Fenway Civic Association

Dear Friend, 

We are writing to alert you to serious and permanent threats to the Emerald Necklace’s Back Bay Fens, Liff Park, and Riverway parkland – threats that set dangerous precedent for the ways in which parks may be ‘mitigated’ for future development citywide.Background: Arecent development proposal for the 6 acre Simmons residential campus (305 Brookline Avenue) has vast consequences for our historic park. The development plan filed by Skanska, a publicly traded company, would cast significant shadows on large portions of historic parkland in the Back Bay Fens and Riverway for several hours in spring and fall if approved (see study that follows). The overwhelming massing and building heights, some higher than 30 stories, would block the sunlight over extensive areas of Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace Parks. At the same time, nearly half (45%) of the development’s project area would be new interior greenspace — at the expense of permanent shadows on the public’s historic parklands. Most alarming is the notion that, rather than creating a project that is compliant with established historic park protections, the developer and head of City agencies are in talks to set a price to be paid by Skanska to Boston Parks Department for the damage their project would inflict on our parkland. If approved, such an agreement would pose a disastrous “pay to play” precedence in which permanent, irrevocable damage posed by a developer may be “mitigated” through financial “contributions” to the City of Boston – the very entity entrusted to preserve our parks in perpetuity. We MUST ensure that Mayor Wu, the BPDA, and the Energy and Environment Department understand that sunlight and our historic public parks are our legacy, and they are not for sale, that development cannot proceed at the expense of permanently damaging our parks, and that the public does not support this policy.  Please send an email to the addresses below before November 15^th, 2022. We include bullets for an email and encourage you to write a letter in your own words. We understand that the reviewing departments say they have not heard opposition to this proposal, please speak up!

Mayor Michelle Wu: mayor@boston.gov

Energy and Environment Chief Mariama White-Hammond: mariama.whitehammond@boston.gov

Boston Parks and Recreation Commissioner Ryan Woods: ryan.woods@boston.gov

Boston Planning and Redevelopment Agency Chief J. Arthur Jemison: james.jemison@boston.gov

Diana Fernandez, Deputy Chief of Urban Design, BPDA: diana.fernandez@boston.gov

Fenway representatives:Kenzie.bok@boston.gov, tania.anderson@boston.gov, jay.livingstone@mahouse.gov, chynah.tyler@mahouse.gov,  jon.santiago@mahouse.gov, william.brownsberger@masenate.gov

• Write to voice opposition to the 305 Brookline Avenue project (include your connection with the Fenway or parks)
• Voice that permanent damage to parkland cannot be priced or mitigated
• Remind them that Longwood Medical Area development guidelines were adhered to for the last Simmons campus proposal that resulted in better parkland protection and that we ask the same standard to be applied to this project
• Voice that creation of privately held open space should not be prioritized over the integrity and quality of the public’s parks
• State that approval would set a terrible precedent for parks across the city and that we ask our leaders to step up for parks

 Please close with your name, affiliation, address, and phone number

Thank you

Fenway Civic Association