The Boston Police are seeking the public’s help in apprehending two men who were involved in an armed robbery at the Neighborhood Market in Allston yesterday evening. More info here. Hat tip Adam at UH.
January 28, 2013
Governor’s transit plan misses the bus
Reading through the 1.1 billion-a-year transportation plan, I was struck how little mention there is of buses. Bus ridership accounts for 30% of trips on the MBTA, yet the only funds allocated are to speed up plans to replace the current fleet. No mention of creating dedicated bus lanes. How about creating temporary bus lanes by eliminating parking during rush hour on more congested streets? This is already done on some streets downtown, Arlington Street for example, but any vehicle can travel in it. A lane dedicated to buses would help address one of the biggest reasons for poor bus service: the bus is sitting in traffic.
Lots of attention gets paid to bicycle lanes and making it easier to commute on two wheels. The topic lights up blogs and the comments sections of newspapers. But this very heavily used form of transit gets relatively little attention.
January 24, 2013
The latest from Harvard
Harvard’s plans continued to be met with skepticism at last night’s Harvard-Allston Task Force meeting. Residents voiced again their concerns about relocating storage and maintenance facilities to Travis Street, as well as the school’s overall approach, citing a lack transparency as to what their plans are.
The architect originally hired to design the new science complex on Western Avenue is being wooed to rejoin the project, which was put on hold in 2009.
The next meeting of the task force is Wednesday, February 6, at 6PM in Cumnock Hall Room 102, at Harvard Business School.
January 24, 2013
Your elected officials will be all ears
The Allston Brighton State House delegation will be available Thursday, January 31 to speak about and take your questions regarding the upcoming legislative session. The meeting will be at 6:15PM at the Brighton Branch Library. If you have concerns about the governor’s recently unveiled plans for transportation, education and the increased taxes to pay for it, this is an excellent opportunity to voice them. The event is sponsored by the Ward 21 Democratic Committee.
January 23, 2013
How green was my Allston?
The compulsion of real estate developers to create new “districts” has come to Allston. The Mount Vernon Company has dubbed several blocks between Commonwealth Avenue and the Brookline line as the “Green District”. It has announced plans to build an environmentally friendly, 108 unit apartment building at the corner of Brainerd Road and Redford Street, adding to projects completed this summer or now underway. All of this adds to the urgency of improving service on the Boston College line.
January 23, 2013
Police crack down on parties, public drinking
Recent crimes in the Ashford Street area of Allston, along with continuing complaints about parties from residents, has prompted increased patrol in the area, including enforcement of the open container law. Some of the parties had as many as 100 students in attendance. Not far from that area there were three robberies the evening of Saturday, January 18.
The owners of the properties ought take a bit more interest in what happens there. How can you not know when a bar and dj booth are installed?
January 19, 2013
When will that train arrive?
Will Brownsberger has a good summary of the suggestions that were made at a meeting to talk about Green Line Improvements. The MBTA stated that the starting in 2015, there will be real time tracking on the Green line, as there is on the other lines. The Walking Bostonian website also has a map of which parts of the city have the highest and lowest rates of car ownership.
January 17, 2013
Too tall, too dense
A developer is proposing a five-story, 44 apartment building at the corner of Everett and North Beacon Streets just outside Union Square in Allston. This is too tall and too dense for the site, which sits at constantly congested intersection. Something more akin to the Brian Honan apartments around the corner on Everett Street would be more appropriate. The BRA has scheduled a community meeting on Thursday, January 31 at 6:30PM at the Jackson-Mann School.
January 14, 2013
Elbow your way into this meeting if you use the Green Line
Are you feeling like you can’t breath, that everyone is crowding around you, and you can’t move? You must be on the Green Line. The MBTA will be making a presentation about what can be done to improve capacity and how much it would cost, among other issues. Public comments and suggestions welcome. The meeting was organized by a group of elected officials, including State Sen. Will Brownsberger, Reps. Honan and Moran, and Councilor Ciommo. Details here.
January 8, 2013
Big Macs at 2AM
The endless push to keep every bar, restaurant and fast food joint open as late as possible continues. The McDonald’s on Soldier’s Field Road, next to the IHOP, wants to extend its hours, opening at 5AM instead of 6, and closing at 2AM instead of 11. They already have a 24-hour drive through. Anyone who has been to the IHOP after midnight, especially on a weekend, knows what a drunk-fest it is. We do not need more establishments that will keep people in the neighborhood well into the morning hours, or serve as a magnet for communities that have early closing hours. The hearing is tomorrow before the Licensing Board.
January 7, 2013
Her home was gone
Inscribed on the back of this photograph: “….Mrs. Eunice Hollum of 152 North Harvard Street is told that her home in background was cleaned up by BRA movers and then closed up while she was at the store, by Steve Golden, one of the leaders against the BRA takeover…”
Thanks to Charlie Vasiliades for the photo.
Allston has suffered a lot over years due to the arrogance and indifference of the BRA.
UPDATE: Charlie V. informs me the photo is from 1969, probably October.
January 7, 2013
Round-up on Harvard’s plans
Harry Mattison has lots of information on Harvard’s latest plans for Allston, such as they are. Scroll down to the posts starting with “More on Harvard’s empty warehouses.”
January 4, 2013
100 bottles of beer on the wall
Boston has been named the drunkest city in America, according to The Daily Beast. Think about that the next time someone says we need to extend closing hours to 3AM. Meanwhile, the BPD stopped by the Joshua Tree Saturday night, which they continue to monitor after a fist-fight among patrons this summer. The watering hole was named one of Boston’s douchiest bars back in the fall.
January 2, 2013
Alleged murderer in Allston stabbing arraigned
The Suffolk County DA’s office released an account of the altercation. The victim has been identified as Tony Spaulding of Harwich. He was a tenant at the house and attended the New England Institute of Art.
January 2, 2013
Civic rings in 2013
Thursday, January 3 the BAIA will hear from the owner of 28 Bellamy Street, Brighton on his plan to add a second floor the existing home. There are a few other items as well. Most interested should be the police department report, given this weeks murder in Allston and another in December in Brighton.
January 1, 2013
Man dies of stabbing in Allston, Boston’s first homicide for 2013
A man perished of stab wounds this morning outside 48 Pratt Street in Allston. Police arrived at 2:43AM and found the victim bleeding heavily.
The owners of the property are Carla and Charles Husak of Georgetown, MA. It is listed as a six bedroom home in city records. They purchased the property in July 2008 for $430,000 with a $382,000 mortgage.
The “parties” in South Allston get worse and worse, and add to a sense that large parts of the neighborhood are becoming unsafe. The police can end up overwhelmed with calls, and how are they to know which party will turn violent?
UPDATE: The Boston Police state they have arrested Brian MacDonald, age 24, for the murder.