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Hanover Street Piazza Bid has Legs
Plan Would Close Route to Traffic
By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff | September 2, 2006
A Boston city councilor, backed by tourism officials and the mayor, wants to convert the North End's famous Hanover Street into an Italian piazza, with strolling violinists, artist stalls and waiters with Valpolicella and espressos scurrying to customers at tables in the middle of the street.
Councilor Salvatore LaMattina , who represents the neighborhood, said he wants to test the idea, starting next spring, by blocking out traffic only on weekends during the summer months. Eventually, he wants to seal off the street permanently and convert it to a public gathering place.
``I picture a little music, like they do in Venice," LaMattina said.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino is supporting the proposal and envisions summer dances with accordion players and perhaps space where local artists could show their work.
``There's great possibilities," he said. ``Just think about what you could do."
Part of the appeal of closing the street to traffic, officials said, is that would help the city capitalize on one of its best tourist draws. The 5.8 million tourists estimated to visit the North End each year could grow significantly if the street were turned over to pedestrians, the officials said.
``When word gets out about it, that's going to become a reason to go to Boston," said Patrick B. Moscaritolo , president and CEO Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The proposal would also be a way to deal with persistent problems in the North End, where noise and exhaust spew from the daily crush of traffic along the street as visitors on foot jam the sidewalks. Closing the street to cars would additionally mean easier access by street sweepers, which are often stymied by motorists who refuse to give up rare-curbside spaces. Public works officials rejoiced a few years ago when parking was banned during the Democratic National Convention, with the commissioner gushing, ``I can finally get a gutter to clean!"
``What I noticed this summer, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights, it's so congested, you can't walk on the sidewalk," LaMattina said.
Still, some residents and business owners said they were concerned about increased traffic on residential side streets, difficulties getting supplies delivered to businesses in the closed-off area, and the vanquishing of valets that serve Hanover Street restaurants.
Frank DiPasquale , who runs the neighborhood business association, says he worries that upscale customers won't want to walk several blocks from their cars, especially in bad weather.
``Those are the people we want coming in here," said DiPasquale, who owns five restaurants in the North End, including Il Panino Express and Bricco on Hanover Street. ``There's going to be major issues."
LaMattina said he is putting together a task force to help address the concerns, with representatives from business and neighborhood groups, the mayor's office , and the transportation and police departments. He hopes to have the first weekend closure next spring, roping off Hanover Street between Cross and Prince streets from Friday afternoons to Sunday nights. If the experiment goes well, Menino and other officials will consider closing it permanently.
As part of the plan, cooperative, centralized pickup and drop-off points for valets and taxi cabs could be installed on Cross Street, city officials said. And deliveries could be allowed to the closed-off area during certain hours, most likely in the morning. In the end, LaMattina said, he expects business owners and residents to enjoy the piazza as much as, and perhaps more than, tourists.
``In Italy, residents go out to the piazza and have coffee with their neighbors and friends," LaMattina said.
The idea was popular yesterday among many old-time North Enders, people such as 83-year-old John Rosato and his friends, who for years have created a makeshift piazza a block away on Parmenter Street outside Polcari's Coffee. Rosato can be found nearly everyday except Sundays in his lawn chair on the pavement, talking about neighborhood goings on, waving at passersby and greeting his friends with double-cheek kisses.
``If they can have gardens next to City Hall, why can't we have a piazza, like in Italy?" said Rosato, who said he would gladly move his lawn chair to the piazza. ``It'd be good scenery."
Longtime resident and business owner, Joanne Prevost-Anzalone, said she would welcome the European ambience, and if the delivery concerns were worked out, she would have coffee on the piazza every day. ``I'd be right there, right in the middle of it," she said.
As traffic came to a near standstill on Hanover Street shortly after noon yesterday, car horns rang out and the smell of exhaust wafted across the sidewalk, where Pasquale Giliberti was smoking a Marlboro and speaking in Italian with a friend from East Boston.
``It should have been done years ago, what he is talking about," Giliberti said of the piazza proposal, waving his hands for emphasis. ``Why should people have to go to a foreign country (for a piazza)? Why they can't enjoy every weekend?"
There is one problem, Giliberti said: LaMattina referenced Venice when talking about the piazza.
``The people from Naples, they will be against it; the people from Sicily, they will be against it," Giliberti said. ``That's the Italian way. He should say only Italy."
Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com.
? Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.[/b]
Plan Would Close Route to Traffic
By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff | September 2, 2006
A Boston city councilor, backed by tourism officials and the mayor, wants to convert the North End's famous Hanover Street into an Italian piazza, with strolling violinists, artist stalls and waiters with Valpolicella and espressos scurrying to customers at tables in the middle of the street.
Councilor Salvatore LaMattina , who represents the neighborhood, said he wants to test the idea, starting next spring, by blocking out traffic only on weekends during the summer months. Eventually, he wants to seal off the street permanently and convert it to a public gathering place.
``I picture a little music, like they do in Venice," LaMattina said.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino is supporting the proposal and envisions summer dances with accordion players and perhaps space where local artists could show their work.
``There's great possibilities," he said. ``Just think about what you could do."
Part of the appeal of closing the street to traffic, officials said, is that would help the city capitalize on one of its best tourist draws. The 5.8 million tourists estimated to visit the North End each year could grow significantly if the street were turned over to pedestrians, the officials said.
``When word gets out about it, that's going to become a reason to go to Boston," said Patrick B. Moscaritolo , president and CEO Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The proposal would also be a way to deal with persistent problems in the North End, where noise and exhaust spew from the daily crush of traffic along the street as visitors on foot jam the sidewalks. Closing the street to cars would additionally mean easier access by street sweepers, which are often stymied by motorists who refuse to give up rare-curbside spaces. Public works officials rejoiced a few years ago when parking was banned during the Democratic National Convention, with the commissioner gushing, ``I can finally get a gutter to clean!"
``What I noticed this summer, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights, it's so congested, you can't walk on the sidewalk," LaMattina said.
Still, some residents and business owners said they were concerned about increased traffic on residential side streets, difficulties getting supplies delivered to businesses in the closed-off area, and the vanquishing of valets that serve Hanover Street restaurants.
Frank DiPasquale , who runs the neighborhood business association, says he worries that upscale customers won't want to walk several blocks from their cars, especially in bad weather.
``Those are the people we want coming in here," said DiPasquale, who owns five restaurants in the North End, including Il Panino Express and Bricco on Hanover Street. ``There's going to be major issues."
LaMattina said he is putting together a task force to help address the concerns, with representatives from business and neighborhood groups, the mayor's office , and the transportation and police departments. He hopes to have the first weekend closure next spring, roping off Hanover Street between Cross and Prince streets from Friday afternoons to Sunday nights. If the experiment goes well, Menino and other officials will consider closing it permanently.
As part of the plan, cooperative, centralized pickup and drop-off points for valets and taxi cabs could be installed on Cross Street, city officials said. And deliveries could be allowed to the closed-off area during certain hours, most likely in the morning. In the end, LaMattina said, he expects business owners and residents to enjoy the piazza as much as, and perhaps more than, tourists.
``In Italy, residents go out to the piazza and have coffee with their neighbors and friends," LaMattina said.
The idea was popular yesterday among many old-time North Enders, people such as 83-year-old John Rosato and his friends, who for years have created a makeshift piazza a block away on Parmenter Street outside Polcari's Coffee. Rosato can be found nearly everyday except Sundays in his lawn chair on the pavement, talking about neighborhood goings on, waving at passersby and greeting his friends with double-cheek kisses.
``If they can have gardens next to City Hall, why can't we have a piazza, like in Italy?" said Rosato, who said he would gladly move his lawn chair to the piazza. ``It'd be good scenery."
Longtime resident and business owner, Joanne Prevost-Anzalone, said she would welcome the European ambience, and if the delivery concerns were worked out, she would have coffee on the piazza every day. ``I'd be right there, right in the middle of it," she said.
As traffic came to a near standstill on Hanover Street shortly after noon yesterday, car horns rang out and the smell of exhaust wafted across the sidewalk, where Pasquale Giliberti was smoking a Marlboro and speaking in Italian with a friend from East Boston.
``It should have been done years ago, what he is talking about," Giliberti said of the piazza proposal, waving his hands for emphasis. ``Why should people have to go to a foreign country (for a piazza)? Why they can't enjoy every weekend?"
There is one problem, Giliberti said: LaMattina referenced Venice when talking about the piazza.
``The people from Naples, they will be against it; the people from Sicily, they will be against it," Giliberti said. ``That's the Italian way. He should say only Italy."
Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com.
? Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.[/b]
