The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) was scheduled to host a community meeting Dec. 12 to “start the conversation” on the first draft of a S. Huntington Avenue “corridor plan,” BRA spokesperson Melina Schuler told the Gazette. The meeting was scheduled to take place after the Gazette’s deadline. An update will be posted on the Gazette’s website at MissionHillGazette.com.
The first community meeting about the corridor plan was originally planned to occur late last month, but Schuler said that though the BRA was “prepared, we want[ed] to give people time to work a meeting into their busy holiday schedules.”
“We want folks to be part of the conversation,” she said.
The corridor plan will outline parameters for population density, neighborhood retail and transportation for the area. The BRA uses formal master plans in many contexts throughout the city, but this “lowercase master plan” is being created especially for the S. Huntington area because of high community demand following the announcement of developments at 105A and 161 S. Huntington Ave. this spring.
The Home for Little Wanderers has nearly moved out of its longtime home at 161 S. Huntington Ave. Despite wide community opposition, the BRA recently approved the razing of all current buildings in favor of a 65-foot-tall building of 196 luxury apartment units. Another 195 luxury apartments are being considered for the vacant lot at 105A S. Huntington.
A working schedule has been drafted for the plan, which is projected to take a little over six months to finalize.
The BRA’s team includes Michael Cannizzo, senior architect and urban designer; Jim Fitzgerald, senior manager of transportation and infrastructure projects; Ted Schwartzberg, planner; and Marie Mercurio, senior planner.