May 19, 2022

Calculating the Value: Development vs. Waterfront Access

“The public has a right to know how much value developers are truly gaining when they depart from waterfront rules,” said Deanna Moran, CLF Director of Environmental Planning. “This calculator allows us to put a dollar value on the replacement public benefits offered by developers for the first time. This increased transparency will allow residents and regulators alike to better evaluate new waterfront projects and understand the tradeoffs at play.”  

Jun 28, 2021

Conjunto de Herramientas de Coloca Una Manta

Este conjunto de herramientas te brinda los recursos para ayudarte a organizar una reunión pública de Coloca una Manta, desde las listas de control hasta las invitaciones de muestra y los comunicados de prensa.

Jun 28, 2021

Pitch-a-Blanket Toolkit

This toolkit provides you with resources to help you organize a public Pitch-a-Blanket gathering, from checklists to sample invitations and press releases.

Apr 02, 2021

Judge Throws Out Downtown Boston Harbor Development Plan

“Public access to Boston’s beautiful waterfront won today,” said Peter Shelley, Senior Counsel at CLF. “State officials acted unlawfully in coming up with the Downtown Municipal Harbor Plan and handed private developers a free pass to create new rules to benefit themselves. The judge saw right through this effort and affirmed that only the state’s Department of Environmental Protection can make decisions that protect the public’s centuries-old right to access the water and waterfront.”

Oct 14, 2020

Are Private Developers a Threat to the People’s Harbor?

Private developers deliberately obscure the lines between public and private space along Boston’s waterfront – with the goal to make the general public feel unwelcome – even though we all have the legal right to access much of our waterfront lands. It’s time for private developers to become part of the solution to create a vibrant and welcoming Boston Harbor for all.

Jul 09, 2020

Why Is It Harder for Some Communities to Access the Waterfront?

Communities of color and those with low incomes not only deserve to enjoy waterfront open spaces for recreation and exercise – it’s also their right by law. And yet, through neglect and outright refusal by corporate interests, too many do not have the chance to run, walk, or even stretch near the water. We can and must do better.

Riverfront Walkway at the Encore Casino
Oct 18, 2019

A Win for Public Access to the Waterfront

“It is unacceptable that this plan allows developers to buy their way out of regulations they don’t like,” said Peter Shelley, Senior Counsel at CLF. “The public’s right to access the waterfront has been guaranteed for generations, and officials have singlehandedly undermined that right. The municipal harbor planning process is broken, and we’re looking forward to proving it in court.”

Sep 11, 2019

Public Rights Violated on Boston’s Waterfront… Again

On a recent visit to the Battery Wharf in the North End, we found some of the most egregious violations of the public’s rights to access and enjoy the waterfront that we’ve ever seen. Battery Wharf has not only privatized spaces that belong to the public, it has capitalized on them, charging high-end rental fees for areas that are supposed to be available to the public 24 hours a day, free of charge.