Boston, MA

In a first, Boston to require developers to disclose diversity of their project teams and investors – The Boston Globe

Published

2 years ago

August 11, 2022

In a first, Boston to require developers to disclose diversity of their project teams and investors – The Boston Globe

“That is about setting an ordinary throughout the board that this is a vital metric of how growth impacts our communities,” mentioned Mayor Michelle Wu. “Not simply in peak and sq. footage, however in creating alternatives and constructing wealth in our communities.”

Since 2018, the BPDA has required this kind of disclosure for growth groups bidding on city-owned land, and makes use of it as a key standards to attain proposals. Since then, the company has awarded 11 growth initiatives — such because the redevelopment of the previous Blair’s Lot in Roxbury’s Nubian Sq. — to numerous growth groups. Equally, the quasi-public Massachusetts Port Authority has integrated these targets into its choice standards for Massport-owned initiatives. The Omni Boston Resort on the Seaport, a 1,054-room resort, was the primary challenge developed below the Massport mannequin.

Variety is certainly one of a sequence of things that the BPDA is starting to fold into the way in which it really works below the management of recent Director Arthur Jemison, who can be town’s chief of planning. It’s additionally how the BPDA will measure its personal affect, Jemison mentioned in an interview. Sure, sq. footage, housing models, and affordability are essential components in a growth plan, he mentioned — however so are the folks behind the scenes designing and implementing a challenge.

The ribbon-cutting final yr to have fun the opening of the Omni Seaport Resort, the primary main challenge constructed below new Massport guidelines encouraging builders to broaden the variety of their challenge groups and funding teams.Lane Turner/Globe Employees

“It begins to determine a set of expectations that we hope turn out to be quite common,” Jemison mentioned in an interview. “How might that affect, that funding, actually advance the targets of resilience, affordability, and fairness? We wish to be taught extra about it in order that we will make certain we inform folks — we count on your challenge goes to make an affect in a method, as a result of we all know that it could actually.”

Not like on publicly owned parcels, the Variety, Fairness, and Inclusion disclosure won’t be used to attain or consider personal actual property initiatives that come up for metropolis approval — at the least for now —however will likely be used “for informational functions to grasp disparities in the true property market.” The disclosure would ask builders to “embrace financial participation, employment, and administration roles by folks of colour, ladies” and authorized minority- and women-owned enterprise enterprises.

The BPDA will look at the disclosures over the subsequent six to 9 months, Jemison mentioned.

Segun Idowu, town’s chief of financial alternative and inclusion, mentioned a coverage change to BPDA’s Article 80 course of — which is how most giant actual property initiatives are reviewed by town — would make it possible for many who’ve been excluded from the true property growth course of are capable of take part in initiatives. It pushes again, Idowu mentioned, towards the narrative of Boston as a metropolis the place “you must know somebody who is aware of somebody who is aware of somebody to get within the entrance door.”

“That is basically blasting the entrance door open,” Idowu mentioned. “If you wish to work within the metropolis, right here’s the trail.”

Associated Beal’s pitch for a life-science facility at 22 Drydock Ave. in Boston’s Seaport was a challenge on public land that included a DEI disclosure. Stephen Faber, an government vice chairman at Associated, mentioned that by participating with a extra numerous group within the early levels of planning, the developer has a richer perspective. A DEI disclosure encourages builders to have interaction with communities they might not have linked with previously, he mentioned, and that creates future alternatives down the road.

A team led by Related Beal submitted a design for this lab building for city-owned land at 22 Drydock Ave. in South Boston as part of its bid for the property. — A workforce led by Associated Beal submitted a design for this lab constructing for city-owned land at 22 Drydock Ave. in South Boston as a part of its bid for the property. Boston Planning & Growth Company

“If we’re charged, or have the privilege, of making a major public profit as a part of a growth — we now have to consider … making that vital profit obtainable to everybody within the metropolis,” Faber mentioned.

Former Massachusetts Gaming Fee chairman Steve Crosby has been main an effort to immediate the BPDA to contemplate range in its giant challenge opinions. His group, generally known as the Civic Motion Mission, teamed up with the Boston Society for Structure to submit this idea to the BPDA earlier this yr. The primary purpose behind their effort was to raised diversify Boston’s largely white, largely male growth group.

Crosby acknowledges that what BPDA is advancing falls in need of what he had pushed for, but in addition mentioned he understands the authorized questions that prompted the BPDA to begin with requiring disclosure of any range plans, as an alternative of truly mandating targets.

“What they’re doing is taking the largest step you possibly can take in need of mandating,” Crosby mentioned. “Just by elevating it, it’s going to make folks give it some thought. It’s sure to have some optimistic affect, just by having a disclosure requirement moderately than having an approval requirement.”

What the BPDA does is certain to be watched intently by officers in different Massachusetts cities. Crosby has been in contact with officers in Salem, Cambridge, and Lynn concerning the situation, for instance. He expects to convene a working group subsequent month to handle a few of the challenges to designing these range necessities.

The BPDA board will vote on the measure at its assembly Thursday night.

Jon Chesto of the Globe Employees contributed to this report.

Catherine Carlock will be reached at catherine.carlock@globe.com. Observe her on Twitter @bycathcarlock.

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Boston, MA

Greater Boston enjoys a light snow, travel not significantly impacted – The Boston Globe

Published

7 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Greater Boston enjoys a light snow, travel not significantly impacted – The Boston Globe

The snow showers come from a weakening system approaching from the Great Lakes that tapped into some of the moisture from a strong storm passing south of New England.

The region was spared the worst precipitation of the storm thanks to persistent sub-freezing temperatures earlier this week, which pushed it south toward its current location off the coast of North Carolina, Nocera said. New England’s light snowfall is on the northern fringes of the storm.

Nocera added that this weekend’s “decorative snow” will not significantly impact ground travel.

The Massachusetts Port Authority issued a travel advisory for flight delays at Boston Logan International Airport. According to the flight tracking website Flight Aware, as of around 1:00 p.m. 212 flights were delayed at Boston Logan and another 15 were cancelled.

Margo Griffin, a teaching associate at the University of Cambridge in England, was initially worried about driving through the snow on her way to get coffee in Cambridge, but said the view from the Charles River was worth the trek.

“I thought it might be a problem, but I just decided to go ahead with the plan, and I’m enjoying walking through the snow,” Griffin said.

People walked along a snow-covered path at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston Saturday, as a winter storm brought light accumulation to New England.

Erin Clark / Globe Staff

Other Boston-area residents who spoke to the Globe Saturday morning were happy to wake up to the winter scene on Saturday.

“I am feeling wonderful about the snow. I haven’t seen it in a long time,” said Barbara Delollis, a communications lead at Harvard Business School.

Delollis already made snow day plans.

“We want to go out and have some fun in the snow, and take a lot of pictures and just remember this moment, because we don’t know how much more snowfall we’re going to see in the Boston area anymore with climate change,” Delollis said.

Talia, a Cambridge resident, said that the snow had no effect on her plans to attend synagogue with her two-year-old son Saturday morning.

“It feels nice and seasonal, which is cool because climate change is terrifying,” she said.

Snowstorms can still occur, despite warming temperatures from climate change, Nocera said. Although Saturday’s snowfall cannot guarantee heavy snow this winter, there is a slightly higher chance of snow towards the end of the month as cold temperatures ease.

A frostbite sailor passed snow covered houseboats while headed out to race on the Annisquam River in Gloucester, Mass. Jan. 11, 2025. John Blanding/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe

Materials from previous Globe stories were used in this report.

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Boston, MA

Boston College drops Hockey East contest to Merrimack

Published

19 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Boston College drops Hockey East contest to Merrimack

The second-ranked Boston College men’s hockey team suffered its first home loss of the season, falling to Merrimack by a score of 5-2 in Hockey East action on Friday night at Kelley Rink. The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second, but the Warriors scored the next five. BC falls to 12-4-1 overall and 6-3-1 in Hockey East, while Merrimack improves to 8-10-1 overall and 4-5-1 in league play. The Eagles opened the scoring midway through the first period when Oskar Jellvik one-timed the rebound off an Aram Minnetian shot that was saved by the Merrimack goaltender. Minnetian’s shot fell right into the path of Jellvik for the quick shot into the open net to put the Eagles in front. BC added to its lead shortly into the second period when Brady Berard scored a short-handed goal. Merrimack responded 32 seconds later with a power-play goal to get on the board, before scoring the game-tying goal less than one minute after that. The Warriors took the lead nearly three minutes later when Merrimack scored its third goal of the period. The Warriors scored twice in the third period to push their lead to three. Jacob Fowler made 23 saves while Nils Wallstrom had 27 stops for Merrimack.

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Boston, MA

Syracuse men’s basketball: predictions and poll vs Boston College

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2025

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Syracuse men’s basketball: predictions and poll vs Boston College

The Syracuse Orange (7-8, 1-3) are back on the road tomorrow to face the Boston College Eagles (9-6, 1-3). The game tips off at 3:00 ET on The CW and here’s what we’re predicting in this #OrangeEagle battle:

Kevin: Syracuse 82, Boston College 80

I’m thinking this is higher scoring than the metrics suggest because neither team defends well. I also have a feeling that Elijah Moore hits double-figures in this one. Moore didn’t make a shot against Georgia Tech, but he didn’t commit a turnover and I’m looking for him to get an early 3 to drop and for him to find space as the Eagles try and contain JJ Starling and Eddie Lampkin. It’s not going to be pretty, but I’m taking Syracuse to get their 1st road win of the year.

Max: Syracuse 72, Boston College 65

The Orange finally have some momentum going into this one and a lowly Eagles team is just what the doctor ordered for another win. Believe it or not, Syracuse’s offense shoots better from the field and commits fewer turnovers than BC (and most of those numbers are without Starling). We’ll see if Donnie Freeman suits up, but hopefully, it doesn’t matter against a Boston College defense that allows its opponents to shoot over 57% in conference play (worst rate in ACC).

Dom: Syracuse 79, Boston College 73

BC’s offense over the course of the year is very much hot or cold, but I don’t expect a repeat performance of the Orange’s defense compared to how things turned out against Georgia Tech. That being said, if both defenses are going to be suspect, Syracuse will have the best scorer on the floor and I think this is the game we see J.J. Starling have a pre-injury-like performance that propels Syracuse to the win column once again.

Szuba: Syracuse 78, Boston College 71

Syracuse has certainly struggled and has been shorthanded this year, but it still hasn’t fallen to the Boston College threshold. BC doesn’t do much of anything well — it rebounds decently, it shoots from three at a fair clip but overall the offense is poor and its defense is worse. I would think Syracuse should be able to score the ball more effectively in this game as opposed to last. Starling leads the way once more with solid contributions from Lampkin and the supporting cast as the Orange win its second straight conference game.

Sam: Boston College 72, Syracuse 70

This prediction hinges on Donnie Freeman not playing, if he does, I’d probably lean towards Syracuse by a point or two. Without him, I’m just not confident enough to pick the Orange on the road – a building they lost in last year – even against a bad Boston College team. There’s undoubtedly a path to a win, specifically, if the Orange can force about 15 or more turnovers, and convert off of them. A true toss-up game for me.

Mike: Syracuse 78, Boston College 70

Two really bad defenses should make these not-so-great offenses look better for one afternoon. Like Sam said this is the definition of a toss-up and I really think it’ll be close all the way through. This should be a time where Lampkin can use his size in the paint and be the one to break the stalemate.

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Now it’s your turn