The future of Boston’s waterfront became brighter with the recent court decision that found that the downtown Municipal Harbor Plan (MHP) failed to protect the public’s interest and people’s ability to meaningfully access and engage with the waterfront. 

Last week’s ruling by Superior Court Judge Brian Davis found that the permissions granted to  certain developers related to zoning requirements and allowed the right to build a 600 foot tower directly on the waterfront are null and void. In his decision, Judge Davis said the state ignored decades-old rules governing public waterfront access in their approval of Boston’s MHP, and that developers like the Chiofaro Company are now in violation and cannot move forward.

This is quite a historic feat, but unfortunately we cannot celebrate too soon.  Our state legislature can “fix” this problem for Chiofaro and others. 

We need your help preventing that from happening: Boston’s elected officials need to hear from you directly. Tell them that Chiofaro’s plan should be withdrawn immediately and that you oppose a quick fix which would allow a 600 foot skyscraper to be built near our waterfront. The judge’s ruling demonstrates that it was wrong to authorize massive development at the expense of the public interest in a resilient, accessible, and inclusive waterfront and offers us a rare chance to get it right. 

The downtown waterfront is a public good, a shared civic space that must be shaped through a robust public engagement process that is informed by the principles of accessibility, inclusivity, climate resiliency, and people-centric placemaking. As the post-pandemic “new normal” begins to emerge and as we make progress on combating shared challenges like climate change and inequality, Boston has an opportunity to rebuild its city in a new way and leave behind a status quo and development process that left far too many people and places behind far too often. 

We believe in Boston and its people. We continue to reject the false premise that a luxury tower is the only way to replace an undeniably ugly garage and reclaim this special civic space for the public good. The recent court ruling and the ongoing Design & Use Standards process exemplifies the need to speak up against a massive development that will prevent a resilient, accessible and inclusive downtown waterfront for all. 

Please make your voice heard by submitting a comment in your own words to help Save Boston’s Waterfront and using the #DowntownWaterfrontForAll hashtag on social media!