BPDA to hold Special Board Meeting for Suffolk Downs Redevelopment on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 5:30 p.m.

Sep 23, 2020

Simultaneous interpretation services will be provided in Spanish and Arabic

The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) will hold a virtual Special BPDA Board Meeting on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 5:30 PM to consider the Master Plan for Planned Development Area No. 124, Suffolk Downs Redevelopment located at 525 McClellan Highway in East Boston, and the five associated Development Plans related to the proposed project, and to consider the Proposed Project as a Development Impact Project (DIP).

The proposed project will be the only item on the Board agenda, and will include a public hearing, allowing ample time for community members to participate and for the development team and BPDA staff members to respond to questions from the community and BPDA Board members.

The public hearing will be held via Zoom and simultaneous interpretation services will be provided in Spanish and Arabic. Instructions on how to access the interpretation services will be available at the beginning of the Board Meeting. This will be the first BPDA Board Meeting simultaneously translated into both Spanish and Arabic.

As with all BPDA Board Meetings, it will be broadcast live on Boston City TV (Xfinity Channel 24, RCN Channel 13, and Verizon Fios Channel 1962) and Boston.gov.

Members of the public will have two options to participate in the virtual public hearing:

• Providing testimony live during the Board Meeting by registering here prior to the meeting: bit.ly/31SSsGk. You must register through this link in order to provide testimony live during the meeting.
• Emailing testimony to [email protected]. Members of the public are encouraged to submit their testimony by 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 24.

Those with questions about how to testify at Thursday’s public hearing can call 617-918-4475.

The Special BPDA Board Meeting comes after a comprehensive community process over the past three years, including nearly thirty public meetings alongside the community, elected officials and local stakeholders. The BPDA has worked closely with the development team to create an inclusive and accessible public process and provide Spanish language interpretation at all BPDA public meetings for the proposal and translate meeting materials and project filings. This summer, the BPDA also held three, virtual public meetings that included simultaneous Spanish and Arabic translation.

This engagement has led to an updated proposal that better represents the needs of the surrounding neighborhood, including more affordable units, better transportation infrastructure, and improved open space and parks. More information on the proposed project can be found on the BPDA website, here.