West Roxbury Residents and Development Proponents Square Off
Boston - West Roxbury Civic Association Meeting Community Video - West-Roxbury, MA 02132
At a recent meeting of the West Roxbury Civic Association at St. Stephen’s church in West Roxbury, residents of Desoto and Edgemere Road and surrounding neighborhoods had their chance to let Chestnut Hill Realty know exactly how they feel about the proposed building of a 92-unit, four-story apartment complex on a vacant lot adjacent to Desoto Rd.–and the residents where not at at all shy about expressing their views on the matter. Also on the table was a proposal to re-route both streets as one-ways to accomdate the development and reduce the impact of traffic on the area.
Representatives from Chestnut Hill Realty, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, and local political representatives were present to deliver their positions on the planned development. Illustrations of the project, traffic impact analysis, zoning issues were addressed in an effort to convey the merits of the proposal to a skeptical audience. And then the residents spoke–in some cases shouted out–their concerns.
In the end, the community voted not to approve either proposal, and both the re-routing of the streets and a request for a variance on the height of the project from 35 feet to 60 feet were voted down. Although the meeting lasted over 2 hours, the video above was editied in an effort to succinclty capture the heart of what was discussed. If you’re interested in seeing the a community’s voice in action, watch this video (fascinating).
Also, A special thanks to the Olivia Weishak and the West Roxbury Civic Association for welcoming us to the meeting and allowing us to video tape the entire event. Hopefully it will be shared with those West Roxbury residents who were not able to attend. Comments are welcome.
Tribute to a Fallen Hero
Funeral procession of fallen firefighter Paul Cahill along Centre steet in West Roxbury. May God bless these brave men and their families. They are truly Boston’s unsung heroes…
Real Estate Video by - Real Estate Blogger
Patty Cosby for Mayor of Roslindale!
As a member of the Roslindale Parade Committee for the past three plus years, Patty Cosby has been deeply involved in the planning, raising of funds and all other aspects of organizing the parade. This year, Patty have 
been serving as the vice president of the committee. At the urging of many dedicated residents she has decided to seek the title of “Mayor of Roslindale.” So, for the following two months, Patty will be concentrating her time and effort in raising funds that will enable all to have the best and greatest Roslindale Parade ever. All of the funds raised are turned over to the Committee to be disbursed for the expenses needed for the parade (i.e. the bands, the performers and the floats, etc). These expenses are substantial and we ask you to be as generous as possible. Also, each dollar you donate will mean a vote for Patty to be elected as “Mayor of Roslindale”.
A fund raising buffet will be held on Saturday, September 29th located at the Sons of Italy Hall on Birch Street in Roslindale. In addition to the buffet, there will also be raffles and some great entertainment. Please come and see your friends and have a great time. Tickets are just $20.00 per person: the time from 7pm until midnight.
The theme of this years parade is “Make it in Roslindale,” so Patty has asked that all of us patronize all of our local merchants. They have invested their time and money in Roslindale, they employ many of our neighbors, and they deserve our patronage. Patty enjoyed living in Roslindale for approximately ten years and currently resides in West Roxbury. Patty’s business keeps her heavily involved in both Roslindale and West Roxbury. And even though this is the Roslindale Parade, Patty has thus far received generous donations from many of the local merchants in both West Roxbury and Roslindale.
To obtain tickets or make donation please feel free to call me anytime at 617-645-5965, Lou Murray at 617-699-5950 or Tom Clougherty at 617-416-4836.
VOTE FOR PATTY COSBY!
West Roxbury Open Spaces and Urban Wilds
Having been a life-long resident of West Roxbury, one of the area’s amenities that I’ve always had a deep appreciation for is the amount of open space available to its’ residents. I’ve recently learned that West Roxbury, with 1,146 acres of total open space (both protected and unprotected), has more more open space than any other neighborhood of Boston. How much more? Lots! By the numbers, West Roxbury has nearly 23 acres of open space per thousand residents while the city-wide average is 7.5 acres per thousand. And considering the family orientation of this community, having as much open space available for recreational activities is a real asset.
So, where exactly is all this open space and how is it used?
The neighborhood itself is largely defined by the open spaces surrounding it. To the east are the MDC’s Stony Brook Reservation, Bellevue Hill, and West Roxbury Parkway. To the west are Millennium Park, a municipally owned urban wild at the West Roxbury High chool/Community Center, the MDC’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Parkway, Brook Farm, Havey Beach, and large private cemeteries. To the south are two more cemeteries and the West Roxbury Quarry urban wild. To the north is the Allandale Woods urban wild.
Of Play Lots and Fields
Another of West Roxbury’s open space attributes is the plethora of playing fields (e.g. baseball, soccer, football, etc) and play lots for younger children. Playing fields include: Praught, Draper, Billings and Hynes field as well as the many fields at Millennium Park all of which accomodate your typical array of outdoor American-style sporting activities. Additionally, the West Roxbury landscape is dotted with numerous playgrounds located at both public schools and parks, including: The Beethoven and Ohrenberger schools, and all the parks listed above.
For Adults and Nature Enthusiasts
West Roxbury has considerable resources available for walking/hiking, nature appreciation activities, and scenic enhancement. Substantial acreage is in a natural state: 680.05 protected and unprotected acres in West Roxbury. (Included in this acreage is the 8.9 acres of the Millennium Park riverside natural area, formerly the Municipal Shoreline urban wild, and the approximately 60 acres of the Millennium Park Meadow natural area along the slopes of this park.) Most of this acreage is protected. The largest unprotected parcels are the Roxbury Latin School natural area and the West Roxbury Quarry. Both have some acreage under the jurisdiction of the Wetlands Protection Act.
Over the coming weeks I intend to explore these open spaces and urban wilds in more detail. Since I don’t get out much, this will be a welcome change of scene 
West Roxbury–Robin Street Block Party…
On Saturday, June 2nd the second annual Robin street block party went off without a hitch–sort of. But even Mother Nature’s untimely thunderstorm did little to dissuade many Bellevue Hill neighbors from enjoying the line-up of food, games, music and fun-filled activities (sack races, chalk contest & bike and carriage decorating contests) atop the hill. 
“It’s a great neighborhood event,’” said Brendan White of 27 Robin Street, “where all the families, friends and neighbors have a chance to get to know each other better and have a lot of fun in the process. “I am already looking forward to next year’s block party,” he said
Special thanks go out to Mary Beth and Barbara for organizing the event this year!
Hello Boston! Welcome to Dahubbub.com…
“So, if a city has a personality, maybe it also has a soul. Maybe it dreams.”
No matter how many times I read this excerpt from the mystical musings of acclaimed science fiction writer Neil Gaiman in his book, “The Sandman–World’s End,” wherein the character of the old man contemplates whether a city is a living thing, I always seem to have the same reaction: First, I think of how elegant and noble this idea is (Gaiman’s a real philosopher-poet), but then my thoughts turn to Boston. Based upon the old man’s sage-like wisdom, I believe Boston is such a city–a city that inhales this rarified air–and thus qualifies to be among those living, breathing things. I, for one, can attest that the City of Boston is chockfull of personality. I can also claim with confidence the city possesses an historically deep and culturally rich soul (few would argue this point). And, finally, I would suggest if any city can dream, Boston can (unlike NYC which we all know never sleeps:)
Yes, I love Boston–so much so that I’m dedicating this blog in its honor. The name, dahubbub.com, is tribute to the native tongue spoken in this part of the country–and a dialectical derivative of the phrase “what’s-the-hubbub,” where the word “hubbub” means “the mingled din of a crowd.” The purpose, other than to pay homage to the greatest little city in America, is to create a virtual community wherein all who love Boston, live in Boston, or want to know more about Boston may merrily converge, interact and share their unique Boston experiences. Boston is our stage, and dahubbub.com is a place where all the men and women players may freely rehearse their part.
For those of you who may be geographically challenged, the anwer to the question of “where is Boston” is easy. It’s right here.
For those who seek the anwer to the deeper question of “what is Boston,” well, that’s a whole other story–one that certainly has a beginning, but which has no ending in site. Our job here at dahubbub.com is to tell the tale as it’s being written, and so far (IMHO) it’s been one of the greatest tales ever told.
So, Boston, what’s-da-hubbub?
This is the question the contributors of dahubbub.com will ask themselves daily, and finding the answers is the raison d’etre for this blog–to discover exactly what’s going on in this culturally rich, historically relevant, ethnically diverse, economically viable, intellectually stimulating, and fanatically sporty cradle of American liberties–oft referred to as the City on the Hill, the Hub of the Universe (solar system), the Athens of America, or just plain Beantown –that is our primary mission.
But, like all narratives, conversations and discussions–there must be a starting off point. So, my first (gulp) stab at explaining what Boston’s all about-and how the community of dahubbub bloggers intends to identify the heart, soul and dreams of this magnanimous city–goes something like this:
Boston is a City of Neighborhoods. Dahubbub.com is a blog that intends to explore these neighborhoods in detail and at street level, with an idea for initiating conversations with any and all interested parties. The neighborhoods of Boston we’ll begin to explore will include: Allson, Brighton, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Charlestown, Chinatown, Dorchester, Downtown, East Boston, Fort Hill, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, North End, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, South End, The Fenay, Waterfront and West Roxbury. Each of these neighborhoods is within Boston city limits, and each has its own unique identity which we intend to uncover and share with the world.
–end part 1–
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