‘Jamaica Plain Through Time’ Takes Readers on Historical Tour of Neighborhood

Historian Anthony Sammarco's newest book Jamaica Plain Through Time chronicles the neighborhood from the late 19th century through to the 21st century. The following is from Sammarco's book with contemporary photographs by Peter B. Kingman. Known in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as the Jamaica End of Roxbury, the neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, evolved from agrarian farmland for over 200 years into one of the more dynamic and inclusive neighborhoods of twenty-first century Boston. Jamaica Plain became one of the earliest streetcar suburbs of Boston with various forms of transportation linking it to downtown Boston. With horse drawn streetcars, the Boston & Providence Railroad as well as the Boston Elevated Railway, by the turn of the twentieth century, the ease of transportation allowed a thriving nexus of cultures to move to a community that not only saw tremendous residential and commercial development, especially with the numerous breweries along the Stony Brook, but also green space and open lands that were laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted as a part of the "Emerald Necklace" of Boston.

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Coronavirus Collateral Damage: Funerals, Animal Vets, Art Schools, Wake Up The Earth Festival, All Affected

The damage wrought by COVID-19 is permeating all aspects of society. Our funerals are being affected, our woodworking classes are being cancelled, and our beloved Wake Up The Earth Festival is not happening May 2. The Forest Hills Cemetery was consecrated in 1848, and it's not clear if there's ever been restrictions placed on the number of attendees allowed at funerals. But now there are -- in accordance with Governor Charlie Baker's executive order, burials are now limited to 25 people, according to Forest Hills Cemetery's website. Along with the 25 person limit, there are other new protocols:
We are requesting that all family members remain in their cars until the casket has been placed at the gravesite and the Cemetery personnel have left the area.

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Video: 3-Year-Old Gives Amazing Tour Highlighting Jamaica Plain!

A young boy (and his mother) made an incredible one-minute video highlighting all of his favorite things about Jamaica Plain -- the restaurants, train stations, barber shop, libraries, bicycles, karate classes -- and more! Holding a toy train to start, Santiago Arroyo begins in front of the Egleston Square mural across from the T and makes his way to the Egleston Community Garden, and then moves on to restaurants by highlighting the original Chilacates, JP Licks (what kid doesn't like ice cream?), Pikalo, and Exodus Bagels. He shouts out all the bicycles to ride, neighborhood libraries and playgrounds, mentions he takes karate classes with his mother and grandmother(!), and talks up the firefighters of Engine 28. Then he really gets into the action -- by getting a trim at Flaco's Barber Shop, and a teeth cleaning at the Brookside Community Health Center. He ends by showcasing JP's T stops.

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Stonybrook Neighborhood Slow Streets Meeting May 8

There will be a community meeting to discuss the traffic diverter pilot project that was previously installed on Dungarven Road in the Stonybrook neighborhood on May 8. The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) installed the pilot traffic diverter on Dungarven Road, which was just south of the intersection with Gartland Street, on June 15, 2018 and removed in October 2018. At the upcoming meeting, the BTD will share a summary of data and observations collected before, during and after the traffic diverter was installed. Resident feedback that was collected will also be shared, and residents will be able to provide feedback at the meeting. The strategy of the diverter was supposed to:

Discourage people from driving the wrong way on Washington Street
Discourage drivers from cutting through Hatoff’s driveways
Discourage and eventually end wrong-way driving on Williams Street
Reduce the number of people navigating the low-visibility intersection of Dungarven/Kenton
Reduce the volume of thru traffic on Kenton Road

This public meeting will be at 6:30 pm on May 8 at English High School (144 McBride St.).

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The Wake Up The Earth Parade (Egleston Square branch) makes its way to the festival.

Let’s Wake Up the Earth! WUTE Festival and Parades on May 4

The annual Wake Up the Earth Festival and Parades are one of the best days of the year in Jamaica Plain -- and the festival is this Saturday. This year is the 41st Wake Up the Earth Festival! The festival has a fascinating creation story. It began in 1979 when a group of local neighbors and activists came together to stop the Interstate 95 expansion into Jamaica Plain -- and won their fight! Organized by Spontaneous Celebrations, the parades are boisterous, creative, with bands, stilt walkers, dancing, giant puppets, and of course, dogs in costumes!

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BPDA Board Approves 21-Unit Stedman Street Project; All Units to be Rentals

The Boston Planning & Development Agency board recently approved a three-story, 21-unit rental residential building for Stedman Street. The project will consist of six one-bedroom units and 15 two-bedroom units, and four of the 21 units will be income-restricted.The income-restricted units are expected to be one one-bedroom and three two-bedrooms, said BPDA spokesperson Bonnie McGilpin. One of the affordable units will be for a household not earning more than 30 percent of the area median income (AMI) as dictated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). One unit will be for households not earning more than 50 percent of the AMI and two will be affordable to households not earning more than 70 percent of the AMI. Sited at 50 Stedman St., the building will be approximately 31,216 sq.

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Proposed Stedman Street 3-Story, 21-Unit Residential Building Being Discussed at Oct. 29th Public Meeting

A developer has proposed razing a one-story commercial building on Stedman Street in the Stonybrook neighborhood to build a 3-story, 21-unit residential building. The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) is hosting a public meeting about the proposal on Oct. 29 at Doyle's Cafe from 6 to 7 pm. The proposal consists of knocking down a one-story commercial building at 50 Stedman St., where the Wentworth Service Station is located. According to documents filed with the BPDA by the proposal's architect, Lucio Trabucco of Nunes Trabucco Architects, wrote that the building "has no historic or architectural significance to the surrounding neighborhood" and the "presence actually detracts from the neighborhood."

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JP Historical Society Launches Walking Neighborhood Tour Series

Twenty-three years ago the then president of the Jamaica Plain Historical Society, Rhea Becker, had an idea. Why not conduct a series of walking tours during the summer months as a way to highlight the rich history of JP for people? The JPHS has been conducting historic walking tours of Jamaica Plain tours ever since. From the four tours that debuted on the schedule in 1995, the offerings have now expanded to include seven different tours. Each tour lasts between 60 and 90 minutes.

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JP Local First Logo

Breakfast Meeting Set for Biz Owners at Risk of Eviction

Several local community and business groups will hold a meeting Wednesday morning to encourage the city to "even the playing field" for small business owners. The meeting was called by leaders from JP Local First, Egleston Square Main Street, City Life/Vida Urbana and the JP Neighborhood Development Corp. It will be at 10 a.m. at the Egleston Square YMCA, 3134 Washington St. Business owners are encouraged to attend. The meeting will be with Karilyn Crockett of the city's Main Streets program and Lydia Edwards of the Office of Housing Stability.

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Map of project area plus nearby parcels

Neighborhood Group Calls for Redesign of Proposed Stonley Road Apartment Building

[Editor's note: The following is a letter from the Stonybrook Neighborhood Association to the Boston Redevelopment Authority and local politicians.]

76 Stonley Road Issues Statement
prepared by the 76 Stonley Road Subcommittee of the Stonybrook Neighborhood Association (SNA)

Background and Summary
76 Stonley Road is a proposal by developers John Morrissey, Bryan Austin and Michael Forde for a 5.5 story 32-unit apartment building. The proposal involves a portion of the Stonybrook Neighborhood currently zoned as and used for industrial purposes. A potential transformation in this area, from industrial to residential, represents a significant opportunity to provide additional housing in an established and increasingly popular neighborhood that is pedestrian friendly and well served by the MBTA. Any proposal for this area should reflect these facts, respecting the existing uses and planning adequately for the future. The project as currently proposed poses a number of problems in this regard and fails to fully live up to the site’s potential.

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