John Rosenthal gives back: shuts off complaints by Boston resident

The Fenway Center mixed-use project is enormous. When completed, it will include, “200 apartments in a pair of seven-story buildings at Brookline Avenue and Beacon Street, a 700-space garage over the Turnpike and a new Yawkey Station. Later phases are expected to include 370,000 square feet of office space and 90,000 square feet of retail space,” according to the Boston Herald.

And most of it will be built over the Massachusetts Turnpike. Which has raised concerns on one local resident that the construction may harm people’s health.

You’ll remember that there was concern over similar plans to build the Columbus Center project, a couple years ago. Opponents to the plan were unhappy that the developer had requested partial public financing for the project (something I didn’t support, either).

Edward Flaherty, II, a South End resident (and Columbus Center neighbor – across the street), argued against it based on his belief that building it would cause irreparable harm to people’s health due to the unleashing of deadly toxins into the air.

According to the Boston Herald:

“The proposal to build workplaces and homes at a toxic air site (over the Turnpike) threatens workers and residents with higher rates of birth defects, cancer” and earlier deaths, Flaherty said.

John Rosenthal, developer of the site, will hear nothing of it.

There is no basis whatsoever to these claims,” he said. “Our documents show that Fenway Center not only complies with the state and federal air standards for air quality, it exceeds them. Ned is acting alone and misrepresenting facts and unnecessarily inflaming fears that are unfounded.”

John Rosenthal is a smart cookie. He’s fighting the claim full-force. He goes so far as to question Mr Flaherty’s motives:

Rosenthal said Flaherty’s appeal could be in response to the fact that the activist was rejected for a position at the Newton-based development company. “Ned sent me a letter suggesting he could help me through the permitting process and when we spoke he asked for a job,” Rosenthal recalled. “I said no.”

I’ve learned never to question someone’s motives. Regardless, we’ve been down this route before. I expect nothing will come from this complaint.

Build at will, Mr Rosenthal!

Photo courtesy developer by way of the Boston Herald

Related posts:

1. Columbus Center project goes down for the count
2. Let him build! Beacon Hill resident wants a home to live in
3. 100 new units of housing on tap for Boston Medical Center & South End
4. Columbus Center project is officially dead; the last word is mine
5. Developer: development always needs a public subsidy