Opposes Moreland St. project

The developer of 63-65 Moreland St. purchased a vacant parcel of land in an area which falls under Article 50 (Roxbury) development guidelines, then proceeded to disregard the guidelines in the design process, disregard community concerns and built support in City Hall with our elected representatives. Despite clear neighborhood opposition, they were given permission to erect a building requiring six variances.

When comparing Housing Innovation projects in the Garrison Trotter community and in Highland Park, as the Banner pointed out there was community involvement. In fact the developer of the Westminster project extensively redesigned plans based on community input.

In the case of Moreland Street, residents were blindsided by their elected representatives’ support of the proposed development. Elected officials despite being aware of community opposition did not work with the residents and developers to resolve outstanding issues. The ZBA was presented with a petition which included signatures of 60 residents opposed to the project and letters of opposition in the ZBA file, and more than 10 residents attended the hearing to voice their opposition. For the Moreland Street development, resident and community concerns were deemed irrelevant.

Our city representatives must either respect Article 50 or go through a transparent process to revise the guidelines. Please stop gutting Article 50!

—Connie Forbes