Monthly Archives: March 2012
Italian coffee shop to open in key spot
HYDE SQ.—An Italian coffee shop called Caffe Aromi is aiming to open in the long-vacant storefront at 403A Centre St. in the heart of Hyde Square next month, according to executive general manager Terry Bruce. It will serve coffee drinks, light pastries and panini, and “create a neighborhood hangout,” Bruce told the Gazette. Bruce...
T plans to trim Green Line, kill JP Loop bus
The MBTA plans an overall 23 percent fare increase, an end to weekend Green Line streetcar service between Brigham Circle and Heath Street, and an elimination of the Route 48 “JP Loop” bus, according to a budget summary document released March 28 following months of controversy about the T’s sorry financial state. Originally facing...
JP Observer: JP has dozens of ‘arts centers’
Fifteen years ago, Jamaica Plain’s Multicultural Arts Center had to vacate its large, prominent Centre Street space because it was having trouble paying the rent, causing much upset in the community. But no one is complaining about space for the arts in JP now. J.P. Licks later bought the former fire station and has...
City Life expands to national activities
From its Jamaica Plain seeds in 1973, City Life/Vida Urbana (CLVU) is making big change grow all over the country. As a result of its housing rights organizing, CLVU has been written about in newspapers all over the country, including The New York Times in 2010. CLVU has become a nation-wide model for foreclosure...
Home, Sweet Hotel
Short-term rentals for tourists a hot trend For the price of a downtown hotel room, travelers can rent entire gorgeous, furnished condos at nearly a dozen Jamaica Plain homes. Short-term house rentals might be the best open secret in local travel, and appears to be a growing real estate trend. They essentially offer a...
Local real estate market heats up
Time to slap a fresh coat of paint on the walls and tidy up if you are thinking about selling your home. The Jamaica Plain real estate market is bumping up, according to local realtors. “The market is very active,” said Karen McCormack of McCormack and Scanlan Real Estate. “It’s felt on the edge...
City offers help to buy, maintain triple-deckers
The City of Boston’s new “3D Campaign” is offering help to preserve Boston’s iconic triple-decker apartment buildings. The $3 million program was announced March 24 by Mayor Thomas Menino. “I am proud that our $3 million investment will give triple-decker owners the support they need to renovate their homes,” said Menino in a press...