The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association (HPNA) met on Sept. 3. Its two main appointments concerned the proposed rezoning of the community’s residential areas, and an approved development in Canton that may have an environmental impact on the neighborhood.

The Planning Department’s Neighborhood Housing rezoning initiative has been underway in the city – specifically Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury – since early 2024.

Its stated goals are to create and apply new zoning districts to simply and effectively bring the city’s existing housing stock into zoning compliance (currently, about 98 percent of it isn’t), and to relax zoning requirements for the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Since first proposed, the zoning’s allowance for exterior property improvements (e.g., porches and dormers) without the need for relief (AKA zoning variances) has been well-received. However, its allowance for additional living units (ADUs) as-of-right has been met with a mixed response.

Those who have expressed ADU enthusiasm have focused on the possibility of being able to more easily add an interior, attached, or free-standing in-law apartment (or two) to their properties. Those who have expressed concern have concentrated on the potential for the new zones to be exploited to the detriment of the residential areas where they would be applied, which – in the cases of Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury – would be nearly everywhere.

The draft zoning maps for the three neighborhoods were released for public review in mid-July and, at Thursday’s meeting, members of the Planning Department’s zoning reform team explained the initiative and the new districts, while also engaging in a Q&A limited by time.

The handful who commented fell on the side of concern, expressing thoughts on tree canopy protection/preservation, the method of determining and mapping the districts’ proposed locations, and the inconstant nature of the Zoning Board of Appeal’s decision-making process were all talking points. Beyond that, people were continuing to familiarize themselves with a topic that lends itself to complexity – a point driven home when the meeting had adjourned and a small group gathered around the front table for a closer look at the draft zoning map and to continue asking questions.

The initiative’s comment period for all three neighborhoods goes until Oct. 31, and next Tuesday, Sept. 15, there will be a virtual public meeting from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. On Thursday, it was also announced that the Allston-Brighton Community Plan map will be presented then.

To register for the meeting and to access a copy of the Neighborhood Housing draft zoning amendment and any of the three neighborhoods’ draft zoning maps, and to comment on them and view the schedule of upcoming office hours, visit www.bostonplans.org/neighborhood-housing. To contact the Neighborhood Housing team, send an email to nbhdzoning@boston.gov.

The other appointment centered on a project just outside the neighborhood and the city.

Canton borders Hyde Park at Fowl Meadow, a state-designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), and according to presenter Courtney Wason – one of a coalition of residential abutters opposed to the project – the town-approved Green Lane Subdivision falls within it.

The site is comprised of two wooded lots (70 Green Ln. and 90 Green St.) with two homes. However, if built as approved, the combined 22 acres would become a subdivision of 11 houses, and Wason put forward that the increased impervious surfaces – combined with extensive tree removal – could heighten the flood risk in the Neponset River Basin, impacting Hyde Park.

Wason also noted that the project’s approval has been appealed, triggering a review by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office that includes the submission of public comments, which she suggested to the 25 or so in the room as an option moving forward.

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HPNA President Mimi Turchinetz asked that more project information be submitted. There are, however, some plans available at www.town.canton.ma.us/334/Planning. The MEPA comment period has not yet opened for the review, but Wason noted that there had been an intent to file on Sept. 2. To check on that, visit https://gvimes.link/mepacmmntprd

In other Hyde Park news:

Little Haiti International Cuisine (1184 Hyde Park Ave.) – outside which a melee erupted just after midnight on Aug. 3 that resulted in five people shot, one killed, another stabbed, and others assaulted – reopened on the weekend of Aug. 21 for restaurant service up until 9:30 p.m.

Little Haiti had voluntarily closed since the incident and – after a Licensing Board hearing on Aug. 13 and a vote on Aug. 18 – it was determined that the closure would count as its served suspension. Its live entertainment license has been suspended for at least 90 days, and the Board will have to approve its security plan before it will be allowed to reopen for late night business.

Upcoming Dates:

On Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building (1179 River St.), there will be a community-led meeting regarding the Planning Department’s Squares + Streets (S+S) rezoning of Cleary Square. Since its draft map was released in March, there has been much back-and-forth between the neighborhood and City Hall, and this will shed some light on that progress.

On Saturday, Sept. 19, two fun activities will be going on during the day:

The Annual Fairmount Hill Yard Sale will be scattered throughout the streets leading up from Truman Highway, providing finds, deals, and unintended purchases for those passing through.

Also, the Family Dance Party – coordinated by the Mayor’s Offices of Neighborhood Services; Arts and Culture; Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment; and the Parks Department – will be happening from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Ross Field (145 Westminster St.). All ages are welcome, and so, in the words of Young MC, Bust a Move.

The HPNA meets next on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Municipal Building/BCYF. For more information, email hydeparkneighbors@gmail.com.