Monday, October 15, 2012
The group says that handicapped-accessible ramps should be ADA-compliant and fit in with the historic character of Beacon Hill.
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Monday, October 15, 2012
The following is a letter from the Beacon Hill Civic Association about the board's recommendation regarding handicapped-accessible ramps in historic districts: The Beacon Hill Civic Association (“BHCA”) desires to maximize the accessibility of Beacon Hill and all of Boston’s historic districts for all persons. In this regard, the BHCA fully supports the installation of sidewalk “curb cuts” in Boston’s historic districts, to permit persons with mobility disabilities to be able to access sidewalks from the street. In addition, the BHCA also supports the requirement that all curb cuts include “detectable warning panels” that contrast visually with adjoining surfaces, either light-on-dark, or dark-on-light, to enhance the safety and mobility …
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
The new program takes effect March 1.
After much lobbying by Beacon Hill residents the city has agreed to extend street sweeping into December and March, starting next spring, to help keep the Hill cleaner and reduce rodent food sources. The Beacon Hill Civic Associations has been instrumental in getting the city to expand its cleaning program and will host a meeting on Monday, Oct. 15, to let neighbors know all the details. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at 74 Joy St. Currently, street sweeping ends on Nov. 30 and begins on April 1. But in 2013 it will start on March 1 and not end until Dec. 30, meaning that applicable parking restrictions will be in place all year except for January and February. The civic association will work with the city to inform Beacon Hill …
Monday, October 8, 2012
Tips on weatherization and energy efficiency.
Most homes on Beacon Hill were built before much thought was given to environmentalism and sustainablility. Today, however, many homeowners want to lessen their carbon footprint but aren't quite sure how to go about it. Now is the chance to gather all that information and start eco-friendly projects in your home. Sally Zimmerman of Historic New England and Mark Kiefer of the Beacon Hill Architectural Commission will be at the Harrison Gray Otis House, at 141 Cambridge St., on Oct. 17 to provide homeowners with tips on simple and cost-effective energy upgrades, traditional building-envelope repairs, and weatherization projects that can make old houses more comfortable to live in and more efficient to operate. Wine and cheese, as well as an…
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
More than 10 residents to receive awards for beautifying the neighborhood.
The Beacon Hill Civic Association is inviting residents on Tuesday to celebrate the efforts of those who beautify the neighborhood with flowers and foliage. The 54th Annual Window Box Contest Reception, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 74 Joy St., will honor 10 green thumbs in a range of categories including best window box, planter, front entry and tree pit. Many other neighbors will also be acknowledged for their beautification efforts on Beacon Hill. The evening will also include a talk by Mathew Cahal, the Urban Tree Program Coordinator at Boston Natural Areas Network and member of the Urban Forest Tree Council on trees and tree care. Wine and cheese will be served. "A slide show highlighting the neighborhood's summer window boxes and …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Hundreds turned out for the neighborhood's biggest outdoor party.
Beacon Hill residents, neighbors and nonprofit groups were blessed with perfect weather once again for the annual Neighborhood Block Party on Sunday. Patch was there to capture the festivies.
Friday, September 14, 2012
The Patriots game will be broadcast at the event.
Catch up with hundreds of your neighbors this Sunday at Beacon Hill's social event of the fall, the Neighborhood Block Party. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. on lower Mt. Vernon St. and will include dozens of activities for children and adults. It is open to everyone. And don't worry about missing the game: the Beacon Hill Civic Association, which hosts the party, is broadcasting The Pats game at the firehouse, at 127 Mt. Vernon St., where they will also have a beer garden. Free food, including burritos, chips and salsa courtesy of Anna's Taqueria, and hot dogs courtesy of Charles Street Market, will be available. Harpoon Brewery is donating beer, which will cost $5 a glass; lemonade will be $1. JP Licks is donating the ice cream, …
Friday, August 31, 2012
The group offered helpful tips to manage trash.
The Beacon Hill Civic Association is encouraging new and departing neighbors to help keep the Hill clean over this "move-in" weekend. The neighborhood group sent out an email Thursday with the following information:
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Prospective buyers would turn the hotel into a high-end apartment building for short-term rentals.
If all goes as planned, Charles Street Inn will be no more as of the end of the year. Owner Louise Vendon said that she is selling the 94 Charles St. property because she would like to spend more time with her partner in Provincetown. She has prospective buyers in Brent Berc and Will Avanessian, who together compromise Boston Real Estate Collaborative, a company that owns several apartment buildings in the city. The sale is conditional on the buyers getting zoning approval to turn the 10-room inn into a building with nine apartments available for short-term rental. Although the inside of the building would be altered, the buyers said they would try to preserve as much detailing as possible and would not change the exterior of the building…
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The inn's owners will appear before the neighborhood's zoning board tonight.
Charles Street Inn is still open to guests but its owners are looking to change the historic structure back to an older use as an apartment building. Louise Venden and Sally Deane, the owners, are looking to sell the building and the prospective buyers will go before the Beacon Hill Civic Association's Zoning and Licensing Committee tonight to present their plans to change the inn to a high-end, furnished, short-term apartment rentals. "We operate almost exactly as every other apartment building would, with the exception of the duration of our leases, which are 9 times out of 10 for periods of less than a year, and the fact that we provide furnishings," the applicants wrote in a statement to the committee. The rentals would target MGH …
Monday, June 11, 2012
Would-be developers face neighborhood-level challenges before they can even deal with the city.
Opening a new business in Boston can be a challenge. Not only do would-be business owners have to deal with state and city codes, requirements and laws, but—before they do so—they have to garner the favor of a sometimes-complex maze of neighborhood groups. Anyone who has followed the issues coming before the Beacon Hill Civic Association's Zoning and Licensing Committee knows how much influence the group's decisions can have on the city's Zoning Board of Appeals, which may prefer that some battles are fought and settled on a neighborhood level before coming before the city, such as the recent effort by Villa Mexico Cafe to move to Grove Street. Or take the case of Rob Rivard. Rivard decided that he wanted to open a new Domino’s Pizza on …
John D
3:06 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012
perhaps their time would be better spent on getting the streets plowed properly in December and March. fools. more ›