NEWRA Supports Legal Occupancy Change

Only one voting request was on the agenda at the North End/Waterfront Residents’ Association (NEWRA) monthly meeting held in the Nazzaro Community Center last week.

The membership voted 24-10 to support a plan to change the legal occupancy at 6 Foster Street from three to four apartments by adding a fourth floor to the existing three-story building.

The proposal includes expanding the first floor unit into the basement, constructing a roof-deck for private use of the fourth floor unit and replacing the head house onto the new roof.

Michele Freeman of Boston Bikes explained the placement of a bike route on Salem Street from Cross to Charter Streets.

Members of RUFF (Responsible Urbanites For Fido) updated the association of their activities over the past year that included many things like the clean-up of parks, playgrounds and other places.

NEWRA honored RUFF at the public meeting for their clean-up efforts on a regular basis.

Local resident Tom Schiavoni spoke on the need to re-open the visitor center and public restroom located in the former Michelangelo Street School annex on Hull Street.

When the facility was open it attracted 880 users a day before it was closed in 2010.

User fees could help support the facility according to Schiavoni.

North End Chamber of Commerce (NECC) Vice President Toni Gilardi advised of a Chamber sponsored street clean-up scheduled for Saturday, September 21 starting in the Prado at 8:30am.

The City of Boston Department of Public Works will provide all the needed equipment for the 9am to 12 noon community endeavor.

NEWRA Zoning, Licensing and Construction Committee co-chair David Kubiak presented an overview of the many large redevelopment projects proposed in the Haymarket, North Station and West End areas.

Kubiak called for the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) to attend a public meeting to explain the overall scope of these projects in the North End, especially traffic impacts.

The next NEWRA monthly meeting will be held on Thursday, October 10 at 7pm in the Nazzaro Community Center.

This will be the group’s annual meeting and the election of officers will be on the agenda.