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Artists Protest Fort Point Channel Plan

BOSTON-Artists in the Fort Point Channel district here ban together to protest the redevelopment of this area. The group objects to the lack of parks planned and rising rents.

By Naomi Grossman | Updated on May 16, 2001

BOSTON-A grass roots movement–comprised mainly of local artists–is banning together here to protest the redevelopment plans for this district. Chief among the complaints is the fact that sidewalks and streets fulfill the developer’s requirement to provide a certain amount of “open space.”

The master plan to redevelop the waterfront in south Boston states that 50% of the land must be left as open space. According to state law, 25% of that space can be roads and sidewalks rather than lawns and parks. The Boston Redevelopment Authority has reduced that number to 20%, but local residents are not satisfied. To demonstrate their opposition a group of local artists covered a sidewalk on the Summer Street Bridge with 5,000 sf of sod.

The Fort Point Channel district was once a haven for local artists, but recent new developments and rising rents are forcing them out. Reportedly, artists recently held 600,000 sf of loft space in the district, but that number has dwindled to 250,000 and continues to spiral downward.

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