STONYBROOK—Disagreement between neighbors and developers of a project at McBride and Washington streets continues amid a lack of Impact Advisory Group (IAG) meetings.
Neighbors to the site, currently occupied by the Flanagan & Seaton Motor Car Company at 3529 Washington St., have asked developers for reduced parking, along with other concessions to promote a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly area.
“We’d like to see the a project that is urban, easy to walk to, and oriented toward the neighborhood. In our view, the design still seems to be tailored to car traffic on Washington St.,” said neighbor Carl Lowenberg. “This parcel has enormous potential.”
“We’ve worked hard to address their issues…We’ve made major changes. The issue is parking,” said developer Harry Collings. “It’s a tough situation to be in. We’ve had good suggestions, and we appreciate the opportunity to meet [with the neighbors]…If we could find tenants that would take less parking, we would do it.”
The 11 members of the IAG were nominated by residents and elected officials and appointed by Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Director Peter Meade. The IAG has not met since its first meeting July 13 but is expected to do so as soon as the developer moves forward with the project, said BRA spokesperson Melina Schuler.