SAVE BECKLER AVENUE

Dear South Boston community members,

We need your help! The residents of Beckler Avenue are currently fighting to save Beckler Avenue from becoming an access road for private for-profit tenant parking spots on East Fifth Street.

Beckler Avenue is a quaint, dead-end street, located off of tree-lined K Street, where neighborhood children gather to play wiffle ball and street hockey, learn how to ride bikes and ride scooters away from the busy South Boston streets. It is home to the beloved annual Beckler Halloween Block Party where thousands of neighborhood children come each year to trick-or-treat and take in all the Beckler Avenue Halloween decorations and excitement.

Imagine South Boston without Beckler Avenue Halloween???

A developer who owns properties on East Fifth Street has obtained approval from the Boston Zoning Board of Appeals to construct a driveway at the end of Beckler Avenue for private off-street parking spaces for his multi-family rental units on East Fifth Street. A private parking lot with a single point access through the end of Beckler Avenue would permanently alter the street’s historical neighborhood character.

With at least 6 cars entering and exiting the rear of an East Fifth Street multi-rental unit through Beckler Avenue:

• Beckler Avenue Halloween would be permanently canceled due to grave safety risks posed by vehicles entering/exiting East Fifth Street parking lot while children are congregated at night time.

• Neighborhood children would no longer be able safely play on the street because of the significant increase of vehicle trips up and down the length of Beckler Ave.

• Increased safety risks for K Street pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic due to cars reversing out of Beckler and onto K street after being met head-on by a car exiting the East Fifth Street parking lot.

• Increased traffic build-up due to vehicles reversing out of Beckler Avenue Avenue to allow for exiting East Fifth Street vehicles which could delay K Street fire truck response times.

Increased safety risk for pedestrian access through alleyways parallel to K Street due to low visibility for entering/ exiting East Fifth Street vehicles.

• Historic character of Beckler Avenue as a quaint, dead end street, where neighbors gather, would be permanently changed to a high traffic access road for off-street rental unit parking for surrounding streets.

While on-street parking in South Boston is undoubtedly scarce, 6 off-street parking spots exclusively for the use of a developer’s tenants would not benefit neighborhood residents in any meaningful way because the K Street area is so densely populated and so many visitors park on these streets to access East Broadway businesses. In other words, 6 fewer cars on the streets surrounding K Street would not provide any noticeable parking relief to our community.

Our online petition to save Beckler Avenue gathered more than 1,000 signatures in opposition of the developer’s petition. And, South Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn voted against the construction of this driveway at the hearing.

Unfortunately, the ZBA did not even consider the 1,000+ residents in opposition and in an unusual departure from ZBA hearing norms, the Board Chair refused to hear testimony from abutters signed up in advance to speak in opposition at the hearing.

Now, in order to save Beckler Avenue, we must appeal the ZBA’s decision to the Massachusetts Superior Court where the minimum cost of the appeal is $12,500.00. The residents of Beckler Avenue are seeking this community’s help to raise funds to overturn the ZBA’s approval in order to preserve Beckler Avenue for the use and benefit of the South Boston neighborhood children and to keep Beckler Avenue and K Street pedestrians and vehicles safe.

Any donation helps. None is too small. Our current goal is $15,000. Any funds raised in excess of $15,000 will be set up in a fund and used exclusively for the Annual Beckler Avenue Halloween Block Party.

Thank you for your support,

Residents of Beckler Avenue