Public Improvement Commission meeting

With the ongoing public health concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Public Improvement Commission (PIC) will be taking the following temporary steps to promote social distancing and to comply with federal, state, and local directives:

• The PIC hearing scheduled for April 9 has been canceled.
• The PIC hearing scheduled for March 26 will be held as scheduled with the following changes to the physical location of hearing participants:
  • Commissioners/City support staff: City Hall room 801 (typical hearing room)
  • Presenters/project team members: City Hall room 900 (BPDA Board Room)
  • Members of the public: 26 Court Street, 1st floor (Winter Chambers)
• Other future PIC hearings will tentatively be held as scheduled.  PIC staff will be present during hearings at all three aforementioned locations until further notice.
• Hearing participants at all three locations will be digitally connected, per the City’s Department of Innovation & Technology.
• For those members of the public who are unable to attend the proceedings in person at 26 Court Street, all hearings will continue to be televised and may also be viewed online via Boston TV: boston.gov/departments/broadband-and-cable/watch-boston-city-tv.
• Written testimony for all agenda items will continue to be accepted via email; testimony should be directed to PIC@boston.gov.
• A project may be considered eligible for a New Business agenda only if a 100% complete submission package (three sets of full-size PIC plans, one copy of everything else) is delivered to the PIC office by 4:00 PM on the Thursday prior to the target PIC hearing.  Incomplete and/or piecemeal submissions will not be placed on a hearing agenda.  For additional information on submission requirements, please reference the relevant PIC procedural checklist(s) found online: boston.gov/PIC#related-documents.
• In addition to the typical hard-copy submission, a prospective New Business project is also required to submit a digital copy of all submission requirements to PIC@boston.gov.
• All dissemination of PIC plans to Public Agency and Utility Company reviewers should be done via email; certified mailings are not necessary.
• PIC staff will not be accepting in-person meetings except for extreme circumstances; consultation via conference call will be available on Mondays and Thursdays.  Conference calls should be scheduled in advance via email.
• PIC staff will continue to be available via email during normal business hours.

These practices should be considered in effect immediately and will remain in effect until further notice by PIC staff.  Updates to these practices will be posted as appropriate. Please feel free to contact PIC@boston.gov should you have any questions. 

Hearing Minutes

• At the request of the Public Improvement Commission staff, the Acceptance of the Minutes of the PIC hearing held on March 12, 2020

Public Hearing Continued

• On a petition by TC Systems Inc. for a Grant of Location with lead company status and no participants to install new telecommunication conduit with City shadow within the following public ways in Dorchester:

• Blue Hill Avenue – generally between Havelock Street and Wilcock Street;

• Havelock Street – southwest of Blue Hill Avenue.

(NB 1/30/2020; PH 2/13/2020; PHC 2/27/2020, 3/12/2020) As shown on a plan entitled “City of Boston Public Works Department, Engineering Division, Grant of Location Plan, Proposed Conduit Placement, Blue Hill Avenue at Havelock Street, City of Boston,” 1 sheet dated January 23, 2019.

On a petition by Linear Retail Properties LLC for the making of Specific Repairs within the following public ways in East Boston, consisting of curb realignment, sidewalk reconstruction, as well as new and relocated pedestrian ramps, specialty pavement, street lights, street trees, irrigation infrastructure, stormdrain infrastructure, bike racks, and driveway curb cuts:

• Chelsea Street – on its southeasterly side at address no. 9, northeast of Maverick Street;

• Maverick Street – on its northeasterly side at address nos. 144-148, southeast of Chelsea Street;

• Bremen Street – on its northwesterly side generally northeast of Maverick Street.

(NB 2/27/2020; PH 3/12/2020) As shown on a set of plans entitled “City of Boston Public Works Department, Engineering Division, Specific Repair Plan, 9 Chelsea Street, 144, 146, & 148 Maverick Street, and Bremen Street, Boston,” 3 sheets dated February, 2020.

On a petition by Linear Retail Properties LLC for the granting of a Projection License for the installation of canopies over portions of the following public ways in East Boston:

• Chelsea Street – on its southeasterly side at address no. 9, northeast of Maverick Street;

• Maverick Street – on its northeasterly side at address nos. 144-148, southeast of Chelsea Street.

(NB 2/27/2020; PH 3/12/2020) As shown on a plan entitled “City of Boston Public Works Department, Engineering Division, Projection License Plan, 9 Chelsea Street, 144, 146, & 148 Maverick Street, Boston,” 1 sheet dated February, 2020.

Public Hearing

On a petition by TC Systems Inc. for a Grant of Location with lead company status and no participants to install new telecommunication conduit with City shadow within the following public ways in Dorchester:

• Blue Hill Avenue – generally at Fremont Street/Regis Road;

• Fremont Street – generally from Blue Hill Avenue to a point southeast of Babson Street.

(NB 3/12/2020) As shown on a set of plans entitled “City of Boston Public Works Department, Engineering Division, Grant of Location Plan, Blue Hill Avenue at Fremont Street, City of Boston,” 4 sheets dated July 12, 2019.

On a joint petition by TC Systems Inc. and Comcast to Amend a Grant of Location to install new telecommunication fiber in existing conduit within Fremont Street (public way), Dorchester, located northwest of Babson Street.

(NB 3/12/2020) As shown on a set of plans entitled “City of Boston Public Works Department, Engineering Division, Amended Grant of Location Plan, Blue Hill Avenue at Fremont Street, City of Boston,” 4 sheets dated July 12, 2019.

On a petition by Cambridge Network Solutions for the Rental of City Shadow to install new telecommunication fiber in existing conduit within Summer Street (public way), Boston Proper, located generally between Hawley Street and Chauncy Street/Arch Street.

(NB 3/12/2020) As shown on a plan entitled “City of Boston Public Works Department, Engineering Division, Proposed City Shadow Lease, Summer St & Chauncy St, Boston,” 1 sheet dated January 27, 2020.

On a petition by Centercourt Partners LLC for the making of Specific Repairs within the following public ways in Boston Proper, consisting of curb, sidewalk, roadway, pedestrian ramp, and speed hump reconstruction:

• Derne Street – at address no. 20, between Temple Street and Ridgeway Lane;

• Temple Street – north of Derne Street.

(NB 3/12/2020) As shown on a plan entitled “City of Boston Public Works Department, Engineering Division, Specific Repairs Plan, 20 Derne Street, Public Way, Boston,” 1 sheet dated December, 2019.

New Business

• Hannon Street, Corbet Street, Nelson Street, Hopkins Street, Crowell Street, Capen Street, Dyer Street, Stanton Street, Thetford Avenue, Milton Avenue, Edson Street; Dorchester – Specific Repairs – On a petition by the City of Boston Transportation Department

• Norwell Street, Radcliffe Street, Elmont Street, Shafter Street, Carmen Street, Vassar Street, Ripley Road; Dorchester – Specific Repairs – On a petition by the City of Boston Transportation Department

• Northern Avenue, Pier 4 Boulevard; South Boston – Grant of Location – On a petition by Eversource Energy

• 400 Summer Street, Congress Street, Boston Wharf Road; Boston Proper – Pedestrian Easement, Specific Repairs, Private Utility License, Projection License – On a set of joint petitions by Seaport N/P Title Holder LLC and Seaport Square Development Company LLC 

• 37 North Beacon Street, Everett Street, Harvester Street; Brighton – Pedestrian Easement, Specific Repairs – On a set of petitions by Centercourt Partners LLC

• 5 Babson Street, Blue Hill Avenue; Boston Proper – Grant of Location – On a petition by Crown Castle Fiber

• 906 Albany Street, Dearborn Street; Roxbury – Grant of Location – On a petition by Crown Castle Fiber

• 650 East Fourth Street, I Street; South Boston – Grant of Location – On a petition by Crown Castle Fiber

• 35 Brookford Street; Dorchester – Grant of Location – On a petition by Crown Castle Fiber

• 20 Child Street, Carolina Avenue, South Street, Sedgwick Street; West Roxbury – Grant of Location – On a petition by Crown Castle Fiber

• 20 Armington Street, Brighton Avenue, Islington Street; Brighton – Grant of Location – On a petition by Crown Castle Fiber

• 302 Walnut Avenue; Roxbury – Grant of Location – On a petition by Crown Castle Fiber