The recent openings of cafés on former vacant MBTA parcels is good news for JP’s economy and street life, and a rebirth of vitality stolen by the failed I-95 highway project that seized some of that land by eminent domain decades ago.
Simpli Bar & Bites on Washington Street and Café Bartlett Square on Green Street are both smartly located near T stations as well.
Other good business news is the burgeoning success of the JP Local First nonprofit organization, which exists to support these types of businesses.
The Forest Hills area, unlike JP’s other commercial districts, currently lacks a strong business association devoted to its unique needs. New businesses and a new business association could be a powerful combination, and likely a necessary one as the Casey Arborway construction begins to impact Forest Hills next year.