the Dunkin' Donuts at the corner of Market and North Beacon streets isn't much, unless of course you're a big fan of neon. But recent rumors that the sign might not survive a planned renovation of the nearly 50-year-old franchise have raised, well, not so much protests as concerns."

Faded markings make for a hazardous crossing in Brighton

Faded markings make for a hazardous crossing in Brighton - The Boston Globe: "Tipsters Elizabeth Rothwell , Liza Wittkopf , and Sarah Diffenbaugh are social work interns from Boston College's School of Social Work who say the city has got to do something about a scary, even deadly , situation in Brighton. The trio works at the Covenant House, a 242-unit affordable housing complex for senior citizens at 30 Washington St."

Something's happening in Barry's Corner!

Woman defies Chinese developers

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Woman defies Chinese developers

Now here's someone who is REALLY standing up to stop development!

Boston Minstrel Company 15th annual fundraiser party

Mark your calendar!

The Boston Minstrel Company is holding its 15th annual fundraiser party on Saturday, April 21 at 7:30 PM. The proceeds will benefit our musical outreach to Boston area homeless shelters and residential facilities as well as the MCI-Framingham prison for women. The event will feature music by the Knuckleheads rock & roll band and the Boston Minstrels, led by North Brighton's own Tim McHale, Artistic Director. Come one, come all if you like to sing, dance, and celebrate! There will be live and silent auctions, raffles, a light dinner buffet, and a cash bar.

when: Saturday, April 21, 7:30 PM
where: American Legion Post #440, 295 California Street, Newton
Tickets: $35 in advance - $45 atthe door (tax deductible)
To purchase tickets in advance: visitwww.bostonminstrel.org or call 800-595-4TIX

Study Sees New Campus Center Near BU Bridge

Study Sees New Campus Center Near BU Bridge: "...the urban planner has proposed a key concept for the physical future of Boston University: a campus stretched along Commonwealth Avenue whose center is a grassy ellipse built over the Massachusetts Turnpike near the BU Bridge. "

BU planning new center for campus

BU planning new center for campus - The Boston Globe

A new view for BU: One plan includes an 8-acre park over Pike - The Boston Herald

Boston University wants to transform a traffic-snarled area of Commonwealth Avenue near the BU Bridge into a new heart for its campus, including such features as a public transportation center, sidewalk cafes, stores, academic buildings, and housing. University officials yesterday released a rough outline for redeveloping the BU Bridge area, a plan they see as a continuation of a $450 million building boom they began on their west campus nearly a decade ago and have almost completed.

BC Administrators meet with Brighton residents

Administrators meet with residents - Editorial by the 'The Heights' student newspaper
"The Issue: BC admins meet with Brighton residents on plan
What we think: Residents need to be more understanding"

How safe can bio-research be?

In a coindence of timing, on the same day that we had a meeting with Harvard about the bio-research facility that they want to build on Western Ave, a research building operated by Boston University was evacuated. One of the questions that was asked, but not answered, at the meeting last night is the Biosafety Level of Harvard's planned building.

Biomedical lab evacuated - The Boston Globe

Firefighters evacuated hundreds of people from a 10-story Boston University biomedical research building yesterday after white smoke wafted through a laboratory that houses vials of highly infectious bacteria, renewing concern about the danger of studying potentially deadly pathogens in a densely populated area.

Charles River Watershed flyer on Harvard Science Complex

Click here to download this document about environmentally sustainable techniques that could be used for this project and the surrounding neighborhood.

BC Task Force meeting, tomorrow at the Brighton Marine Health Center, 6:30-8:30pm

Task force votes to support new St. E's ED

Task force votes to support new ED - Allston/Brighton TAB In a 7-1 vote, the St. Elizabeth’s Task Force decided Thursday to officially support the hospital’s plans to build a new Emergency Department at the corner of Washington and Cambridge streets in Brighton.

New music classes at the Gardner School

Starting off on a better note - Allston/Brighton TAB: The Gardner School launched a music program in its kindergarten and special needs classrooms after the winter vacation, giving 42 children an opportunity to learn about music on a weekly basis, according to Julie Bott, the director of extended services at the school.
This has been made possible through a partnership with the Community Music Center of Boston. Next year, Bott said, the school is hoping to bring music classes to more children.

Walking in the mall

Big-box stores keep mall alfloat in rocky retail waters - The Boston Globe

Ton Chin, 73, of Allston said he prefers to walk outside. But, in the winter, he has nowhere else to go. So, every morning, he and his wife, Kum, lace up their white sneakers, drive to Watertown, and walk the mall for an hour. Chin said he doesn't know what he'd do without it. "I come here every morning," he said.

This story brings to mind a conversation I had recently with an Allston resident about Harvard's athletic complex and its Gordon indoor track in Allston. The track is only used for competition six days a year and probably there are times during the week when the undergrads or other Harvard people who would use the track are in class or busy doing other things. It would be a nice thing for members of the community like Mr. Chin to be able to walk at the Harvard track instead of driving to Watertown. Of course Harvard doesn't have to do this, but it would be a nice way to be a good neighbor. In some small way it would be a symbolic way to compensate the community for inconvenience's caused by events like the high school hockey tournament last week that put Allston residents and others in crazy traffic backups (North Harvard St northbound backed up from the Stadium to Cambridge St!).

Brighton Main Streets branding charette

Painting a neighborhood with stamps of distinction - The Boston Globe