Action Alert: Speak up about 340 W 2nd Street project

UPDATE: We hear from the City that the community process on this project will "most likely be concluding tomorrow" 3/11. Speak up now.

Our friends at the Saint Vincent’s Lower End Neighborhood Association (SVLENA) need your help to speak up about 340 W 2nd Street.

Please help by attending the ZBA meeting on March 11th at 11:30 am at Boston City Hall, Room 801 and speak out against this project because: 

• Grossly exceeds the Floor to Area Ratio that is established on the site.
• Developer was unwilling to make height & density changes requested by the community.
• The entire Saint Vinny's Neighborhood Association is against this project.
• Major privacy concerns between proposed building and nearby existing building.
• Will create an unsanitary condition in the small gap between buildings.
• Density issues for the neighborhood.
• (Please feel free to add to this list) 

Can't attend, but want to speak up? Contact: Eric Prentis and Councillor Bill Linehan

Contest Time! Name Southie's new litter campaign

It's time to name the campaign. Wait...what's this all about again? Read more here.
Got an idea for a name? Share it on the below form!

Southie Trash Talk: Residents brainstorm about litter campaign

Tired of windblown trash vortexes, dog poop and a general sense of ewwww?

Well then, we have just the thing for you!

Here's what happened: in the past 2 weeks (coincidental with the melting snow), Southie's social media circles have been abuzz with ordinary neighbors of all stripes who are fed up with litter.

Over at the SaveKStreet blog, it's been stated frankly: 
"Has anyone else noticed that the streets of our neighborhood are overflowing with trash? Up and down every Southie street are piles of trash."

OK. OK. So these things happen. The question is what to do about it? 

A bunch of Southie neighbors who shared their frustration via Twitter decided to be proactive -- they got together via Planet Southie's "tweet up" (affectionately dubbed #SouthieTrashTalk) and excitedly agreed to help start a resident-led clean up campaign. Here they are this morning, hash-tagging it out:

#WillTwitterSaveSouthie? This AM's #SouthieTrashTalk w/ @kennycooks @Anna__Wh1te @SaveKStreet @planetsouthie @veemdog pic.twitter.com/NCD7dNvYPI
— Planet Southie (@planetsouthie) March 8, 2014

Some of the ideas that have been floating around:

February 27 Planet Southie Meeting: Let's listen and act on what matters most

Planet Southie members created this brainstorm last year

Please join us for our next monthly meeting:

Meeting will focus on opportunity for neighborhood engagement in partnership with Greenovate Boston.

Thursday, February 27, 2014
6:30 - 7:30 pm
The Distillery Building
516 E 2nd St.

As always, all are welcome at Planet Southie!

Wanna talk about neighborhood issues? Help plan a Greenovate Meet-Up!

Neighborhood Meet-Ups are
popping up all over the City!

Focus of February 27 Meeting:
This Spring, Planet Southie will participate in an opportunity to bring together neighbors to discuss a question about "sustainability" in our community.  For example, "How should Boston address parking demands?" or "How best can we balance budgetary constraints with the need to maintain street trees in the City?" What's the question? That's up to you!

Background
Based on feedback from the Climate Action Plan Community Leadership meeting in December, and the new Mayor's Transition Team’s Environment Public Hearing in January, the City of Boston is launching the Greenovate Ambassador program to help facilitate communication between Bostonians and the City around sustainability.

Ambassadors (including Planet Southie) will work between the City and the community to help solicit ideas, facilitate discussion, and understand objectively what the collective community wants to see in Boston. They will be the glue between the community and City Hall.

Our role
Brian, Patrick and Stefanie had a productive call with the City regarding the Greenovate process.

Action Alert: BU Bio Lab

About
For over 10 years, local residents have been fighting to stop Boston University from building a BioSafety Level 4 (BSL4) laboratory in the Roxbury/South End area. According to the Stop the Bio Lab Coalition, the lab would research pathogens such as tularemia, anthrax, and the Ebola viruses -- many of which can be transmitted through the air. According to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, 

"An agent escaping containment would pose a severe threat to public health and the environment and could cause a public health crisis." 

#WillTwitterSaveSouthie? Look what happened last week

Fed up with feeling unheard in the development process, one neighbor turned to Twitter. Look what happened!

The South Boston resident who started @SaveKStreet explains, "This was my second tweet and I sent it on my way to work. That morning I had a 3 hour meeting first thing in the morning. When I got out and checked my phone I could not believe what I saw. Twitter (relatively speaking) blew up. I had retweets, favorites, mentions and followers." 

@planetsouthie Developer at 151-155 K St is trying to build 3 townhouses on a tiny lot with zero open space against zoning. Need your help!
— Save K Street (@SaveKStreet) February 6, 2014

@PlanetSouthie and several others retweeted. 

Hey #Southie ! Care about development & quality of life issues in #SouthBoston ? Follow @SaveKStreet and act. Please RT! @maureencaught
— Planet Southie (@planetsouthie) February 6, 2014

Just 8 hours after @SaveKStreet's first tweet: Success! 

@planetsouthie @kennycooks @SaveKStreet did you hear the news? The project has been stopped. #kstreethasbeensaved
— Caught in Southie (@maureencaught) February 6, 2014

Action Alert: South Boston deserves safety for all pedestrians

Southie Walks Action Alert
Call our neighborhood officials and let them know: South Boston deserves safety for all pedestrians.

• Neighborhood Coordinator Eric Prentis: 617-635-3485
• City Councilor Bill Linehan: 617-635-3203
• Representative Nick Collins: 617-722-2080

Below is a photo of E 4th St at the Stop and Shop parking lot. The same thing happens on East Broadway at the Rite Aid lot where vehicles park over the lot line onto the sidewalk and into the path of pedestrians, strollers and kids -- without any barriers. Just look at the Rite Aid on Dot Ave to see what we in South Boston deserve -- fences, landscape, walkways and well marked direction exits. 

Conflict with pedestrians and vehicles is reaching crisis. More curb cuts and garage doors are crossing side walks (that have been narrowed by variance relief from lot line set backs) everywhere in South Boston.

The BRA and the ZBA apparently have ignored the city's recommendations in the Complete Streets document from the Transportation Dept. regarding sidewalk depth in many new projects.

Without adequate safety measures and attention to sidewalk design to protect pedestrians, the developers are not being held accountable. Businesses like Stop and Shop and Rite Aid have to make their lots safer and we need our elected officials support to insure that changes are made.
  

The above alert was submitted by Mary Cooney, a South Boston pedestrian advocate.

2/21 Update: A woman was in serious condition after being struck Thursday night by a car on Day Boulevard in South Boston. Details. When you call the above officials, please ask them to share and act on their ideas about how to prevent more tragic pedestrian incidents.

2/3/14 Vigil Against Keystone XL Pipeline (Broadway T Stop)

Photo from 2/3 #NoKXL vigil

This is an all-hands-on-deck moment to send the message to President Obama that Keystone XL fails his climate test and he must reject it. On the evening of Monday, February 3rd, we’ll come together around the country to make our voices heard.

The No KXL protest vigils are organized by 350MA, CREDO, Rainforest Action Network, and the Sierra Club, and supported by 350.org, The Other 98%, Center for Biological Diversity, Oil Change International, Bold Nebraska, Energy Action Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Hip Hop Caucus, Overpass Light Brigade, Environmental Action, League of Conservation Voters, Waterkeeper Alliance, Friends of the Earth, Forest Ethics, Forecast the Facts, and others.

Please bring candles and appropriate signs (links available after you sign up).

Look for us on the traffic island at the intersection of Dorchester Avenue and West Broadway.

See you at the February 27th Meeting

Update from January Strategic Planning Meeting:
Thanks to those who braved the cold to attend and share their top neighborhood concerns, we've been able to define this year's strategy:
In 2014, Planet Southie members will advocate with long-term and new residents for alternative transportation, fixed gas leaks, and for balanced development. We value diversity, local climate action, green space, trees, gardens, safety, affordability for families, and working across neighborhoods. 

Read the boston.com article about the meeting: Planet Southie lays out its agenda for 2014

Please join us for our next monthly meeting:

Thursday, February 27, 2014
6:30 - 7:30 pm
The Distillery Building
516 E 2nd St.

As always, all are welcome at Planet Southie!

We will follow up on community engagement and other priorities identified at the January 23 Strategy Meeting.

At the 1/23 mtg, we analyzed priorities, what's working, and what to do better.