The newly-elected Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC) held its first meeting on Tuesday, May 26. On hand for the session were Alcurtis Clark, Bernie Doherty, Michael Reiskind, Willie Mitchell, Purple Reign, Carla Lisa Caliga, Lorenzo Bartoloni, Sarah Freeman, Dave Baron, Chase Brewster, Adam Burrows, Erich Yaeger, and Bianca Terry,
The first order of business was the acceptance of the recent election results and the official seating of the new members, which was approved unanimously.
Clark reviewed the recent election. “It was a really great day,” said Clark, noting that 266 ballots were cast and election day overall went smoothly. Three seats are still open on the 20 member-council, one in Area A and two in Area C. Matt Bruno was cited for doing an “outstanding job” as the Chief Ombudsperson. District 6 City Councillor Ben Weber’s office also was thanked for assisting with the verification of voters.
Clark made a number of suggestions for future elections. She mentioned that of the 31 election-day volunteers, five did not show up and only nine had attended the pre-election training session, and both aspects of future elections need to be improved. She also suggested that for the next election in 2028, the date for the election should be announced three months in advance.
Clark also suggested that larger neighborhood maps should be used; open houses/coffee hour events should be held in order for residents to meet the candidates; printed bios of the candidates should be made available; volunteers should wear T-shirts; absentee voting procedures and electronic voting should be explored; candidates should remain 25 feet away from the voting tables; and additional polling locations should be utilized.
“This was a very well-run election this year compared to some in previous years,” added Baron.
The council then elected its officers for the coming two-year term. Clark was chosen the new chair, Doherty the vice-chair, and Reiskind the secretary-treasurer, all by a unanimous vote.
Renee Stacey Welch, the outgoing chair who did not seek re-election to the council, was nominated to fill one of the open seats in Area A on a temporary basis until the seat is filled permanently.
The committee then heard reports from the chairs of its committees.
Reiskind presented the report of the Public Service Committee. He said three license requests were approved by the committee for which he was seeking the approval of the full JPNC. The license requests were from: Cafe Selah, a coffee shop and bakery, at 613 Centre St.. for a Take-Out license; Don Tequeño/Doña Arepa Restaurant, 403A Centre in Hyde Square, which presently has a beer and wine license and is seeking an upgrade under the new state law to an All-Alcohol License; and the Bethlehem Cafe, 276 Centre St. in Hyde Sq., which will be serving Palestinian food, for Common Victualler and Take-Out licenses.
The full JPNC unanimously approved all three of the license requests.
Danielle Sommer-Kieta presented the report of the Housing and Development Committee. She said that the committee heard proposals for a 55-unit, six-story apartment complex at 2447 Hyde Park Ave. and a 35-unit, six-story apartment complex with ground-floor commercial space at the corner of Washington and Tower Sts.
Sommer-Kieta also said that committee voted to revive its Arborway Yard Subcommittee because of the recent vote by the MBTA Board of Directors to approve $371.5 million to fully fund the remaining design and construction costs of the proposed Arborway electric bus garage to replace the current garage facility.
Baron presented the report of the Zoning Committee. He discussed the two matters that came up at the May 6 meeting. The first pertained to 493 Walnut Ave. for a proposed change of use from a two- to a four-family building. Baron said some members of the Egleston Square Neighborhood Association (ESNA) had some concerns about the expansion, but the developer addressed those issues to the satisfaction of ESNA.
The other matter heard by the Zoning Committee pertained to the construction of a new three-family building on a vacant lot at 1-3 Glines Ave. Baron said that ESNA was in favor of this project after the developer made some minor changes in response to issues raised by ESNA.
Both developments require a number of variances for items such as insufficient side yard setback, insufficient rear yard setback, excessive building height, and insufficient off-street parking, among others. The Zoning Committee voted in favor of both projects.
The full JPNC voted unanimously in favor of endorsing the Zoning Committee’s recommendations. The owners of the properties now must go before the City of Boston Zoning Board of Appeals in order to obtain their variances.
Freeman presented the report of the Parks Committee. She said that the city has held a public meeting about the Jamaica Pond Boathouse study and another meeting was planned on June 9 at Curtis Hall.
Freeman also mentioned that there will be a community meeting regarding transportation issues surrounding the White Stadium project. That meeting is set for Thursday, June 11, at 6:00 p.m. in the clubhouse of the Devine Golf Course in Franklin Park.
The next meeting of the JPNC is set for Tuesday, June 23.