Concern About the Future of Charles Street Discussed in Meeting

If Charles Street is the main artery that runs through Beacon Hill, dozens of residents who turned out to the Joint Charles Street Committee Wednesday night are concerned about its ability to keep the neighborhood alive. 

Among the top concerns was the reduction in foot traffic that is hurting small markets and boutiques, sometimes causing them to close, while bigger, wealthier institutions like banks move in. 

"Banks are trying to destroy neighborhoods all over the city. There is no way the bank helps a neighborhood if it is on the ground floor," Karen Cord Taylor said during a discussion about Capital One bank's effort to lease the space now occupied by Charles Street Market. 

Despite deep neighborhood opposition to the plan, and the Beacon Hill Civic Association's strong disapproval of it, Capital One plans to go ahead and ask the city on Feb. 28 to approve the zoning variance it needs to open. An online petition is being circulated to dissuade the zoning board from granting the variance. And the mayor's office has been "impressed by the volume of letters against it," according to Ania Camargo, the chairwoman of the civic association. 

But if the success of recently opened Hingham Institution for Savings is any indication of the environment banks enjoy on Charles Street, they have strong incentives to open. Hingham, which opened in October where an antique store used to be, has surpassed $30 million in deposits, according to President Robert H. Gaughen, Jr.

Other concerns about Charles Street involved the long-closed DeLuca's Market. Virgil Aiello, the owner, presented his plan for the market, which differed little from the plan he presented at BHCA's zoning committee meeting in December. The committee voted not to support the plan until Aiello entered into a Good Neighbor Agreement, which is still in the works. 

Other business owners along Charles Street said that trash, sidewalk disrepair and the lack of parking all lessen the attractiveness of the street for potential shoppers, and ultimately make the business environment a very hard one to thrive in. 

John Corey and Susan Symonds of the Joint Charles Street Committee said that the more involved businesses become with efforts to beautify the street, such as sponsoring tree pit guards and sweeping, the better off they and Beacon Hill will be. 

"The city's not going to do it for us," Corey said of improving the street, specifically, installing the tree guards. "So if we want to see Charles street look how we want it to look we have to step up and do it."