The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) will be ready to deal with the traffic fallout from three major construction projects expected to be underway in the Forest Hills area by spring. BTD Deputy Commissioner Jim Gillooly, who lives in Hyde Park and passes through the Forest Hills area daily, spoke with the Gazette last week....
Full Print Edition
Casey prep work could begin next week
Prep work on the Casey Arborway project is likely to start next week, according to the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT). However, demolition of the existing Casey Overpass is still at least a “few weeks” away, according to planners. An email sent by MassDOT earlier this week says that Casey contractor Barletta Heavy Division...
Urban Edge CEO leaves for Baker administration
Chrystal Kornegay has left her role as chief executive of Urban Edge, having been appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker as chief of the Department of Housing and Community Development. Urban Edge is a Jamaica Plain-based community development corporation. The Baker administration did not return a request to interview Kornegay. “Chrystal is a spectacular leader....
City to host meeting on Monument Sq.
The City will host a community meeting Jan. 22 to discuss improvements to Monument Square as part of the Jamaica Plain/South/Hyde/Jackson Design Projects. But they will not be the drastic changes that were talked about during earlier phases of the redesign project. Boston Transportation Department (BTD) Director of Planning Vineet Gupta said the changes...
Harvest South Street store to close in April
Harvest Co-op Market’s South Street store will permanently close its doors in April, according to a letter from the board of directors posted on harvestcoop.com. “After thoughtful discussion and careful consideration, we have decided that it is in the overall best interest of the co-op to close the South Street location,” the letter states....
Parcel U housing approved by BRA
FOREST HILLS—Urbanica and its development partners were approved to develop 124 units of housing at Parcel U, just south of the Forest Hills T Station, by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) last month. Working as JP Parcel U, LLC and The Community Builders, the developers will create 76 rental units and 48 condo units...
BAPA announces holiday window winners
The Jamaica Plain Business & Professional Association (JP BAPA) chose 13 winners in its annual holiday window decorating competition, with On Centre at 676 Centre St. taking top prize of $50. Ninety-three businesses in the Centre and South streets shopping district —10 more than last year—were seen to have decorations and were awarded points...
JP resident launches Internet mapping initiative
Charles McEnerney, a Jamaica Plain marketing consultant, has launched a mapping initiative he hopes will lead to more Internet options for the neighborhood. “Monopolies are not good for consumers and I just want there to be more choice for residents in JP and, ultimately, all of Boston,” said McEnerney in an email to the...
Martinez resigns from HSTF, School Committee
Claudio Martinez, the longtime executive director of the Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF), has resigned from that position, as well as his Boston School Committee seat. HSTF is a youth leadership organization. Yi-Chin Chen has taken over as interim executive director. Martinez said in an email to the Gazette that he was unavailable to...
O’Malley to run for reelection
District 6 City Councilor Matt O’Malley, who lives in Jamaica Plain, has told the Gazette he will be running for reelection this year. O’Malley is currently in his second full term, having also served a half term after winning a special election when John Tobin vacated the seat to join Northeastern University. He said...
Park area clear-cut without input
The MBTA cleared the proposed Southwest Corridor Park (SWCP) Greenway Extension of nearly all its trees last month, without input from neighbors working to officially add that area to the SWCP. The MBTA told the Gazette that the clear-cutting was necessary to survey the land for park expansion. Taking advantage of two major developments...
JP man charged with South End murder
Jamaica Plain resident Johnnie Bonnie was charged last month with first-degree murder and several other offenses for a June 29 South End shooting that killed 17-year-old Evens Archer, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Besides the murder charge, Bonnie also faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition...
JP Agenda, Jan. 16, 2015
The deadline for listings is noon, Tues., Jan. 27 for the Jan. 30 issue. Send listings to reporter@jamaicaplaingazette.com. Note: 617 should be dialed before numbers below, unless another area code is given. Meetings Rethinking Transit, discussion on possible extension of Green Line to Hyde Square, featuring Stephanie Pollack of Dukakis Center for Urban and...
Nonprofit developers hope to build 40 units on Heath St. parcels
Two nonprofit developers specializing in affordable housing—the Back of the Hill Community Development Corporation (BOTH CDC) and the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC)—presented a draft plan to develop about 40 housing units in a four-story building on City-owned parcels on Heath Street. The two organizations—which previously co-developed the Back of the Hill housing—...
Sights and Sounds, Jan. 16, 2015
The deadline for listings is noon, Tues., Jan. 27 for the Jan. 30 issue. Send listings to reporter@jamaicaplaingazette.com. Note: 617 should be dialed before numbers below, unless another area code is given. Special Events Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day of service at Franklin Park, Jan. 19, 10am-3pm, meet at the Franklin Park Golf...
JP History: The Boston Public Library in JP
The Boston Public Library (BPL) has been bringing literary joy to Jamaica Plain since 1876, from reading rooms and book depositories, to the first neighborhood branch, to a massive upcoming renovation. The Jamaica Plain Branch began its life in 1876, as a small Reading Room in Curtis Hall at 20 South St., with books...
JP History: This Week in JP History
The Gazette’s top headlines from this week in JP history: 5 years ago: 2010 “JP man charged with New Year’s hate crime” A Jamaica Plain man, Herbert A. Malloy of Weld Hill St., was charged with a hate crime after allegedly attacking a local lesbian couple for holding hands and kissing on Weld Hill...
Green energy firm to pay $4m settlement
Utility company Just Energy, who tried to sign up Jamaica Plain customers in 2010, has agreed to pay $4 million to settle allegations of deceptive marketing. Attorney General Martha Coakley announced last week that Just Energy will pay a total of $4 million, including $3.8 million to an independent trust fund for purposes of...
DCR to study bike lanes in parkway system
The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) announced last month that it will review its parkway system to find locations where bike lanes and improvements could be installed, according to a press release. DCR parkways in Jamaica Plain include the Jamaicaway and the Arborway. Bike lanes were installed and then removed on the...