##VIDEO ID:jbYp7jO3Xyo## e e e um e e the floor is yours Mr chair thank you Todd uh good morning everybody uh I am yosha Franklin Hodge the chair of the public Improvement commission and I will call to order the uh pic hearing of September 12th 2024 Mr Ling would you please take the roll call of course uh with the representative from the public works department please State their name for the record yosha Franklin hge Property Management Department please do the same Joseph Callahan Transportation Department anying inspectional Services Department uh one more time Brian we couldn't hear you they coming oh we just heard you thank you y Brian Ron with istd um Water and Sewer Commission please Denise St one thank you and commission for persons with disabilities Sarah I see you but I don't hear youah be on there we go thank you full form excellent thank you very much uh so our first item today is the hearing minutes at the request of the public Improvement commission staff the acceptance of the minutes of the pic hearing held on August 22nd 2024 do I hear a motion to approve the minutes I'll make a motion to accept the minutes of August 22nd 2024 second all in favor I I any oppos or abstain so moveed on to public hearing number one on a joint petition by the city of Boston public works department and the City of Boston Transportation Department for the making of specific repairs of the in the following public ways in Charlestown consisting of curb realignment roadway and sidewalk reconstruction as well as new and relocated pedestrian ramps traffic signal infrastructure Street lighting infrastructure storm drain infrastructure Landscaping driveway curb Cuts guard rail and access gates chelse Street at terminal street terminal street at Chelsea Street this was new business on August 22nd as shown on a set of plans entitled city of Boston Public Works Department engineering division specific repairs plan Chelsea Street at terminal street and Morin Access Road Boston six sheets dated September 2024 uh with the proponents please introduce themselves their affiliations and give us any updates since uh your new business hearing and let us know how you'd like to proceed with this matter hey good morning Chief um morning chairman members of the commission U my name is Jeffrey Alexis with the public works department um co- petitioning with the Boston transportation department to propose traffic signal um and pedestrian improvements at the Chelsea Street and terminal terminal Street intersection um I'm joined here by um Jeff satel from um Niche who is our design consultant working on this project um just want to provide a little quick background um in coordination with bpda the auto Port um massport um as well as the Mystic River um Watershed Association this project was initiated um to provide pedestrian access in conjunction with the har walk extension development project um throughout this design process um we have coordinated with all um partners stakeholders and parties to address um pedestrian access while also maintaining and not impeding the truck access and operations of the auto cour um with that um I will turn over our design consultant um Jeff to to kind of go over the prop proposed design and and then of course we we'll address any um questions that the the commission has and um some of of the the comments that were um made since um um new business good morning everybody uh my name is Jeff satel from Niche engineering it's Jeff said um so as again we are discussing we're adjusting the curve lines to you know make this a more um safe intersection with an exclusive pedestrian crossing here for future connection to the HarborWalk Trails um since the last submission um we received comments from the disabilities commission to increase the landing here uh which we have done uh as much as possible and remove the the flare the ramp flare for a return to so um other than that these plans are the same as the last time you we presented to you there's no modifications to any uh signal timing has been modified um and needs to be reviewed with BTD uh provide three exclusive phases one for each leg of the intersection Plus One exclusive phase for the PS yeah and and I'll just jump in U yeah since since new business um there was request from um stakeholders proponents um just in terms of more information in regards to this project um we we will be working with them um to forward them the latest plans um I mean since uh since we've last spoke to them um there's been just minor changes in regards to this um design we did a look at providing more um roadway space um in order to accommodate the truck access um into and out of the auto Port um we have had conversations um with mass CC um in regards to their um wind turbine um blade transport um which is um why we um went went went ahead and and and proposed this driveway that provides direct access into um the auto Port from Chelsea Street there was concerns with um turning movements with um that vehicle I believe it's 2200 ft long um including the the win turbine blades um there was going to be issues with the the signal pulse in terms of um turning movement so you mean ultimately we needed to provide direct access into Auto Port in order to propose um traffic signal equipment at this intersection um happy to continue working um with um the aort to address any concerns that they may have um as Jeff expressed there are some concerns about the the signal phasing um that is currently being reviewed by the um BTD traffic management um once we get approvals from them in terms of how we want to move forward um they did have issues um in regards to a conflict that they um that they flagged um with the previous signal design so um this is ultimately um not a part of the pic process but um that is something that we we are continue to work with um the proponents um or the stakeholders on um and will be um um scheduling their meeting when that approval comes through just to kind of give them notification inform them about how this this this intersection is to function in terms of um the signals um with that I would turn over to to the commission if they have any questions or they want us to address anything uh Commissioners any questions you'd like to have addressed now right here none pic staff or members of the public uh no I'll take this opportunity to remind the public if you wish to ask questions or add testimony we ask that you use the raised hand function at the bottom of your screen um I we received a few pieces of written testimony which I've forwarded to the full commission for their consideration um I do not see any requests for public testimony now though um and P stat is all set all right so Jeff just to confirm the request here is a continuation to allow for additional time a couple of additional weeks for review um yes I believe so um they they're I I I believe some of the stakeholders um were I assume they they hadn't received the most recent plans in terms of um design um they have been shared with bpda they have been shared with massport um they have been sh shared with aort but I believe some of the tenants may not have seen the plan so happy to to give them some time to kind of review and take a look at it um that being said um based off of our coordination and process with them um we have looked at addressing um the concerns that they've raised um so we've made substantial changes um based off those initial comments we're we're we're we're on our fourth um design submission for the 700% um in terms of of submission so we we have been making changes and working with them but um yeah if if they weren't unable to to see the most recent um submission happy to you me provide them with more time before we um before we proceed got okay thank you very much I appreciate that and um you know sort of speaking in my role as chief of streets for the city you know it's this is a this is first and foremost a a Safety project specifically a pedestrian Safety project and so um we uh you know see a great deal of urgency as we always do with matters of significant concerns of significant pedestrian safety issues and uh certainly see that here um that said obviously there are a lot of complex interests that um are trying to be balanced and so certainly happy to allow for a couple of additional weeks for further review of plans um anyone who's interested in those can uh connect with Todd as a central uh point of contact and he can uh make sure that everyone gets copies of those and able to offer any feedback that they have so with that do I hear a motion to continue uh public hearing number one to our next hearing on September 26 to allow uh time for final plan review by stakeholders I'll make a motion to continue public hearing item number one is read to the record by the chair until September 26th second all in favor I I I any oppos or abstain so moved thank you Jeff we'll see you back here in two weeks thank you chairman thank you commission thank you very much all right on to well actually that concludes the public hearing section of uh the meeting so on to new business uh our first item in new business one at 265 to 267 amyy Street West Roxbury pedestrian easement specific repairs on a set of joint petitions by youth Enrichment Services and water Watermark development Incorporated uh would the proponents please introduce themselves their affiliations and give us an overview of what you are proposing to do Mr chair um and commission members I'm matd Blancher with Howard Stein Hudson we are performing the pic Civil Engineering Services for the project I am joined today by members of Watermark development and youth Enrichment Services the two project proponents as well as Embark project architect the project site is located at 265 and 267 Amy Street in Jamaica plan it's about a half an acre site located on the west side of amyy street just north of the amyy and Minon Street intersection previously the existing site shown here on the leand side of the roadway host a a single existing building that host an electrical contractor um there was also surface parking on the site the proposed project intends to demolish that existing building and parking lot in order to construct two buildings um at 265 and 267 R Street 267 Amry Street shown here will be a three-story commercial building um this will be the new headquarters for youth Enrichment Services um and as part of Youth Enrichment Services one of their most notable things that they do especially during the winter time is they fund ski trips up North for Boston children um and just to go back yes is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing sports-based development and Leadership skills to children and teens in the city of Boston um so part of this 267 Amry Street site will include two driveway curb cuts to allow for buses to enter the site and perform loading for these ski trips um off the street without blocking the sidewalk just north of this building is 265 AMR Street this will be a three-story Residential Building housing seven condominium units the specific repairs for the project include the slight relocation of one driveway curb cut and installation of a second driveway curb cut again these two curb cuts are needed um for that bus entry and exit from the project site this work will also include the widening and reconstruction of cement concrete sidewalks permeable papers bike rocks and Street trees within the Furnishing Zone um both the sidewalk and the Furnishing Zone will be underlaid by cement structural sandbay soil um to promote healthy growth of those trees the project will also be installing a pedestrian Refuge at the existing midblock Crossing on Amry Street um at the Northern end of the project site to improve pedestrian safety I'll also note that the proponent intends to complete some sidewalk upgrade improvements within the public right of way on the northern and southern sides of the project site this work does fall within property not controlled by the proponent um so this work shown here hatched in a maroon color will be presented separately to the commission the project is requesting a pedestrian easement to support these widen sidewalks um The Pedestrian easement adjacent to the project site itself totals about 1,454 Square ft um and again this allows for the widen sidewalks which range in width from 6.2 feet to 7 feet um similar to the specific repairs pedestrian easement will be needed for the sidewalks being reconstructed to the north and south of the project site um but that land is controlled by a separate proponent and will be presented to the commission separately and with that I will open it to any questions the commission members may have Commissioners um all right here hearing then can can you provide a little bit more detail on this um area uh the area along the Southwest Corridor that's sort of shown as being uh permitted independently of this project can you provide us a little bit more of the context and history on why these are this is being done as to both these areas why these are being done as separate projects yeah so the pro this land is controlled by the MBTA um and they're so we're in the process now of getting sign off for from the MBTA and from the DCR there are just some legal issues that the DCR and MBTA are working through before they were willing to sign the petitions um they have no issue with the worksh and they've reviewed it and okayed it it's more of just a legal matter that needs to be done um completed before they feel ready to go to pic um and just to give some project context this pic is one of the things um that we're looking to complete in order for the developments to get their building permit and start construction um so that's why we're here separately to present the work immediately adjacent to the 265 and 267 R Street sites got it got it okay yeah I think you know our general perspective on these kinds of situations is that we don't like splitting up um you know aspects of uh commitments to the public right of way into sort of two separate pic and permitting exercises um you know typically in a in any kind of development project where we're asking people to do work outside the scope of their immediate project site there's an element of sort of community benefit and mitigation associated with that and that certainly is the case here given the substandard nature of the sidewalks that you'll be bringing up to standard um you know in most circumstances we would sort of want to see all of this come as a single package so that there is accountability to all of the work at uh you know at the same time and that you know we don't ever want to see a situation where development finishes what they are committed to what they want to do and then leaves the other commitments on the table um that having been said this is somewhat of a unique situation in the sense that you are dependent upon other government agencies that you know as I understand have been um not able to move at the pace that would be necessary to avoid uh delaying this project uh you know as a result of just their own process and need of additional time to review and so I I think given those circumstances I'm you know comfortable allowing uh the project this portion of the project to move through the pic process provided that we have a very clear and firm commitment from the proponents that they will uh come back to us uh as soon as these issues are resolved and that if there are substantial delays in getting the outstanding ement issues resolved that they will bring those to the pic's attention in a timely fashion so that we can uh perhaps intervene with those agencies to help accelerate the process we just don't want to see that side of the work drag on and have your building get built and everyone move on and not get the sidewalks that uh we definitely need here absolutely thank you um and yeah the proponent is committed to getting this work permanent so that it can be constructed and I want to thank Todd um and Sean too because they've been very involved in our conversations with the proponent with and with the team to get this moving so that it can move forward sooner rather than later um and not hold up any other part of the project excellent I appreciate you putting that on the record and uh you know that's uh that's that's helpful um I have no other questions uh if the commiss anyone else on the commission PSC staff members of the public anyone else like the weigh in yes okay Joe goad um yeah I'm looking at the at the screen right now there appears to be so there's one crosswalk and now will that crosswalk be in front of the the residential building and if if that so um is it going to be safe uh for a youth enrichment service building with presumably a lot of um younger children possibly crossing the street um is there will there be another um do do you feel it's it's safe now with the the location of that one crosswalk on the screen yeah thanks Joe so that is an existing crosswalk today um and part of the bpda board approval for this was memorializing that Crossing and adding the PED Refuge elements to improve the safety of the crossing um I know Brian vorp is on from youth Enrichment Services so Brian feel free to add um to what I'm saying but I think my understanding is a lot of the children that will be going to the yes building um are bused in or are dropped off not a lot of them will be walking um so we feel that this is sufficient yeah and and in addition the um Stony Brook Tea Stop is on the same side as the building so a lot of the after school uh programming takes place with youth coming directly on from the te but definitely um I know that we've talked uh with the city about um speed bumps and um you know slowing down that traffic on the street because right now it is a it is a pass through no question about it just to add on that sorry this is Lee Goodman um with Watermark if you could zoom out on the screen which I know you can't you would see on the on the northwest part of the page is where Stony Brook station is so you there's literally a path through the Southwest Corridor that leads to the entry of that crosswalk that's in red that you you're talking about so there really shouldn't be any need for children to cross the street in that manner you're if you're coming from the Orange Line you're you're walking through the Southwest Corridor and if you're dropped off you're dropped off on site okay thank you if I can just follow up on that given that I believe Amry Street has been identified as a street suitable for vertical speed control measures um and speed HPS specifically I'm wondering was a raised crosswalk investigated here we had not looked at adding a raise crosswalk in this location shown um some of the constraints are the there is an existing driveway curb cut right there um we had reviewed the layout of this Crossing with BTD a few times earlier on in the design process um but we stuck with what was noted in the board approval memo and just adding the cement concrete islands that with vertical Granite curbing got it okay um and I'll just add too that on the other side of the the roadway is very narrow here um there's a lot of walkways and things like that from the existing houses and entry points that we are constrained um by the limits of the sidewalk on the Eastern side of Amry Street one thing we to Pro it though as we increase the size of the median after feedback from disabilities um so it's actually as as large 6 ft now whereas today it's just plastic pylons that are I don't know 4 and a half or something so it's a true Refuge spot now yeah no I I appreciate that and as I'm looking at this on street view it's a extremely constrained uh spot with curve cuts on both sides that would likely make a race Crossing difficult to to implement here so I think this feels like a a good uh way to improve the safety of the existing crosswalk and accessibility of the existing crosswalk um and uh certainly the city will follow on uh in its speed H hump program with some additional speed control measures this is Den go ahead yeah this is Denise from W and store um yeah Maddie I was just curious where you were on the site plan process so that had been submitted Denise with those additional documents the commission requested um I think about a week and a half ago okay they I'll send up a follow uh up email uh between new business and public he if we have additional comments okay great thank you thanks all right uh pic staff or members of the public I think we're all set for now okay um question sorry uh I was just remembering one other uh issue here so um there has been uh there has been some in in in over the last couple of years um this as I was looking at this corner in street view I was like wait a second we've had some we had some other issues here so um there have been several reports of uh Street flooding uh located uh right at this intersection here with two 266 Amry where this crosswalk is located um and so I'm I'm actually G to put Denise a little bit on the spot here but if there's anyone in the project team with insights on this uh we did get a number of complaints from folks uh living in that Residential Building directly across the street here about persistent Street flooding so I just want to make sure that while we're out here planning construction and changes to the to the street here that there isn't some outstanding un addressed uh grading or other uh drainage work that needs to be done here I'd hate to see us construct a brand new median and then have to a brand new Refuge then have to rip it up to address flooding issues um so if if anyone has knowledge or information about that on the call certainly happy to hear it now otherwise I would say like can we go back and just make sure there's nothing going on here so I know that within the last month Water and Sewer had subcontractors out there digging up adding dry Wells and tying back in to this the drain I mean it's true there there was a substantial flooding issue on big storms but they were doing excessive amounts of work I believe they corrected the situation completely um cuz they were they were using our site as lay down for their dry Wells they were taking deliveries there in crushed stone you know and obviously we were happy to see it as well so I believe they either added two or three large dry Wells and then had overflows back up the street on ay into the storm drain um you know I was just watching the work you know and talking to the the the contractors but it seemed like a substantial amount of underground work that was done got it so I think my ask would then uh I'm glad to hear that I think my ask would just be um if the proponent can uh coordinate with water and sewer to just make sure that uh there aren't any outstanding issues and just to uh if there is future work plan water ensure that the timing of all of this is uh aligned and um and considered uh you know so just a conversation it's the only request cool any other comments from uh Commissioners I see staff members of the public all set all right will you be ready for your new business or your public Hearing in two weeks on September 26 we will be thank you excellent thank you so much we'll see you [Music] then thank you and on to our last item uh new business number two 716 Columbus AV Venton Street Rocky specific repair is on a petition by nor Eastern University the proponents please introduce themselves their affiliations and give us an overview of what's being proposed thank you good morning Commissioners my name is Victoria abina I'm associate vice president for campus planning and design at North Eastern I'm joined today by John toin BP of city and Community engagement and Michael Glover BP and Senior council at nor Eastern as well as our project team and Consultants Joe Connelly and brick latini from harinstein Hudson who will share a detailed project overview so why we're here today uh we're here to cover a large project mitigation measures for substantial renovation at 716 Columbus Avenue which is our Administrative Building in rockberry neighborhood uh the project proposed renovation of portions of the basement and then first second and fourth floor um work totaling about 34,000 Square ft the renovation is limited to Interior Renovations and will accommodate the mail center to accommodate broader receiving and delivery needs uh the work presented today to the commission is our project mitigation work to improve Street conditions along Benton Street and work scope was established in partnership with various City departments and I wanted to thank City staff for their professionalism and guidance throughout the process so I'll hand it over to Joe and uh to describe the Benton Street project in more detail and I'll be available to answer any questions thank you Soria um so to continue uh nor Eastern's male Services building being renovated uh is located specifically between Burke Street benam Street lus Avenue and Tremont Street um so over the past few months we've coordinated closely with City staff to create a design that satisfied most comments and concerns uh to the greatest extent practicable um early discussions with the planning department revolved mostly around creating a comprehensive design to ensure that uh nail delivery drivers would no longer park on the adjacent sidewalk and add the combination sidewalk pump out and striping uh to formalize the chicane that's created by the spe the specified loading zone um additional conversations with planning pip staff disability BPD and others resulted in the addition of a raised Crossing uh at the North End of Benton Street that would maintain the distant curve line on both sides uh the street lighting division of public works also provided a preferred proposed fighting layout for which we settled on the addition of seven new poles and handholds uh as well as conduit within the reconstructed sidewalk along the southwest side of Bon Street um signage will be updated along most of the streets to reflect the change of parking loading designated areas um given the limited sidewalk width uh there's no real opportunity for landscape elements to be included uh but we did include a section of structural foil shown here uh beneath the proposed pump out and Jason sidewalk for existing trees located uh at the back of sidewalk to be able to expand the root structure or possibly provide suitable base material should a street tree ever be proposed in the future at this location uh but for now we have proposed two B racks in this location as shown um all sidewalks shown along out left side of Penton Street and at either end of GRA Crossing will be reconstructed based on to the stand standards and curves will be reset to provide over to further discourage delivery drivers from parking on the sidewalk U this alley curve cut will be converted to an atrate Crossing based on the city's standard residential driveway opening detail uh while removing the existing carbing Beyond these Granite Corners uh this was not best item plant submitted with our Engineering Fort but was always the intent uh and it will be reflected when we my plan approved um so with that I will open up to any questions Commissioners questions right hearing none tiic staff are members of the public I think we're all set on this great excellent well I appreciate the team working so closely with the city departments on the uh improvements here um will you be ready for your public Hearing in two weeks on September 26 definitely excellent all right well thank you very much and we will see you back then great thanks everybody all right well with that we have reached the end of our very brief agenda for this morning um do I hear a motion to I'll make a motion to adjourn second all in favor I I all right see you all in two weeks thank you very much thank you thank you thank you e