|
|
|
|
|
MHNHS Parcel 25 Newsletter |
|
September 2005 Volume 1, Number 1, Page 2 |
|
|
In This Issue ·
Goals · Uses On the Website Contact Us E-mail:
Patricia Flaherty E-mail:
James Hoffman |
REPORT BACK: Small Group Brainstorming Meetings
As we begin the second phase of the Parcel 25 Community Planning and Development Initiative we would like to thank you for brainstorming with us during the last 8 months. By sharing your goals, concerns, and ideas you have helped us complete the first significant step in determining what happens as Parcel 25. At meetings with abutters, stakeholders, business owners, youth and residents throughout the Mission Hill neighborhood, we have listen to the constructive input of over 140 community members. We are excited about the initial level of public participation and will continue working to expand the dialogue to include even more people in these discussions. The exchange of ideas and comments is essential to the successful development of Parcel 25. The MH NHS Parcel 25 Committee and staff would like to thank all of you who have worked with us – we’d like to encourage you to continue to participate in the Parcel 25 Community Planning and Development Initiative. We invite new participants to get involved as we move forward. We need to hear your insights and concerns, respond to them, and make you a part of the plan that will help revitalize Roxbury Crossing. The 14 small group brainstorming meetings ranged in attendance from 3 to 24 people. We heard from a variety of neighbors: new residents and old, abutters, nearby business owners, tenants, homeowners, seniors from Alice Taylor and youth from Sociedad Latina, members from the institutional community in the Roxbury Crossing area, and residents from the various Mission Hill districts. The following lists represent all of the goals, uses and concerns stated by participants at these meetings. These ideas will inform the second phase of the planning process that will determine a development plan for Parcel 25. An effort was made to include all ideas – whether they were stated at one meeting or all 14 – and to group similar ideas. If you do not see something you thought was stated at a meeting, please let us know. At this point, we want to be sure every idea is included and considered. This list is not intended as a tally, but to give you a sense of the range of ideas exchanged during our meetings. We are sharing all of the information that came of these meetings to give you an opportunity to know that ideas, common and unique, of your Mission Hill neighbors. These ideas and the information provided by the technical consultants and Citizen Task Forces will be process and prioritized at Community Workshops that you are invited to attend beginning this fall. In the end through cooperation, compromise and plan hard work, we will have a community development that benefits the people of Mission Hill. Parcel 25 Community Planning and Development Initiative §
Establish a positive Gateway to
the Mission Hill Neighborhood at Roxbury Crossing P 25 area is first
thing you see when you enter neighborhood and it is an eyesore. Image (perception) and reality of the area
should be improved through development.
Gateway should include a sign and image welcoming people into Mission
Hill - a gateway to the positive improvements in neighborhood, a gateway to the LMA, and should announce
other uses along Tremont and establish Tremont’s identity. §
Reestablish Roxbury Crossing as a
lively retail area with viable businesses.
Identity of Tremont should be retail, not just residential §
New stores/retail should not
compete with, but compliment existing retail.
Development at P 25 should help to stabilize abutting businesses §
P 25 should attract more people by
providing housing to help support new and existing businesses §
Development at Parcel 25 should
attract residents who want to live in Mission Hill and in the Roxbury
Crossing area §
Development at Parcel 25 should
increase property values §
Development at Parcel 25 should
fill the need for increased homeownership opportunities – providing homeownership,
stability, security, pride, affordability and raising morale in the area §
Development of Parcel 25 should
fill in the fabric of the street and give §
Development at Parcel 25 should
include uses that will attract people from across the street – RCC, RLC, new
Mosque, Fort Hill, the schools – and finish the good work done at that corner
of §
Uses at P 25 should attract people
from §
Development at Parcel 25 should
Improve safety of entire area The P 25 area of
Station/Gurney/Parker/Smith/Tremont Streets is now used for all the wrong stuff – development will
help stop the vandalism of cars, drug dealing and using, public drinking, and
prostitution in the area. Clean up of current illegal activity is the #1 goal
of development. There should be positive
activity day and night – “open and alive after 5”. Development will provide security, new
lighting, people and activity to the entire area – more eyes on the area will
help rid the area of the current crime problem. §
Vacant lots are not good for a
neighborhood. It is a waste of
important space that could meet current needs. Illegal activities need to be replaced and
young people need a safe place to go §
Development of Parcel 25 should
provide a catalyst for improving, traffic and parking in the Roxbury Crossing
area Development should
improve intersections at §
Development of Parcel 25 should
shame the T into improving the Roxbury Crossing T station with better
sidewalks, trees and landscaping, more attractive entrance §
Development should be
transit-oriented and pedestrian-friendly.
Businesses should draw people into the neighborhood from the T. Uses should respond to the foot-traffic in
the area, should not generate additional cars. Uses should draw from the area residents
and those without cars or those walking to the T. Should provide stores and services that
people are likely to use on their way home from work. There should be good
crosswalks, handicapped ramps, good lighting and the area should be clean and
attractive §
P 25 should establish a
north/south connector to §
P 25 should provide a connection
to the §
Development of P 25 should have a
positive economic impact for MH residents through home ownership and stable
jobs opportunities with a preference for Mission Hill residents. There should be job training. Development of P 25 should keep Mission
Hill dollars in Mission Hill §
All development at Parcel 25 needs
to be attractive with landscaping, nice colors, windows on the street. Development needs to fit into the
neighborhood contextually in terms of design, needs to be neighborhood-friendly
and clean. Design needs to be respectful
of open-space and the visual impact of the product on the neighborhood should
also be respectful §
Commercial development should be
at §
Commercial/Retail space should be
on the lower level with housing above §
Space should be allocated for
small (maybe start up) businesses and offices like a minimal or “The Arcade”
in Brookline – for commercial tenants that can’t afford/ or do not require
large square footage (lawyer, insurance broker), maybe with shared amenities
(conference room) §
There should be a garage with
retail on first floor §
Development should be ecologically
responsible, using green building guidelines §
Preserve views §
Buffer the noise – benefit other
development and existing homes and businesses in the area §
Development at P 25 should bring
neighbors together from all parts of Mission Hill §
Development needs to be
neighborhood-serving. Stores should meet the needs of Mission Hill families.
Development should provide increased goods and services for the abutting
residential neighbors. P 25 is
convenient to area housing and should serve those needs §
Development should be
youth-friendly. The development of P
25 should be positive for youth and provide a safer place for all the kids who
pass through that intersection §
Businesses should be multi-aged
and multi-cultural §
Development should expand
mixed-use activity in the area §
Roxbury Crossing should have a
theme §
The development of Parcel 25
should be a community development v. someone else. The MBTA should not be
allowed to expand onto the land. Uses should serve Mission Hill §
P 25 could provide an opportunity
to work with schools and their developments.
The entire adjacent area should be looked at. Colleges and Universities are looking for
land, but any development should be in the neighborhood’s interest §
P 25 should be community
controlled forever. It should be
developed and owned by MHNHS. The
Mission Hill neighborhood should decide what goes there, not someone else Parcel 25 Community Planning and Development Initiative Community Uses / Job Training §
Art Center /Youth Center including
multipurpose rooms for dance studio, performance space, homework, trainings,
GED, space for existing programs serving youth §
Function Hall / Function Space §
Educational/Training Center for youth
of all ages, adults providing tutoring, job training, GED, economic
justice/literacy, parenting, w/LMA
training §
Small business incubator/ w/ job
training §
§
Bigger better library §
Art Gallery §
Recreational/Entertainment §
Activities and space for small
children §
New activities for youth §
Basketball courts §
Football field §
Batting cages §
Bingo for Seniors §
Slot machines for Seniors §
Appealing and safe recreational
space §
Affordable gym and pool, water
activities for youth §
Affordable paint ball §
Family activities like bowling §
Safe Video and game arcade /
indoor playground §
Music club with jazz and a bar §
Cinema like Coolidge Corner,
theatre for movies and plays Financial / Insurance / Real
Estate §
Bank §
ATM §
A place to pay bills §
Insurance Agency Institutional §
Dental, eye, health clinic
associated with one of the Hospitals to provide services to residents §
LMA office space §
Optometrist §
Dentist Office §
Government offices §
Satellite offices for institutions
§
Offices for agencies working in
Roxbury Parking §
Municipal/public parking for uses
on the site plus other parkers in the area §
Parking as an income-generator/
paid parking for commuters §
Short-term metered or monitored parking
§
Parking for commuters during the
day and residents and organizations at night §
Cover over the tracks for parking §
Parking for Housing §
Housing for families §
Affordable housing §
Affordable homeownership §
Homeownership §
Rent to own housing §
Various types of housing to meet
needs of residents who want to stay on the Hill §
Senior housing §
Homeless shelter §
Housing with institutions/by
institutions Retail §
Clothing store – “quality” §
Children’s clothing store §
Small stores in a plaza §
Stores the complement existing
business/not compete §
§
TJ Maxx §
Old Navy §
Home Goods/ Housewares Store §
Radio Shack) §
Target §
Staples §
Economy Hardware /”real” Hardware Store §
“Dollar-fifty Store” – upscale Dollar Store §
Computer store §
Plant Nursery / garden store §
“Fancy” consignment shop §
Sports equipment store §
Play It Again Sam’s / used sports
equipment §
Art Supply store §
Yarn/craft/bead store §
Frame shop §
Newsstand §
Pet store §
Book store/card shop/ gifts like The Paper Store §
Used bookstore §
Flower shop §
Bike shop (near the bike path) §
Auto part store §
“Nice” shoe store §
Convenience store §
Drug store §
Multicultural open or closed air
market that sells foods, crafts, products Food §
Bakery §
Vitamin/health food store §
Convenience store with a green
grocery §
Fishmarket §
Specialty food market §
Cosco/BJs §
Market Basket §
Coffee and Donuts Services §
Hotel §
Video rental / video ATM §
Shoe repair §
Tailor §
Dry cleaner §
Laundromat §
Nail salon §
Midas auto repair §
Spa / beauty salon §
Childcare §
Child drop-off for
customers/clients of spaces §
Fire house (swap §
Travel agency §
Copy center §
Mailbox §
Satellite Post Office §
Zip Car §
Car Wash Social Services §
Human service providers §
Drug treatment outpatient services
§
Church Restaurant §
Cyber café / internet café §
Bookstore café §
Restaurants that would
serve/attract customers from RLC,RCC, schools §
Restaurants that would serve as a
destination for those outside area §
Sit down neighborhood restaurant §
Fancy Chinese restaurant §
Fancy steakhouse §
Bertucci’s §
KFC §
Breakfast place §
Pizza place §
Quality fast-food like §
Food court §
Multicultural food court §
Many small ethnic restaurants like
§
McDonald’s (with jobs for youth and indoor
play space) §
Chuckie Cheese or kids’ restaurant §
Bonkers §
Wendies Other §
Print shop / commercial printing
press §
Light industrial spaces §
Open space / neighborhood square /
monument to MH past §
Playground §
Green space or stadium linked to
RLC §
Biosphere using groundwater to
grow veg. / nursery for plants, flowers §
School for Mosque §
Voting location Parcel 25 Community Planning and
Development Initiative §
Constraint on development –
anything built on Parcel 25 should be neighborhood-serving §
There is a concern about the
development of retail – all the retail along and across Tremont at Roxbury
Crossing has had a difficult time establishing itself in the area §
There are financial constraints on
new retail development at Parcel 25 – the high cost of business and rents in
new construction makes it hard for retail to be supported by current incomes
in the neighborhood §
There are constraints and
opportunities related to the large number of adolescents in the area. There are youth from the high schools, RCC,
RLC crossing through this intersection in large numbers. Have to deal with the potential fall out of
“hanging out” at the development §
Need to figure out how to attract
people with money, not just teenagers §
Design needs to be well-thought
out. The development should not be a
“hang out” for kids, panhandlers, drug dealers. Store fronts should be at the street to
eliminate space for illegal activities or unsafe areas §
Constraints include issues of
crime and safety – existing and future.
Gangs, drug dealers and loiterers are the ones using the site now.
Area feels unsafe now – need to change perception and reality -- to rid area
of illegal activity and make it a place people feel safe and
comfortable. Security needs to part of
any new development §
This is not an area for a park §
No live entertainment, large bands
that attract “hanging out”, noise and traffic §
No liquor stores §
No bars or taverns §
No clubs §
No strip clubs or adult
entertainment §
No all-night establishments §
No police stations §
No record store or video game
store §
No Walmart or big box (traffic and parking) §
Nothing “too big” – should fit
into the area and look like “Mission Hill” §
Concern – uses should not put
other existing businesses out of business.
Nothing at P 25 should compete with §
No supermarket – already have Stop and Shop §
No Dunkin Donuts – keep Mike’s
§
No convenience stores like
7/11 §
No tobacco-selling No graffiti – upgrade image The Parcel 25 Newsletter is
published by Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services’ Parcel
25 Committee. Members:
Bruce Keary (co-chair), Nancy Sheehan (co-chair), Tony Barros, Matilda
Drayton, Kay Gallagher, Rich Giordano, Maryanne O’Keefe, Sandra Pascal,
Councilor Michael Ross, Maria Sanchez, David Welch Mission
Hill Neighborhood Housing Services
|
