NEWNC Supports Two Requests

Two agenda items were voted on at last week’s North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) monthly meetings held in the Nazzaro Community Center.

Nick Leo, who purchased 414 Commercial Street, was seeking to gain zoning relief to change commercial space (North End Chiropractic) to residential use. Currently the building contains eight residential units. The space will be made into a three-bedroom unit.

Trustees and numerous abutters overwhelmingly supported the change, according to Attorney Daniel Toscano who represented Leo.

The Council voted unanimously to support the request.

Francine and Jim Gannon’s request seeking zoning relief to enclose an outdoor deck also received unanimous support by the Council. The request also received support from abutters.

Nicole Leo, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services Liaison to the North End for eleven years, told the Council that she has obtained another job with the City with Marriages, Birth and  Death Registry Department as an Assistant Register.

John Fitzgerald of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), a member of the 2024 Olympic Committee Advisory team was the Council’s guest speaker. He outlined the pros and cons of the major endeavor that would bring the games to Boston. He noted that no tax payer funding will be used for the world-class event and the referendum on the Olympics needs to be conclusive one way or the other for this to happen.

The closest venue to the North End would be the TD Garden we hear a gymnastic event would be held and the possibility of a gold round basketball game. He also noted that if the Federal Government did not produce $1 Billion in assistance for security the games would not take place in Boston.

Residents were very concerned about transportation stating the current system is a disaster and could not carry the expected ridership that the Olympics would present.

Fitzgerald said, “There will be no new transportation structures built, the plans are to improve them.”

Lack of cooperation support will also see the 2024 Olympics go by the boards.

A candidates night was also held.

The next NEWNC monthly meeting will be held on Monday, June 8 at 7pm in the Nazzaro Community Center, 30 North Bennet Street.