Eight Streets Neighborhood Association

3 January 2001 Meeting Minutes

Greeting & Introductions.

Open Discussion.

Members expressed interest in having another afternoon social event. Officers will pursue finding an appropriate venue; The Dish and Pho Republique were both suggested.

A suggestion was made to include the South side of Shawmut Ave. in our NA. Officers will research the issues and inform affected households of a planned discussion for the February meeting.

The concept of extending the meeting schedule through the summer was brought up for further discussion at the next meeting.

Vice President John McLachlan will take the lead in assuring that the holiday wreaths are removed in a timely manner.

Update on BRA Article 80 by Ed Allen

Mr. Allen lead a lively discussion around this topic. In brief, BRA Article 80 allows developers to assure that their impact on services pertains only to their own buildings without taking into consideration other developments. In other words, if two large buildings are being developed next to one another, each only needs to make sure that their own building will have sufficient resources (water, electricity, etc.). The exception is traffic impact studies which must take other development into consideration.

Mr. Allen, working with other community leaders, will draft a proposal for a change to BRA Article 80 and present it at our next meeting for discussion.

 

Update on Rollins Square

David Armitage of the Archdiocese of Boston Planning Office provided an excellent update on the upcoming development. Rollins Square will be bordered by Washington, Waltham, Harrison and Savoy. There will be 184 condominiums in mixed height (4 to 6 stories), individually addressed buildings. The units will be 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. 45% are reserved for "Moderate Income" people. There will be a passive park at the center and as many units as possible will have private outdoor spaces. There will be ground floor retail on Washington St. Parking will be available in an underground garage accessible from Savoy Street.

A website with additional information should be available by mid-February. Mr. Armitage will let us know about that and the information will be passed on to the membership.

Construction is expected to begin in earnest this month, with an estimated 22 months until completion.