Jul 12, 2022
“As we’ve been saying for years, the state’s MHP process is fundamentally flawed,” said Deanna Moran, Interim Vice President of Healthy and Resilient Communities at CLF. “The developer-driven Downtown MHP would have resulted in less public access to one of the city’s greatest treasures – Boston Harbor. Today’s ruling makes it clear that it’s time to center waterfront planning on public access and community input, not developer profits.”
Nov 23, 2021
“The public’s right to access the waterfront has been guaranteed for generations, and we must fight any attempts by unauthorized state officials to undermine it,” said Peter Shelley, Senior Counsel at CLF. “The politicized, developer-driven process that led to Boston’s harbor plan was fundamentally flawed. The lower court was correct to conclude that the state agencies did not have the authority to approve it. We’re confident the justices will uphold that decision to send Boston’s unlawful plan back to the drawing board.”
Sep 21, 2021
“Governor Baker’s comments regarding Boston’s Downtown Municipal Harbor Plan make little sense,” said CLF Senior Counsel Peter Shelley. “It is ironic that the governor won’t accept the City of Boston’s decision, since state officials have always touted the importance of local control in this planning process. The Superior Court made it clear: the Baker Administration’s process for handling municipal harbor plans violates state law. Governor Baker’s decision to ignore Mayor Janey’s request further politicizes what is already a deeply flawed process that puts developer interests ahead of public access rights and the environment.”
Aug 26, 2021
“Mayor Janey made the right decision today,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “Boston’s developer-driven MHP process is fundamentally flawed, and the Downtown MHP would have resulted in less public access to one of the city’s greatest treasures – Boston Harbor. It’s time to reform the planning processes for all waterfront neighborhoods to elevate the public’s voice and right to access the water. We look forward to working with the city to achieve this goal.”
Oct 18, 2019
“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.”
Dec 05, 2018
The Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act gives you the right to speak up, be heard, and shape the future of our waterfront interests. Specifically, the law creates a process that ensures members of the public can testify at a hearing on certain proposed waterfront projects or submit comments and concerns in writing. This guide will help… Continue reading People’s Guide to the Public Waterfront Act
Jul 17, 2018
If we’re not careful, Boston Harbor will be walled off to those of us who are not wealthy and powerful, even though we have laws and regulations put in place to protect us. Today, CLF is taking action to ensure that the city and state cannot get away with putting private developers’ interests ahead of the public when it comes to these precious public assets.
Jul 12, 2018
“This plan unlawfully puts the interests of developers ahead of the public’s rights on the waterfront,” said CLF President Bradley Campbell. “Approval of this plan not only violates decades-old laws governing the waterfront, but also sets a dangerous precedent by signaling to developers that they can buy their way out of rules that have balanced public and private development interests for years. The state must stop disregarding the public’s rights when it comes to waterfront development.”
Jun 21, 2018
“Both the public at large and the appeal of Boston’s waterfront come out ahead when waterfront plans include ample public spaces and impose reasonable limits to height and density, as current law requires,” said Bradley Campbell, president of Conservation Law Foundation. “In this plan, the city allowed the dictates of developers to trump the rules, and the state in turn blessed the city’s approach with tortured reasoning, justifications, and trade-offs that were never even part of the public process. CLF will ask the courts to declare this plan unlawful, and end the pattern and practice of shortchanging the public trust.”
