Speak up! South Boston planning initiatives residents should know about
The Dot Ave/Old Colony Ave corridors stretching from Broadway to Andrew Square are the focus of a Transportation Study kicking off later this month. (Image: PLAN South Boston Dorchester Avenue report)
As the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) rolls out virtual public meetings to re-engage communities on upcoming development projects, there are two big initiatives for South Boston community members to be involved with:
These are the short-term strategies being considered by the BPDA to improve transit in the Seaport area. Visit the project webpage for more materials and information.
South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan
The BPDA held a series of public meetings in 2019 to receive feedback on the most pressing transportation issues in the Seaport area. The key priorities the BPDA took away from those meetings were:
better connections are needed to jobs and residences, both in the Seaport and to/from other neighborhoods
transit service within the Seaport needs to expanded, made reliable, equalized, and respected
How you can get involved
Short-term strategies to meet immediate needs have been evaluated by BPDA and are available for the public to review. The BPDA wants to hear from you about how you think they will work.
Click here to see an overview of the short-term strategies being considered by the BPDA - scroll to page 7 to see the list of concepts.
Dig into the full set of strategies that the BPDA evaluated.
Review this evaluation example and sample score card to see how the BPDA evaluated possible strategies.
Submit feedback by July 24 to receive a response from the BPDA. Email comments to SouthBostonSeaportTransit@Boston.gov.
The agency is also planning to hold a public engagement alter in the summer to review these and longer-term strategies. Sign up for updates from the BPDA to be notified about neighborhood-specific meetings and projects. Visit the project webpage and use the sign-up box to received updates by email.
A series of meetings in 2015 and 2016 resulted in the PLAN South Boston Dorchester Avenue report - click here to see the report.
2. PLAN: South Boston Dot Ave Transportation Study
The PLAN: South Boston Dorchester Avenue initiative brought together community members, an Advisory Group, and planners in 2015 and 2016 to establish a guide for how the Dot Ave corridor should develop. Among the recommendations that arose out of that process was a call for a multi-modal transportation plan for Dorchester and Old Colony avenues between Broadway and Andrew Square.
The BPDA and Boston Transportation Department are moving this project forward with the launch of the Transportation Plan, which will “further analyze, refine, and advance the proposed multi-modal network recommendations of the 2016 Plan.”
How you can get involved
See the final PLAN Dot Ave report compiled in 2016 following these meetings.
Submit a comment to the BPDA on this page - scroll all the way to the bottom for the comment form.
Attend a Transportation Study Virtual Kick-Off Meeting. There are two opportunities to join a kick-off meeting:
Wednesday, July 29, 2020 from 6:00–7:30 PM - Register for the July 29 meeting here
OR
Thursday, July 30, 2020 from 12:00–1:30 PM - Register for the July 30 meeting here
Both meetings will be held on Zoom and will have the same content: a presentation followed by a Q&A and comment session.
Transportation and transit issues are critical for building a more equitable community across South Boston. SBNDC has been involved with both of these initiatives, and we will continue to push for more access, more choice, and more reliability for the neighborhood.
The more local voices involved in these discussions, the better. If you want to get involved but are unsure where to start, we can help – get in touch with our community engagement staff by email (ami.campbell@sbndc.org) or phone (617-286-2463).