Someone else's party at 85 Centre Street

An early poster on the UniversalHub comment thread said it best:

I can't blame the neighbors for not making someone else's party their priority.

Over the next several days we'll post some facts and opinions about the neighborhood surrounding 85 Centre Street and about the impact Mr. Settles's proposal would make to that neighborhood.

Suffice it to say today that it seems many have pinned their unrealized hopes and dreams for Fort Hill to Mr. Settles's business play at 85 Centre Street.

Some earnest Fort Hill voices have been heard on the subject, but the voices of those most affected by Mr. Settles's proposed change to the Centre Street status quo have not been heard.

As we pledged to Iseut on the UniversalHub comment thread we should all focus on the issues, not the personalities, as the neighborhood debates Mr. Settles's proposal and as this episode works itself out.

An Urban Amenity at 85 Centre Street

Universal Hub highlighted a blogpost written on 28 Jan 2010 by Iseut (her second post on the topic is here) about development plans for 85 Centre Street, Roxbury, by former Fort Hill resident Darryl Settles. Further information can be found littered among the posts at the google groups Highland Park Neighborhood Watch and HighlandParkBoston.

For a first post on this blog, we think it's sufficient to point to Iseut's advocacy on her blog and to our testy exchange in the comments at Universal Hub. Our four most pertinent comments are here, here, here, and here. Iseut's gracious reply is here.

It's good for all concerned to ratchet back the emotions so that all the various constituencies on the hill can work together to sustain and improve the neighborhood. Bashing fellow neighbors with our blogs is hardly the way to do this. For our part, we'll do our best to honor the soccer maxim to play the ball, not the man.

It is good as well to note the fact that the Hawthorne Area Neighborhood Association discussed the issue on 8 Feb 2010.

According to the published minutes, they voted in favor supporting Mr. Settles venture move forward, with the caveat that he must attend a meeting, facilitated by [City Councillor] Chuck Turner, with immediate abutters ... to discuss his detailed proposal, and all options for 85 Centre Street, before full community support is granted.

We'll be back with more, as the situation progress.