While it is known around the country for being home to our beloved Fenway Park, those of us who live in Boston know that the Fenway neighborhood is so much more.  Its parks are some of the most beautiful stretches of open space in the Emerald Necklace.  The neighborhood is home to cultural institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts, and world-class colleges and universities like Berklee College of Music.

But as time goes on, we’re beginning to see the emergence of what I call “two Fenways”—the East Fenway and the West Fenway.

The West Fenway—the part of the neighborhood near Fenway Park and home to young professionals, couples, and senior citizens who have lived in the area for years—has become an example of what responsible development can do for Boston.  It is a neighborhood where developers work with the community on new projects to achieve a shared vision.  With the positive changes started in 2002 by new Red Sox owners, the West Fenway has undergone a successful transformation.  Projects like the Trilogy building, 1330 Boylston Street, and the Landmark Center have shown that development can transform neighborhoods for the better—bringing in street-level restaurants and retail.  The West Fenway is also a place where “fun” is allowed and embraced—Puma City and Tasty Burger being two recent examples.

The East Fenway—across the Muddy River—is at a crossroads.  When I graduated from college, I moved to a well-priced studio in the East Fenway, in one of the dozens of residential buildings in that neighborhood.  This is becoming harder for young professionals today because of housing gridlock.  Our colleges and universities are attracting students from around the world in record numbers.  That’s the good news.  But they are struggling to keep pace with the demand for on-campus housing.  This forces undergraduates into off-campus apartments, drives up rents and property values, and prices recent graduates out of our city.  These young people are deciding to leave Boston after graduation, taking their skills and ideas with them to other cities.  As a result, Boston has lost a greater percentage of 20 to 34-year-olds than the nation as a whole in the past 20 years.

There are ways that the East Fenway can offer just as much as the West Fenway, but not without help from neighborhood institutions.  At a minimum, Northeastern University needs to fulfill the promise of its Institutional Master Plan and start construction on the new dorms it plans for Roxbury, Mission Hill, and part of the Fenway.  That will open up apartments in the area for graduates, young professionals, new families, and others, thus easing housing gridlock.  In addition, landlords who are in the student-only rental business should consider other ways to improve, market, sell or rent their housing stock.

There’s another opportunity to revitalize the East Fenway—Forsyth Park.  Recently, the Museum of Fine Arts acquired the Forsyth Institute.  The MFA has agreed to return a portion of Forsyth Park—long used illegally as a parking lot by its previous owner—to the Parks Department.  This is a good first step.  But with an institution as vibrant and progressive as the MFA, so much more is possible.  Imagine a place where residents could enjoy free public art.  I believe that the ground floor of the Forsyth building should be activated for pedestrian use—perhaps as a top-tier restaurant, with an outdoor café looking out over the park—turning this dead corner into a vibrant space.

We must also ensure that we do not leave vulnerable residents behind as we continue to bring new life to this great neighborhood.  As we develop new areas of the Fenway—including the recent proposal to develop the former Goodyear site into a mixed-use building—we must consider the needs of the residents who have called Fenway home for decades, and those who plan to live there for decades to come.  We must ensure that there are affordable housing opportunities in these new developments.  Also, strong neighborhoods require an investment by residents.  The percentage of home ownership in the Fenway is among the lowest levels of any neighborhood in the city—there need to be additional home ownership opportunities created.  Finally, the Peterborough Senior Center is a valuable resource for elderly residents in the neighborhood, but its current space is too small for all the activities the Center coordinates for its visitors.

Both sides of the Fenway have so much to offer—convenience to downtown, historic open spaces, and a diverse community in which people of all ages want to live.  But as the West Fenway embraces new development, the East Fenway is being passed by, due to a lack of available housing.  As the economy turns around and development begins anew, we must ensure that city leaders, residents, developers, and our cultural institutions work together to maintain the vitality of this great place for generations to come.

QUESTION 1: Sales Tax on Alcoholic Beverages.

This proposed law would remove the Massachusetts sales tax on alcoholic beverages and alcohol, where the sale of such beverages and alcohol or their importation into the state is already subject to a separate excise tax under state law. The proposed law would take effect on January 1, 2011.

QUESTION 2: Comprehensive Permits for Low- or Moderate- Income Housing.

This proposed law would repeal an existing state law that allows a qualified organization wishing to build government-subsidized housing that includes low- or moderate-income units to apply for a single comprehensive permit from a city or town’s zoning board of appeals (ZBA), instead of separate permits from each local agency or official having jurisdiction over any aspect of the proposed housing.

Under the existing law, the ZBA holds a public hearing on the application and considers the recommendations of local agencies and officials. The ZBA may grant a comprehensive permit that may include conditions or requirements concerning the height, site plan, size, shape, or building materials of the housing. Persons aggrieved by the ZBA’s decision to grant a permit may appeal it to a court. If the ZBA denies the permit or grants it with conditions or requirements that make the housing uneconomic to build or to operate, the applicant may appeal to the state Housing Appeals Committee (HAC).

QUESTION 3: Sales and Use Tax Rates.

This proposed law would reduce the state sales and use tax rates (which were 6.25% as of September 2009) to 3% as of January 1, 2011. It would make the same reduction in the rate used to determine the amount to be deposited with the state Commissioner of Revenue by non-resident building contractors as security for the payment of sales and use tax on tangible personal property used in carrying out their contracts.

The proposed law provides that if the 3% rates would not produce enough revenues to satisfy any lawful pledge of sales and use tax revenues in connection with any bond, note, or other contractual obligation, then the rates would instead be reduced to the lowest level allowed by law.

 Relaxed and among some of his many Fenway friends, State Sen. Steven Tolman said that it felt good to be campaigning in the upcoming Democratic primary, to be held on September 14. With drenching rain holding down attendance, the Senator’s “Town Hall Forum” in the Fenway CDC’s conference room was more of an intimate give-and-take between senator and constituents than between candidate and voters. Tolman showed off his labor union background and progressive record, upholding as the highest priority the “human capital” of the Commonwealth. For example, he voted against the transportation reorganization because he believed that individual workers from the merging agencies (DOT and MBTA) would suffer.

He highlighted his work on the OxyContin-Heroin epidemic, capped by the bill just passed by Gov. Deval Patrick; the bill requires pain management training for those who dispense addictive pain medications. He lambasted the manufacturer of the drug, which he said overwhelms and changes the brain’s chemistry. Addicts soon enough turn to heroin, which is drastically cheaper than the exorbitantly priced OxyContin. Snorting turns into injection. 

Neither Tolman nor those gathered mentioned the name of his opponent, William Feegbeh, the 40-year-old vanity candidate from Brighton. Feegbeh, who has no organization or website, mustered 2 write-in votes last year for mayor, a position which he characterized as “an entry-level position in government.” He told the Dorchester Reporter “I should be running for higher office, maybe congressman or senator, But I don’t have money so that causes me to run for a little one.”

Long-time Tolman friend City-Councilor-at-Large Felix Arroyo Jr. did a cameo, ticking off now-taken-for-granted victories of organized labor (e.g., weekends and freedom from the 12 hour workday), and paying tribute to Senator Tolman as a mentor and ally in his own work on behalf of struggling people

Residents raised diverse issues, from the need for caring and neighborly community to improved protection for Fenway’s victory gardeners, soon to benefit from an  Army Corps of Engineers project to open up the Muddy River. We discussed the difficulty of earning money while on disability benefits, and the value of medical marijuana as a civil rights issue for people with disabilities.  Former Fenway CDC Executive Director Matt Thall discussed the threat to the independence of limited equity housing co-ops posed by a bill that would require co-ops to accept applicants based on ability to pay.

Senator Tolman urged people to reject all three state ballot questions, which would reduce state revenues and cause terrible cuts to necessary services. (He suggested the bumper sticker “No! No!  No!”). He re-affirmed his support for taxes, which would have prevented cuts like closing a clubhouse for people living with mental illness. A few of the abandoned members acted out violently, thereby needing medical care more expensive than any original savings.

He was here in the Fenway.  He spoke, he listened and he took notes. Now be sure to get out and VOTE!  A photo essay of the Town Hall Forum with Senator Steven A. Tolman held Tues.,  August 24, 2010 from 6 pm to about 8:40 pm in the Fenway CDC community room. For more information about Senator Tolman click here ! Photo Essay by Valarie Seabrook (c) 2010

[View with PicLens]

November 2, 2010 State Election Remember the last day to register to vote is 20 days before the election.

Question #2 on the fall ballot will abolish 40B, which helps develop affordable housing. While Boston isn’t affected by 40B, as the city already exceeds the 10% affordability threshold, it’s abolition would have a devastating effect on the provision of affordable housing in the suburbs.

This law is about fairness and equity. All families should have a choice about where to live. The affordable housing law sets a reasonable goal for each and every city and town to require at least 10% of its homes to be affordable.  It encourages construction of new homes by allowing for a single comprehensive permit and flexible zoning for developers who build affordable homes.

Here are some facts about the law:

 §         Over the last decade, this law has been responsible for approximately 80% of the affordable homes built outside of the Commonwealth’s major cities. 

§         More than 58,000 homes have been created for working families, seniors, and disabled individuals across the state.

§         A repeal would immediately halt the construction of 12,000 homes in the pipeline, and all of the jobs and economic benefits they would bring. 

For more info or to get involved, go to www.protectaffordablehousing.org, call 617-933-5275 or email info@protectaffordablehousing.org.

Please Join State Senator Steven Tolman

for a Town Hall Forum

When: Tuesday, August 24th at 6:00 PM 

73 Hemenway Street (side entrance)

Conor Cahill (617) 202-5729

Conor@TolmanforSenate.com

www.TolmanforSenate.com

(617) 267-4637 or cmargarita@fenwaycdc.org

Despite 45 years of dedicated service to the people of my community
and the people of Boston, the federal government on October 12th at
the Moakley Court House will continue its attempt to convince the
public that I am guilty of extortion of $1000 and lying to FBI
officials.

I have no doubt that my legal team of Barry Wilson, John Pavlos,
Michelle Brennan, and Kazi Toure will be successful in proving my
innocence. Also, I believe the trial will enable the public to
recognize the unethical and immoral behavior of those who are
conspiring to silence me.

In addition to exposing the corruption of the government’s actions, my
defense will focus on my 45 years of dedicated service. My lawyers
plan to put on the stand those who can testify regarding help received
from me and whether money ever stood between their needs and my
service.

Those who would like to testify regarding my character please call
617-427-1667 and leave your name and telephone number. You will be
contacted by a member of my legal team.

Thanks for all your support. Remember: Our struggles with adversity
make us stronger and wiser.

Peace and Love

Chuck

Image from supportchuckturner.com

Key Vote

Aid To States for Medicaid, Teacher Employment, and Other Purposes

Key Votes: HR 1586 Issues: Education, Health Issues Date: 08/10/2010 Sponsor: Rep. Rangel, Charles (D-NY)

Roll no. 518 Concurrence Vote Passed (House) How members voted (247 – 161)

 Synopsis:
Project Vote Smart staff and volunteers are working hard to produce a clear and accurate summary of the contents of the bill. At this time, we have posted the voting record for HR 1586 so you can see how the office holder representing you has voted on this piece of legislation. We will have a detailed summary available as soon as possible.

For further status information, call the Voter’s Research Hotline at 1-888-VOTE-SMART (1-888-868-3762).

Link to Legislation: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:hr1586:

House Passage: 03/19/2009 : Bill Passed: 328 – 93 (Roll no. 143)

Senate Passage With Amendment: 03/22/2010 : Bill Passed 93 – 0 (Record Vote Number 61)

House Concurrence Vote With Amendment: 03/25/2010 : Concurrence Vote Passed 276 – 145 (Roll no. 190)

Senate Concurrence Vote With Amendment: 08/05/2010 : Concurrence Vote Passed: 61 – 39 (Record Vote Number 228)

House Concurrence Vote: 08/10/2010 : Concurrence Vote Passed 247 – 161 (Roll no. 518)

President Passage: 08/10/2010 : Signed Became Public Law Number 111-226

Rep. Rangel, Charles (D-NY)

PVS provides summaries for each version of the bill selected as a key vote. The summary does not necessarily reflect the final version of the bill. For further status information, call the Voter’s Research Hotline at 1-888-VOTE-SMART (1-888-868-3762).

For the rest of this story, go here.

Jean, an apparent renaissance man, took courses at Berklee College of Music during the just ended academic year.