As a longtime resident of the Hyde Square community, I was very distressed to learn about Bella Luna and the Milky Way being forced to move [JP Gazette, May, 2008].
I have been a customer since they opened in 1993 as a family-friendly pizza place where children were invited to design the plates. They have always been good neighbors and very supportive of community institutions, including the nearby Connolly Branch Library where I work. They are a crucial part of creating and maintaining a vibrant and welcoming Hyde Square, and their loss will be felt deeply.
If the decision to raise the rent cannot be reversed, at the very least they should be given an affordable lease for the next year to allow them to stay in business.
Laura Foner
Jamaica Plain