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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey is asking state officials to withdraw a plan to redevelop Boston's waterfront.
Janey said in a press conference Thursday afternoon that the plan, officially called the Downtown Waterfront District Municipal Harbor Plan, didn't take climate change or social justice into account. She cited a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as impacting her decision.
The plan would have redeveloped more than 40 acres of waterfront in downtown Boston, including turning a parking garage next to the New England Aquarium into a 600-foot tower, and placing a 300-foot tower at Hook Wharf.
"We have to act with urgency if we are serious about addressing this moment and fulfilling our obligations in a way that reflects our values," Janey said.
The plan was first approved under the Walsh Administration in 2017. The plan to build the towers and redevelop the land has been controversial, attracting a lawsuit from the Conservation Law Foundation that lead to a judge halting the plan this April.
A spokeswoman for the Chiofaro Company, which would be developing the tower to replace the Harbor Garage, said the company "Welcome[s] conversations with all who are interested in cooperating on a viable path to a more resilient, equitable, accessible and economically vibrant Downtown Waterfront."
The neighboring New England Aquarium applauded the mayor's move, saying the plan "never fully reflected community feedback."
Asked if she has the authority to make this decision as Acting Mayor, Janey replied, "I just did."
WBZ's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports:
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Written by Chaiel Schaffel