In his inaugural speech, City Mayor Thomas M. Menino suggested developing a "biotech corridor" here on Melnea Cass Boulevard, connecting the Longwood Medical area and Boston Medical Center. Carol Brennan, spokesperson for the mayor, tells GlobeSt.com that at this point the idea is just a vision but the city owns several parcels along the corridor—which are currently empty--and will be looking to put those out to bid shortly.
A group of local residents headed by city councilor Chuck Turner and Representative Gloria Fox oppose the idea and held a rally here stating that there needs to be more public input into any additional development in this neighborhood.
But Brennan insists that there has been significant public input into developing the area. "The Roxbury master plan has had 30 or 40 community meetings," she says. "The administration feels differently than Councilor Turner and his friends."
Turner acknowledges the public input into the master plan for the neighborhood but that input, he tells GlobeSt.com, has not been about planning for the corridor in a "detailed" way. "There has been a general reaction to concepts," he says. "There has been discussion about biotech in a general way but we haven't really explored job creation. Its been cursory at best. We want an in-depth exploration of businesses that could benefit the community."
Turner points to a study that was done nearly ten years ago in relation to the development of Biotech Square here in which it was indicated that those types of companies had few opportunities for people without college degrees. "People here are being driven out because they can't afford to live here," he notes. "The last thing we need are buildings with companies that won't hire locally. Let's create jobs that benefit the majority of the community."
But Brennan says a biomedical corridor would bring in a customer base and develop an industry to service those customers. Turner, though, is skeptical about employees of the biotech medical research industry using local services. "They will build cafeterias in the buildings," he says.
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