Pilot Program will provide another option for drivers on I-93 northbound in Boston who have a final destination of the Seaport in South Boston
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Transportation today announced that beginning Monday, October 15, 2018, all traffic will be able to use sections of the South Boston Bypass Road and a portion of the I-93 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV lane) in South Boston at all times for a 12-month period. This pilot program will provide another route option for drivers traveling inbound to the South Boston area from I-93 northbound and members of the public are advised that the South Boston Bypass Road can be accessed via Exit 18 on I-93. This pilot program is being launched following approval by the Massachusetts Environment Policy Act (MEPA) office which issued an Advisory Opinion at the request of MassDOT. The full traffic pattern changes that will be implemented 24/7 through this pilot program include allowing unrestricted eastbound travel on the South Boston Bypass Road between I-93 Frontage Road and Cypher Street/Richards Street and allowing unrestricted travel in both directions of the South Boston Bypass Road between Cypher Street/Richards Street and West Service Road. Additionally, access to the I-93 HOV lane from the following areas leading to Logan International Airport will also be unrestricted: the I-93 northbound mainline, I-93 northbound Frontage Road, and Kneeland Street/Lincoln Street.
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PEMBROKE – This weekend, thousands of South Shore high school seniors will toss their mortarboards in the air and go home with freshly minted diplomas, eager to chart their own paths. David Kingsley would love it if even just a few of them would come work for him. But Kingsley, the co-owner of a Pembroke waterproofing company, knows that the majority of this spring’s graduates will head off to four-year colleges in the fall, and many of those who don’t will likely be hired by other companies desperate for skilled, and even unskilled, workers as the region’s unemployment rate hovers below 3 percent. That’s because his is among the countless companies statewide now scrambling to find employees amid a skills shortage that has prompted tens of millions of dollars in state spending and has some calling on high schools to encourage students to consider vocational training and trade work as an alternative to four-year college degrees that are increasingly accompanied by crippling student debt. “We want to grow the company,” said Kingsley, who co-owns Watchman Waterproofing and has about 17 employees. “We want to expand, but we can’t because we just don’t have the help.” In the Boston area housing market, there’s no longer an upside to downsizing for many empty nesters.
LET ME FIRST APOLOGIZE for any part my wife and I may be playing in worsening the Massachusetts housing shortage. Our youngest child has a freshly minted college diploma and a job. That officially makes us empty nesters, although our golden doodle might object to the description. After more than 20 years at the same address in Plymouth, we’re theoretically in a position to downsize, to ditch the drudgery of yardwork and upkeep for a simpler life governed by condo association rules. We’ve built up a pile of equity. Our 120-year-old house sits on a corner lot in a “desirable” part of Plymouth, about two blocks off the ocean. It’s updated and spacious, ideal for a growing family stretching at the seams. HANOVER – Representatives from the South Shore Chamber of Commerce brought their vision of the region’s economic future to Hanover Wednesday night. Town officials and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership arranged the presentation so the chamber’s efforts to spur economic development could be discussed. The event was held at the John Curtis Free Library “Our entire 2030 South Shore economic plan looks at attracting more businesses and a broader mix of businesses than we’ve had in the past,” South Shore Chamber President and CEO Peter Forman said. “What we are looking at is: What does it take to attract those businesses?” Business leaders on the South Shore are starting to wage war on the big-lot zoning that’s so common in many of their towns.
The South Shore Chamber of Commerce Thursday issued a housing agenda aimed at building dense housing at or near train stations and ferry docks, retail centers, even underused office parks. Chamber chief executive Peter Forman tells me the organization needs to expand beyond its typical bread-and-butter work of hosting events and promoting commercial development. Getting more housing, particularly in walkable neighborhoods, is crucial to recruiting younger workers and keeping talented longtime residents around. Towns will suffer, Forman says, if they cling to the old way of doing business: the one-acre homes and the resistance to multifamily projects, particularly those that mean more kids. For Rockland Trust chief executive Chris Oddleifson, who is helping lead the chamber’s effort, the problem hit home last year when his bank (which sponsors this newsletter) was recruiting an executive from Texas for a key position who ended up walking away from the offer. The reason? The high cost of housing in the area. The chamber can’t change zoning rules, of course, and it’s not a housing developer. But the organization can champion policies at the State House, and individual projects back home. It’s one of the state’s biggest business groups. Its leaders have a loud voice, a voice they’re not afraid to use. Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com and on Twitter @jonchesto. By Jon Chesto, The Boston Globe Published on September 21, 2017 South Shore Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Peter Forman said the area has been ‘a bit behind’ other regions in finding ways to attract younger workers and families.The Chamber is releasing a “Housing 2017” report on Sept. 21. QUINCY – The South Shore is struggling to attract young professionals and young families, and the obstacles include a shortage of the kinds of housing they’re looking for, and not enough affordable places to live. That’s one of the main points of a “Housing 2017” report that’s being released Thursday morning by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. The report – part of the Chamber’s “South Shore 2030” study – will be shared with business leaders at a Chamber breakfast at Lombardo’s in Randolph. “The South Shore has a more serious challenge than other parts of the Boston area,” Chamber president and CEO Peter Forman said in a Patriot Ledger interview. “If the region is going to be serious about competing economically, we’ve got to be serious about what it takes to do that, and that includes housing.” When a roomful of developers and business owners gather to talk about shopping malls, you’d expect them to discuss changing shopper habits, and the comparative attractions of enclosed and open malls. And a group of 40 did Tuesday morning, Aug. 8 at the Doubletree Hilton hotel in Rockland during a South Shore Chamber of Commerce session on “The Future of Malls.” But they talked about other things even more – town zoning bylaws, malls as “destination places,” and the South Shore’s graying work force and shortage of affordable housing. South Shore Chamber president and CEO Peter Forman, mall developers and a couple of town planners agreed that all those issues are big parts of any effort to keep the area’s overall economy healthy and growing – not just the malls. “We may have a great market down here,” Forman said. “But if we’re 11th on the list of 10 (for development), we lose.” In December, the Chamber convened a 26-member Housing Working Group that includes Carl Nagy-Koechlin, Housing Solutions Executive Director. Chris Oddleifson, CEO at Rockland Trust is chairing the Working Group.
The Chamber recently published an economic development plan for the region, entitled South Shore 2030: Choosing our Future. The plan emphasized business and job growth, along with the revitalization of downtown business districts. It concluded that the region needs to attract people to the region who can fill new jobs, start new businesses and patronize local businesses. With an aging population and workforce, the Chamber – with research support from the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission – has concluded that the South Shore needs 40,000 new homes by 2030 if the region is to be economically viable and vibrant in the future. Based on anticipated demand from the targeted workforce population, these homes should include a mix of multi-family rental units, in addition to homeownership opportunities. So, housing is not just a basic human need, as affordable housing advocates have long asserted, it’s also an economic imperative for a region that aspires to prosper. “We need new homes that are affordable and attractive to a wide range of people,” says Nagy-Koechlin. “This includes families with kids, young professionals, lower wage workers, and seniors who can no longer mange or afford to maintain their single-family homes. It’s great to see consensus on this across the Working Group members.” The Chamber expects the Working Group report will be released in the fall, followed by a concerted effort to encourage town officials, legislators, developers, residents and others to support the development of the needed housing via zoning reforms, financing and collaboration to identify sites in the region that are suitable for housing development. Courtesy of: Housing Solutions for Southeastern Massachusetts Economic development and the need to attract and retain young business leaders and innovators to the South Shore and Commonwealth in general were on the table for discussion during a recent luncheon with U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D) hosted by The South Shore Chamber of Commerce.
Meeting with an audience of 60 Chamber leaders at Alba in Quincy, the senator spoke to the importance of job creation and economic growth during the June 2nd luncheon. Sen. Markey, a long-time advocate for increased corporate responsibility called for investing in small business to spur innovation and competition. Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch and Weymouth Mayor Robert Hedlund attended the event, during which Sen. Markey took questions from the audience. Gov. Baker announces South Shore Chamber as first business group to receive MHP Housing Hero Award5/17/2017 The South Shore Chamber of Commerce will be the first business organization to receive a Housing Hero Award from the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) in recognition of its leadership in promoting housing and economic development.
The announcement was delivered by Governor Charlie Baker during his remarks at a May 11th business breakfast before more than 550 South Shore business leaders, held at The Lantana in Randolph. The MHP is a quasi-public finance organization that annually recognizes groups and individuals for their work in helping to create housing and economic opportunity. The South Shore Chamber is being distinguished for its ‘South Shore 2030’ initiative, a multi-year effort dedicated to crafting a comprehensive economic and community development plan. The initiative is focused on bringing jobs to the region and addressing potential workforce shortages in key industries. Central to the effort is a 30-person housing working group that is expected to release a report this fall that will pinpoint how much and the type of housing the region needs to grow its economy. ‘We applaud the South Shore Chamber for dedicating its resources to building consensus on policies that will lead to greater opportunity for all South Shore residents and the entire region,’ said Governor Baker. Peter Forman, president and CEO of the Chamber said he and the entire South Shore Chamber of Commerce extend deepest appreciation ‘for the recognition from Governor Baker and the MHP about our perspective on housing and its relationship to our economy.’ The Chamber will be presented the award during the Housing Institute’s Awards Luncheon on June 8th, at the Devens Conference Center in Devens, MA. |
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