Opposing the Burney Street development
We stand with neighbors and abutters in opposing an oversized development at 9-11 Burney Street. We ask the BPDA to prevent this concerning precedent, thereby protecting the residential neighborhoods in Mission Hill.
Principal objections:
- The proposed 6-story building will dwarf existing homes on Burney St., with a height that is almost twice the allowable limit by zoning code.
- A precedent will be set by inserting a business facility in a protected residential area.
- A quiet side street will be congested by street parking and ride-hailing business and private car traffic.
- This project will open the floodgates for other developers to take over Burney St., resulting in large buildings, excessive density, and loss of residential character.
Other major concerns:
- Instead of complementing and enhancing the residential triple decker landscape on Burney St, an existing historical building will be razed to expand the footprint of the new development.
- Claimed benefits to the community are misleading: A narrow side alley is portrayed as a multipurpose public/private “laneway”, but will not work in such a small area. One end of the space appears to be very narrow. And it does not appear the space is wide enough to accommodate a roped area so that alcohol can be served outdoors. The plan calls for three interior trash rooms, which will service the new building as well as all the buildings in the adjacent Tremont Street block. This does not look feasible as trash will be transported across this public “Laneway”.
- The building is catered to high-end private and corporate rentals, but does not provide home ownership opportunities to attract long-term community stakeholders.
- The proposed new construction is linked to significant modifications of existing buildings along Tremont Street, yet integration of the latter component into the overall project is not sufficiently disclosed. There may be additional requirements for public review, including the number of affordable units and potential rent increases.
- It is claimed that building within the framework of the Mission Hill zoning code would not be economically feasible, an alleged hardship that has not been substantiated by any numbers from the developer.
Signed by abutters and neighbors:
Jim Farrow, Daniel Junkins, Jana Scholten, Jeannine Barry, Ellen Moore, Martin Beinborn, Alison Pultinas, Walter Crump, Shahla Crump, Mary Ann Nelson, Gary Walling, Cindy Walling, Elizabeth Whitin, Itsuo Kiritani, Betty Commerford, Jack Vaughan, Jim Laughlin, Charles Carew