because they incorrectly claim the review process for the 10,000 (ten thousand!) unit development has not been "inclusive"...not for any actual reasonThe Boston-based group Lawyers for Civil Rights on Monday filed an administrative complaint to federal housing authorities, alleging the city’s development-review process for the expansive Suffolk Downs proposal has not been accessible to non-English speakers.
horrible if true...thank Og it's not
A BPDA spokeswoman said the agency became aware of the complaint on Monday and is reviewing it, but stressed that the agency “has prioritized creating a public process for the Suffolk Downs proposal that is inclusive for all.” Each BPDA public meeting for Suffolk Downs has included Spanish-language translation, and there have been two meetings exclusively in Spanish, the agency said. Numerous project documents are also available in both English and Spanish.
For its part, Boston-based HYM Investment Group, which owns and has proposed the development at Suffolk Downs, says that inclusion guides its vision for the site and the entire mission of the company.
The Suffolk Downs project website is translated into Spanish, and the development team has done interviews in Spanish-language radio outlets and advertised in Spanish-language newspapers, the company says.
“Over the course of the last two years, in partnership with the Boston Planning and Development Agency and Revere city officials, we have gone above and beyond the typical public planning process to ensure that planning for the future of Suffolk Downs is open and accessible to all,” said Thomas O’Brien, founding partner and managing director of HYM Investment Group, in a statement.
“To say that the Suffolk Downs planning process has not been an inclusive and conscious one, guided by the community, is contrary to our company’s vision and values. ... At a time when we are facing a housing crisis, it is unfortunate that anyone would want to hold up progress on this creation of much-needed housing, which will strengthen the communities of Revere and East Boston without displacing a single resident," he added.
