Description

This is a hazard and an accident with legal consequences waiting to happen; one much reported on for years and years. We even had a neighborhood meeting at Lesley College in Porter with Patrick Baxter and others from the city traffic and engineering offices. While this traffic died down a bit during quarantine, we are back to pre-Covid levels of traffic and cars again are dangerously cutting through from Walden to Mead to Cogswell to avoid the back-up on Walden created by the long Mass Ave light and the parked cars on Walden near Mass Ave that blocks access to the lane for right turning traffic. Neighbors have all concluded that nothing was done about this because the city could not go on record, officially, to agree with traffic issues because that would confirm that traffic is indeed an issue when the developer Capstone and Hope claim through a traffic & parking study that there are not any traffic or parking issues. With the help of city manager Louie DePasquale, the Planning Board and the Board of Zoning Appeal, these developers seek a 40B Comprehensive Permit and want to develop the corner of Walden and Mass Ave (2072 Mass Ave). The developers were continued twice and recently submitted a letter to withdraw their application, yet remain committed to developing 2072 Mass Ave.

Of course nothing has been done to mitigate traffic issues or dangers because such an admission would make the development a no-go. Clearly this is a legally binding issue at this point and the city needs to respond: we are being left at risk in the hopes that for profit developers can win a contract and the city can tick off a box or two for 'affordable housing.' This playbook is not fair or transparent and the neighborhood calls on the city to return to the traffic and parking issue on the streets Walden, Mead, Cogswell and Mass Ave at 2072. It is time to serve the people whose taxes pay city employee salaries; it is not the time to serve the developers.