Letter to the Editor

Is Everything Okay at City Hall?

To the Editor,

Is everything okay at City Hall these days? Has the record- breaking July heat temperatures affected some statements made by the Mayor and the Boston Planning and Development Agency that are contradictory to each other?

The Mayor has stated he is in favor of a Master Plan for Charlestown. The BPDA rejects that statement and proclaims, “There will be no Master Plan for Charlestown,” but a “strategic plan for Charlestown.”

The BPDA claims that the “strategic plan will provide the same as a Master Plan.”

Not correct and not so fast, is my rebuttal to the BPDA.

Can someone help me understand how the communities of South Boston and East Boston have a Master Plan, but the BPDA does NOT want a Master Plan in Charlestown? And did I recently read that the Public Garden in Boston is advocating for a Master Plan? This whole scenario is boarding on the ridiculous.

Once a Master Plan is approved, an Interim Planning Overlay District (IPOD) is immediately put in place. This gives the Charlestown community protection from any developers filing paperwork for projects, such as the many City-owned parcels (13) along the Rutherford Corridor and Sullivan Square, as well as the parking lot leased by the Bunker Hill Community College that will be available for future development.

While the BPDA is planning “listening sessions” in the Charlestown community this Fall, there is no guarantee that developers will not be slipping in the back door with their proposals and conducting business as usual.

This is the reason Charlestown needs a Master Plan and IPOD in place for orderly and responsible development.

Two years ago I was stuck in gridlock traffic with an ambulance, lights and sirens blaring next to me. As a nurse, this was completely unacceptable. I wrote to the Mayor and the Boston Transportation Department asking that they come to Charlestown and listen to the community to try come up with traffic solutions, as this is a health and safety issue.

There was NO response from either, NO one listened. It’s too late for the BPDA to conduct “listening sessions.” We need to move beyond that with a Master Plan in place and then they can start listening to the community.

Whether those in City Hall are elected, appointed or hired, we the people are paying their salaries.

We in Charlestown want a Master Plan with an IPOD in place, no more no less.

Ann Kelleher

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