REINSTATE FRIDAY BUSINESS HOURS AT TOWN HALL
Dear Editor,
The following was submitted to Town Councilors and Town Manager Austin Faison.
I urge you to reopen Town Hall on Friday mornings, which was town policy forever until the former town manager eliminated Friday business hours for specious reasons.
Every other municipality in this region of the state maintains Friday business hours for the convenience of their citizens-access to public records and town officials, et al. Winthrop should do likewise and revert to the town’s former historic policy which served so well for so long.
With all of the multiple critical public issues currently under review for action by the Town such as the CBD it is imperative that the town reopen Town Hall during standard business hours in order to serve the ongoing information and transparency needs of our residents and businesses.
Thank you,
John Vitagliano
Invest in public transit
Dear Editor,
We are writing in response to the Transcript’s Feb. 22 editorial, “Traffic, Traffic Everywhereâ€, which expressed frustration and resignation about the region’s growing traffic crisis. Communities and neighborhoods across the harbor from Downtown Boston are ground zero in this crisis.
Thankfully for Winthrop, the town is well-served by representatives at the state level who are working to offer solutions. House Speaker Bob DeLeo has made clear he is acutely aware of the area’s transportation challenges, and has made transportation a priority in the House. Sen. Joe Boncore has quickly become a statewide leader on transportation since being named Chair of the Transportation Committee early in 2018. He brings a fresh perspective to many seemingly-intractable transportation problems and is a strong and trusted partner of transportation advocates.
The Transcript is right — investing in public transit will help our traffic crisis. People need more options, but those options do not begin and end with the MBTA. The state must look at proven tools working in other regions of the country. One tool is “time of day†tolling, in which toll rates are cheaper at off-peak hours and more expensive at busier times to encourage drivers to shift their trips.
Of the 10 largest metro areas in the country, Greater Boston is the only one that does not currently use some sort of “time of day†pricing on its tolled roads. A pilot program would be a good place to start. Another is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which can move large numbers of people quickly and comfortably for a fraction of the cost of rail. Cities from Hartford to Indianapolis to Los Angeles have developed, or are developing, BRT systems to alleviate congestion and expand rapid transit service to more people at lower cost. Additionally, the House and Senate will consider bills this session to update Uber and Lyft regulations and to reduce transportation emissions through a multi-state partnership.
By better managing our road capacity, investing in efficient transit, and creating new transportation options, we can free ourselves from the crippling traffic that threatens our health, our economy, and our environment. The strong leadership of the legislators representing Winthrop will help us get there.
Chris Dempsey, Director, Transportation for Massachusetts
Julia Wallerce, Chair, Winthrop Transportation Advisory Committee and Boston Program Manager, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
development on villa avenue
Dear Editor,
Our organization, the Villa Avenue Association, is strenuously opposed to the construction activity at 54 Villa Ave., a huge multi-story building that is completely out of character with its adjacent neighborhood.
The construction activity is in clear violation of the Town of Winthrop’s Development Regulations, General Provisions, 1.2.2.a which state that “…all sites within Winthrop for which development approval is sought under these Regulations shall be designed and developed in a safe, efficient and aesthetically pleasing manner.â€.
Section 1.2.2.b further states that “…the arrangement of all uses and improvements should reflect the natural capabilities and limitations of the site as well as the characteristics and limitations of adjacent property.â€
Section 1.2.2 Evaluation Criteria states that “The following objectives and criteria shall be used in evaluating all development proposals:
a. Insure that the development of additional housing and commercial buildings do not detract from the livability, scale, character or economic value of existing residential neighborhoods and commercial areasâ€
None of the site’s abutters were notified of the project in advance, as required by Town Ordinance.
It is abundantly clear that the building construction at no. 54 Villa Ave. could be an unambiguous violation of these, and other, important provisions of the Winthrop Development Regulations and that continuation of the project will do irreparable harm to our neighborhood. Therefore, we strongly urge the Town of Winthrop to immediately take all necessary steps to cease and desist all construction activity at 54 Villa Ave. and not issue an Occupancy Permit to the developer.
Sincerely,
Susan GervasiMichael Gervasi