General Membership Meeting – March 3, 2025

  • President and Host: Bill Walczak
  • Vice President: Eileen Boyle
  • IT Manager: Taufiq Dhanani
  • Treasurer: Des Rohan
  • Corresponding Secretary: Elizabeth Doyle
  • Minutes: Doreen Miller
  • Special Guests: Nicholas Ariniello (Assessing Commissioner), Tran Vu and Theresa Tran (Vietnam Diaspora Memorial presenters)
  • Number in attendance: 25 (in person); 33 (on zoom)

Police Report (Officer Keaney)

  • 02/07, 8:15 PM, 1015 Dorchester Avenue, a report of a multi-car accident. A car traveling at high speed hit 4 cars. The suspect fled but was captured and returned to the scene. A 27-year-old Newton man was arrested for OUI.
  • 02/08, 1:39 AM, Shots were fired on Pleasant and Pearl Streets. The shooter fled on foot and lost his black and white sandals. Bullets struck a vehicle.
  • 02/19, Southie Drug Control pursued a car out of Southie and stopped it near Savin Hill Avenue and Grampian Way. Two bags of crack cocaine were found, and the driver was arrested for being in possession of a class B substance.
  • 02/26. 3:15 PM, The CIT team arrested a person for shoplifting at the Walgreens at 1100 Dorchester Avenue and local CVS stores. While they were there a blue Toyota Corolla that was stolen hours earlier pulled into the lot. A woman was arrested and charged with being in receipt of a stolen vehicle.
  • If you have any questions or problems to report, call 617-343-4524,
  • Question from a member:
    • Are there any plans for the coming summer months when problems generally tick upwards?
      • Not in detail, but there will be a focus on patrolling problem areas such as the beach, Harborview Street, and Buttonwood Street.

Administrative Business – The February meeting minutes were approved.

Nicholas Ariniello (Assessing Department Commissioner) – Updates on Property Bills and Assessments

  • Nicholas introduced himself and gave a brief overview of his background: 5 years as the commissioner and 19 years in the assessing department.
  • Members wanted to know
    • How homes are assessed,
    • Why Savin Hill property values have gone up far more than those in other part of the city. Savin Hill home assessments rose on average 14% whereas other parts of the city rose only 5%, and
    • Why there was such a discrepancy in reevaluation with some home values seeing major increases, others saw reductions, and others virtually no change.
  • Nicholas claimed that assessment values are determined by:
    • The fair market value as of January 1, 2024, sales records of similar homes in the area
    • The type of home being assessed: 1- vs. 2-, vs. 3-family homes, for which there are different demands and desirability on the market
    • The condition of the home based on the property record card, which lists things like:
      • The condition of the property
      • The square footage of the property and living space
      • The number of bedrooms and baths, etc. Each type of room is given a monetary value.
    • The building permits pulled and follow-up inspections that have been conducted
  • He claims that the department follows state law in reviewing sale prices and discards outliers for all sales – whether too high or too low from the equation.
  • Evaluations are not based on development potential, i.e. a single family being torn down to erect multi-family buildings.
  • He encourages homeowners to call and request a copy of their Property Tax Card for fiscal year 2025. The number is: 617-635-4287.
    • The Property Tax Card lists all components and condition of the home.
    • You can also see some of that data online on the city site: boston.gov/assessing
  • Questions and Comments from members include:
    • Some felt that Nick’s explanations did not explain the unusual and wild assessment swings we witnessed in our immediate area. He said these could be due to:
      • Bad data, which is why homeowners were encouraged to file for an abatement – although that deadline has passed.
      • Outside developers being probably a factor in driving up values especially in Dorchester where a lot of development is taking place.
      • LLC’s speculating and buying up properties that cause house prices to rise as well.
    • Can the department share the statistical distribution of percentage changes in home values? – The department does not track that.
    • Members requested data for assessed values in the Ward 13 area for single family homes. It should be plotted on an axis to be able to see anomalies more easily. Nick said he would share this data for us to review.
    • Some would like to see the data on all the percent changes to all properties in Dorchester.
    • In the past, home values were determined based on recent sales of three comparable houses. Does this still occur? – No. It is only done when an abatement application is received.
    • How many abatement applications have been received this year? Approximately 3,000.
    • Why does the land value and its taxation per square foot vary so much within an area? – It depends on:
      • The lot size
      • Whether the lot is buildable or not (although someone commented that all lot sizes seem to be buildable according to the rubber-stamping of projects by the ZBA)
      • Whether the lot is level or on a grade
      • Other things “more complex than can be explained.”
    • People remarked that home values continue to rise:
      • Mostly due to speculation
      • Because the ZBA approves everything
    • There is a real problem with people living here vs. people selling here.
    • Rising home values and property taxes result in:
      • Rising rents
      • People being priced out
    • Other comments include:
      • The assessments are made using a bad data model.
      • Luxury condo development leads to gentrification.
      • There should be a discount in property taxes based on longevity in the home.
      • Property taxes are a de facto tax on unrealized capital gains – the most regressive and punitive form of taxes out there.

A Vietnamese Diaspora Commemoration Initiative (Tran Vu, Theresa Tran)

  • Tran Vu presented their concept for a Diaspora Memorial art piece for the Little Saigon District.
  • The process and community engagement for this installation began in 2021.
  • Two possible locations depending on city approval are:
    • Town Field, Fields Corner (preferred)
    • Hero’s Square
  • It is backed by 9 coalition partners and 5 funding partners, with more outreach being conducted to secure more funding from other organizations.
  • It is a project to collect and preserve personal narrative related to the displacement, survival, and resilience of Vietnamese families and individuals of the diaspora via a public art installation.
  • Their goal is a temporary installation in 2025 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war.
  • The Why
    • Pay homage to families and communities impacted by the Vietnam War.
    • Address healing, grief, and intergenerational trauma and build on-going engagement.
    • Be intentional in cultivating, collecting, and centering community voices for all phases of the project.
    • Be a countervailing corrective to the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in place-making public art in Boston and beyond.
  • The How
    • Stages one and two, which include researching, building coalitions, and cultivating support, as well as conceptualizing, designing, and creating a 3D model have been completed.
    • They are currently in stage three: Getting Permits to implement the project.
    • Stage four focuses on ongoing and future maintenance and sustainability.
  • Please consider signing their petition in support of placing this in Town Field.
  • For more information:
  • Question
    • How much space will it take up?
      • The size and placement are still being discussed.
      • It is meant to be an addition to the park and not take current resources away.
      • Its goal is to be visible and accessible to the community.
  • They will be looking for a letter of support from the association. They will return with the finalized plan, at which time member will take a vote.

Government Affairs Committee – GAC (Jake)

  • Jake presented the committee’s conceptualization for the development of Glover’s Corner, which consists of about 20 acres of buildable land owned by the city.
  • He gave a quick recap of the history of potential development for the area, emphasizing:
    • The city has no current plans
    • The old plan was generic with no green space and was abandoned by the city.
    • We would like to see a smart plan for development that:
      • Creates a sense of place and fits in with the surrounding neighborhoods’ style.
      • Contains real green space such as a park. Wide roads with trees are unacceptable.
  • Ideas for Glover’s Corner include:
    • Being developed as a residential neighborhood with commercial space along Dorchester Ave.
    • Imagining a community of row houses or triple deckers with basement units and ADUs with sensible density based on future infrastructure.
    • Encouraging families to live in the area with a mixture of price points and, if appropriate, a school.
    • Envisioning green space and a new park at the center of the community.
    • Connection to the waterfront and McConnell Park.
  • Requests of the City of Boston
    • Zoning in compliance with our vision for Glover’s Corner.
    • Where appropriate, incentives to enable a new kind of community (much like our existing communities) in Glover’s Corner
    • Advocacy at the state level for more frequent Red Line trains and extended hours
    • Reasonable pricing on public land to enable smaller builders
    • ZBA compliance with zoning
  • Arguments against overly dense, Dot Block style development
    • Traffic currently overwhelms Glover’s Corner without additional residents.
    • MBTA trains are too infrequent and operational hours too limited to substantially reduce car usage by future residents.
    • MBTA funding is precarious with no concrete plans to improve Red Line timing and hours based on the area’s growth.
    • There is no comprehensive planning for basic water, electricity, and other impacts.
  • Questions and Comments
    • How would you connect this area to McConnell Park given the expressway?
      • The original plan for the area included a walkway over the expressway for connection.
    • Frank Baker said that there is potential for a bike/walking path next to the T line. It should be made part of the plan.
    • It is important to create walkable communities. We have the opportunity to create real neighborhoods with humane density.
    • Plans should be consistent with our goal of enforcing the zoning laws. We want residential development, not overdevelopment.
    • What is the long-term funding for this area?
      • We could use help in this regard, especially with legal advice.
      • If you are or know someone who could help, come to the next GAC meeting.
    • Renderings and visuals will be forthcoming at a future meeting.
    • Once a plan is in place, the committee plans on connecting with other associations and community groups in the area for support.

Planning Committee Projects (Kristine Hoag)

  • 67-71 Sydney Street: The proposal is to tear down two single-family homes and replace them with two 3-family structures with a shared driveway access to six parking spaces on a combined lot. There was a December 16 abutters’ meeting.
  • 29-33 Romsey Street: Plans have been updated whereby 35 units have been reduced to 22 rentals and 7 town houses with 11 parking spots. A public meeting is to be announced.

Community Benefits Committee – CBC (Don Walsh)

  • BPDA will be meeting with regards to the change in fiscal agent mentioned in the MOU to the Boys’ and Girls’ Club.
  • Updates will be provided as soon as we have them.

Events Committee (Michelle Miller)

  • The deadline for the city Love Your Block clean-up was Monday, 3/3.
  • Savin Hill Clean-up, 4/26
    • Areas to be cleaned are Savin Hill Park and Patten’s Cove.
    • Please consider helping keep our neighborhood clean.
  • Surfrider Beach Clean-up is June 7
  • The Mothers’ Group Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for Sunday, April 13. Details are forthcoming.

Other Business

  • This year’s Mayoral and City Council elections
    • Questionnaires are being sent to mayoral candidates for them to provide us with their positions on various issues important to our community.
    • Candidates will be invited (most likely separately) to speak at a future meeting. Based on their responses, 4-5 questions will be chosen for an in-person discussion and Q&A at this meeting.
  • Upcoming CSHCA elections for Officers and Positions on the Executive Board
    • A slate of candidates needs to be created by a temporary Nomination Committee between now and the May meeting for a membership vote.
    • The role of the Nomination Committee is to:
      • Collect names of interested candidates, and create the slate for Officers and Positions on the Executive Board, which includes:
        • President
        • Vice President
        • IT Manager
        • Treasurer
        • Corresponding Secretary
        • Recording Secretary
        • Five at-large positions
      • Run the election in May.
    • Anyone running for a position is not eligible to be on the committee.
    • Familiarity with the By-Laws is a plus.
    • No one volunteered to be on the nomination committee.
    • Please consider being on this important committee.
  • There are rumors that there are plans to make the billboard at Savin Hill Station a digital board.
  • UMassBoston is creating a survey, which will be forthcoming to residents, to gather ideas on a vision for the city.
  • People are encouraged to look up and watch the documentary: “Citizen Jane: Battle for the City”
Trending now
General Membership Meeting – April 7, 2025Monday, September 14 – General Membership MeetingMcConnell Playground ImprovementsMorrissey Boulevard Redesign Meeting Today
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.