"The zoning recommendations plus the eminent domain threat creates a disincentive to develop something far more viable and economically feasible," Jethro Heiko, director of community organization for the Fenway Community Development Corp., tells GlobeSt.com. The Fenway CDC has been a strong critic of the new ballpark project and has been advocating instead for an urban village to be built on the 15-acre site.

Some members of the task force disagreed with the inclusion, indicating that there was no need to mention the ballpark while others were concerned that the ballpark would impact affordable housing development. The zoning recommendations, which divide West Fenway into four districts, include incentives for developers to build affordable housing. Local activists are calling for a forum to review the proposals, but the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which did not return calls by presstime, reportedly stated that there would not be another community forum. The BRA prepared the recommendations.

According to Heiko, a community meeting is a reasonable request. "The community might do it as a public statement," he says.

In another twist, the zoning recommendations, by permitting larger development projects, further increase the value of the land the Red Sox need to acquire to build a new Fenway. That will raise the land costs of the ballpark project, which is already running into financing difficulties.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.

Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.