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Readville residents get chance to speak on proposed Sprague Street project; not all opposed

The BPDA holds a public meeting Monday evening on Jordan Warshaw's latest plans for a residential complex south of the Readville train station - in which he now proposes 492 units, some condos.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Blue Hills Collaborative, 20 Como Rd.

Although many residents have spoken against the proposal, primarily because of the impact on traffic in a neighborhood with clogged streets, ancient traffic signals and the dangerous intersection of the Milton Street Bridge and Hyde Park Avenue, some say they support not just the Warshaw proposal but other "smart" residential development. These proposals, which now also include a 305-unit development just north of the train station, are far less intrusive than the industrial uses all of the forlorn land along Hyde Park Avenue and in Readville could be used for. In an online petition, they argue:

If left out of the housing boom, Readville will be sentenced to become the dumping ground for much of the distribution centers, warehouses and truck yards getting pushed out of the rest of Boston.

Change is coming to Hyde Park. Our trusted, elected officials have been telling us this. It's not "if", but "when", though at this very moment in time, we still have the ability to help decide "what". For Hyde Park to remain a home - our home - it must remain primarily residential. Please don't shut Readville down for responsible residential development projects - ones like Sprague Street that are designed to take advantage of its proximity to mass transit to minimize the impact added residents will have on traffic. ...

The land is already zoned for [industrial use], so when these companies come to town, they won't be holding any neighborhood meetings asking us for our input.

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Comments

If no, what percentage would be affordable and/or low-income?

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At least 13% of the units will be rented/sold at "affordable" rates, which usually means to people making up to 80% of the Boston area median income - as a requirement to get BPDA approval.

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those that make too much for the "affordable" rent but not enough to afford the market rents. They are basically priced out, one way or the other, from these new developments.

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Do you have a schema to present to the BRA that fixes this and still makes the entire development work?

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Get ride of the school bus depot and all of the construction trucks which currently occupy the space, traffic would improve if anything.

I live in the area, im all for it.....

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Pure boondoggle. RIP Readville.

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SOMEBODY IS CHANGING SOMETHING AND THE SKY IS GOING TO FALL!

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Yeah, that's right. You all can speak but the decisions are already made.

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Something tells me this might come down to the old timers of Readville, who are okay with the gritty industrial side, and a newer crowd that wants more of a Roslindale by the Blue Hills.

I could be wrong, and I don't have a dog in this fight, but it doesn't feel like a middle ground is emerging.

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Adamg - I have to ask if you attended the same meeting on October 1 as I did. With few expections, most notably a union rep from Dorchester and 2 local residents, one of whom is related to Jordan's team, almost the entire 350 Readville and Dedham residents in attendance are against the proposal. And it is not "old" versus "new" residents. Overall the project location stinks. 1 access point, yep one road in and out, 2 bridges, multiple train tracks and no way to improve infastructure given these inmovable physical limitations. And as noted, the trains suck, either late, don't show up, or show up and won't let you on. At $6.75 each way, not very affordable, either. Even the SWCD opposed it..... and they are usually all for housing.

And do not knock light industry. McCrea's Candies, Grandma's Coffee Cake, Dancing Deer, these are the small businesses the neighborhood supports and the local light industry zoning was meant to support - they bring jobs to area residents and maybe 1 or 2 shipments a day in raw materials and then product output.

When the rezoning was done a few years ago, it stayed local industry to support companies like McCrea, It was not for Trucking and Transportation, 18 Wheelers, Massive Dump Trucks or Dirt Processing plants....and shouldnot be. those are not "local" industry or even light industry. I beleive there has to be a happy medium, and I am sure the neighborhood will work to continue the residential / local industry coexistence that has been here long before Readville was even a part of the City....

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And if you look at the date, you'll see I wrote it before the meeting, to let folks know it was happening and to link to something I hadn't seen before - a petition in favor of the project.

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