A New Year, A New City.
How to navigate what 2021 has in store for us. Or at the very least… January.
WELL. Happy New Year everyone. It’s already been a doozy, huh? Since the last time you heard from Artist Impact, it feels as though simultaneously everything and nothing has changed. While we’ve all been relatively holed up in our homes, ever more so now that winter has arrived, the world around us has taken odd turns (see: nosedives) into places we could have never expected. With every glimmer of hope comes a descent into dissension, through a political landscape that we have never traversed, and it’s only getting weirder.
One of the only things that we can be certain about is; Whatever world we re-emerge into post-vaccine is going to look a LOT different than how it did a year ago. The city we once knew will be given an involuntary facelift, and while that is a pretty overwhelming thought, the planar shift ahead offers us that many more opportunities to influence these inevitable changes. If you’ve read any of our past articles, I think you know where I’m going with this first one…
THE ALLSTON CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEETING IS A WEEK FROM TODAY.
Do you live in Allston? Cool. Just go. It’s 6pm-8pm on Wednesday, January 20th. It’s a Zoom meeting. The link and agenda will be posted here this week. Do you not live in Allston? Also cool. Whatever neighborhood you yield from, There’s an improvement association of some kind that is holding monthly zoom meetings, and they’re generally not hard to find or attend. Especially now that these meetings are happening digitally, just tuning in as a fly on the wall is super easy and low-pressure. These meetings are the filters through which every one of these upcoming changes will be sifted. Being able to comment publicly about them is your right as a resident, and believe it or not, people really genuinely do want to hear what you have to say. Anything from large developments, to small business permitting, from park use, to parking use, all has to be brought before the community and voted on. It frequently only takes a few votes for or against something to decide what happens, so if you want to bring up an issue you have with something happening in your area, the likelihood of someone else in that room having the same issue is pretty high! Your voice can change the tone of the entire room, and community support is everything. I know it’s a bit nerve-wracking, but you got this. I believe in you.
BUT WAIT. THAT’S NOT ALL.
The monthly ACA meetings are a great way to stay informed about the neighborhood as a whole, and that’s typically where we find out about a lot of the local happenings. However, most large projects have to undergo an extensive review process as required by Article 80, which the public is also encouraged to participate in, whether it’s being a part of an Impact Advisory Group or simply showing up for the public hearings. There are some additional meetings coming up that you may be interested in:
- 1/19–180 Western Ave Harvard Task Force Meeting
- 1/21–119 Braintree St. Development IAG/Public hearing
- 1/26 — Ringer Park Redesign Meeting #2 (particularly cool if you want to be a part of the redesign yourself. It seems as though there are a lot of opportunities within this project)
This Calendar is also a great place to check in and look ahead to see what’s next on the city’s agenda. Who knows what’s going to pop up in your back yard!
Next week, we’re going to look a bit further ahead than January as it’s Biden’s Big Day, and if this script gets any more predictable, probably another insurrection or two. So while we can breathe a brief collective sigh of relief with this much-needed taste of blue, clearly we still have a lot of work to do. Until then, Da ba dee, Da ba daa!
Written by Nick Grieco
