Boston YIMBY groups

Reznor

Active Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2011
Messages
304
Reaction score
6
I know there's an active group in Cambridge (ABC - A Better Cambridge) as well as YIMBY groups in JP and Somerville. Is anyone actively involved in the local YIMBY community?

As a South End resident, I'd love to get involved (or start?) a local YIMBY group. Any insight from the board is much appreciated.
 
it's time to start one.

maybe call it dubya dubya dubya UrbanizeBoston

since Joe Larkin has LetBostonRise
 
Part of the reason Boston doesn't have YIMBY groups at the moment is that the city is spending less time listening to NIMBY groups.

Another change: During the Menino administration, neighborhood civic associations could count on City Hall to quash developments they didn’t like. “That doesn’t happen anymore, either,” Walsh says. This change is particularly surprising because Walsh cut his political teeth as the head of his neighborhood association. He says he’s serious about Boston getting 53,000 new units of housing by 2030. If a plan looks good to his team, has a strong affordability component, and enjoys the support of abutters, he says, it is likely to get the nod even if the neighborhood association opposes it.

from http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine...tten-myself/1s12EpEXiBCLfYGtytBmRJ/story.html

The city has decided that a lady living in Cleveland Circle should not be able to weigh in on a project in Allston Village. Going ultralocal has traditionally been viewed as being anti-development, hence pushing affordable housing at the state and national levels. But Boston hit on something interesting, the current housing shortages have meant that many people who live next door and across the street from potential developments are in favor of them.

There is a place for some YIMBY groups, but they aren't needed as heavily as in SF.
 
Gotcha. We'll see what happens in November. Tito has some momentum. If Walsh loses this fall, YIMBYs may become essential in debate.
 
Gotcha. We'll see what happens in November. Tito has some momentum. If Walsh loses this fall, YIMBYs may become essential in debate.

I'd be VERY surprised if Tito takes town Marty. Maybe if Marty gets indicted... maybe.
 
I think Walsh will take it handily, but, if for some reason he doesn't, it ironically could be due to his lack of pandering to the neighborhood groups. Let's face it, Menino knew how to get elected.

I think YIMBY groups are needed regardless of the election's outcome: the local groups' ridiculous response to 115 Winthrop Sq. is evidence of that. Those opponents need to know there is indeed a large local support base for that tower...and right now, save for the "astroturf" Let Boston Rise campaign, YIMBY's have not mobilized. I think something akin to the ABC group in Cambridge is needed for downtown Boston.
 
I agree. I think YIMBY groups can have a lot of influence in the zoning process/community feedback forums.

Also - some neighborhood groups have more influence (Back Bay, North End and Beacon Hill) than others. YIMBY groups could push back against some of their more extreme anti-density complaints.

I'm interested in forming one for Boston (downtown core). Let me know if you'd like to join and reach out to ABC.
 
I agree. I think YIMBY groups can have a lot of influence in the zoning process/community feedback forums.

Also - some neighborhood groups have more influence (Back Bay, North End and Beacon Hill) than others. YIMBY groups could push back against some of their more extreme anti-density complaints.

I'm interested in forming one for Boston (downtown core). Let me know if you'd like to join and reach out to ABC.

Really appreciate your spirit, and am potentially interested, but are you concerned that the group will have little impact if members don't live in "downtown core"?

I mean, I am a Boston resident/homeowner/taxpayer...but live in Brighton.

Isn't a key issue that YIMBIES who aren't near-neighbors are discounted by these elite neighborhood groups because they claim we have little skin the game?

But this is a beautiful conundrum: our city's core is so exclusionary/elitist/housing starved that many of us couldn't live there if we wanted to!

I guess my question is: who should be in the group in order for it to have biggest impact? Maybe there can be "members" and "supporting allies", or something, as membership tiers? As much as it's great to have "supporting allies," I fear the group will have minimal leverage without a substantive core of neighborhood-residing members.

Yet - there is the taxpayer aspect. If I pay Boston city real estate tax, shouldn't I get a say about projects that affect the tax base and/or provide funds to the city?

So many questions to ponder...
 
I think regardless of which neighborhood you have a voice. Obviously being local gives more clout. I'm pretty sure Brighton has its fair share of NIMBYs. I'm happy to discuss offline. In the meantime, there's an upcoming ABC meet up in a couple weeks.

http://www.abettercambridge.org/yimby_meetup_8_11_17

Related to this, why does everything in Allston have to presented at both ACA and BAIA? Allston-Brighton has a similar land area and population as Somerville. There is no reason for there to be a neighborhood association that handles such a large area. I think having 4 neighborhood associations would make more sense, (1) A/B south of the pike, (2) Allston north of the pike (3) Oak Square/Brighton Center, (4) Cleveland Circle/Aberdeen.
 
Nimby's are dishonest, selfish people who believe it's their calling to maintain Boston as a small enclave for the benefit of a chosen few. i can't argue with the idea of allowing residents some time to make legitimate concerns and improve projects with good ideas and positive input drawn from people who know the neighborhood.

Beyond that, what good do these groups really do–except cost the City billions in lost tax revenue, stick us with too many squat highrises, brownstones of stunted scale, VE'd crap architecture, and ultimately, a City few people can afford w/ lousy transit, lousy schools, increasing homelessness and fewer opportunities for the less affluent to move forward?

Bring good planning, and stay the course. Mix in some bold planning and stay the course.The impacts of projects are implicitly obvious; Planners seek to put land not efficiently in use, to less-inefficient use.

Some people manage to come from far and wide and find their way first by living with relatives, working, and getting some public assistance. For others, a chronic shortage of housing construction has become a type of economic crime waged on the young and less affluent. Confined to limited spaces and economic opportunities; people leave–never to return. Such is living and growing up the metro of Boston.
 

Back
Top