Support the Future of Franklin Park- Shattuck Campus Planning Meeting

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On Tuesday, June 25th at 6:30, the third and final Shattuck Campus Planning Community meeting will be held at the Golf course Clubhouse, and we encourage Franklin Park Coalition members and park neighbors to attend. The Shattuck Campus is a 13-acre site that was transferred in the 1950s, from the City’s park to the Commonwealth, to build a hospital. Due to the deteriorating condition of the hospital building, it will be moving to a new building the Commonwealth purchased from Boston Medical Center in the South End. Current vendors, exclusively providing substance use recovery and shelter services, were not given space in the new facility. A planning process to determine the best public health use of the property began in 2018.

Design & Program Development Requests & Feedback

We hope that any future users of the site feel welcome in the park. As participants in the Shattuck Campus Planning Community Advisory Board over the past year, the Franklin Park Coalition has sought creativity in the redesign and a focus on the public health benefit of urban parks. The plan at this stage is vague, which has impeded our ability to give detailed feedback prior to this final meeting. We are encouraged by the agreement to prioritize green design and participate in a further development review process (Article 80).  However, on the program side, we seek more information to avoid any potential impacts on the park. Given the campus’ remote location and our City’s complicated experience with concentrating recovery services, we request a full review of best practices for addictions services programs design. We also suggest that community members ask for the following ten items be included in the Plan and subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP):

Download a Handout of these questions and background info to bring to the meeting (PDF).

1. Increase continuity and connection between the park and campus, and coordinate closely with the City of Boston’s upcoming Franklin Park Master Planning effort.
2. Preference for as much open space as possible, by increasing potential building density (vs. sprawl/ parking lots), providing conservation easements or returning land where possible to the park- and determining this amount before issue an RFP.
3. As a good park neighbor, establish a high standard for site maintenance that creates and sustains a park-like environment where the park and site meet. During any construction, avoid disrupting park use.
4. Shift all vehicle access from the interior of the park to a new Morton Street vehicle entrance.
5. Increase the frequency of transit and shuttles. Improve the safety of bus stops, bike paths, and pedestrian routes.
6. Lease to supportive housing and public health vendors that benefit a diverse range of issues and bring people together in this space, as currently occurs at the Shattuck Hospital.
7. Create park amenities on the campus to leverage its unique public health benefits for both campus users and the general public (visitor center, exercise equipment, playgrounds, etc.).
8. Offer workforce development programming that connects to the special park environment and encourages supportive housing residents’ connection to the community.
9. Maintain Dept. of Public Health police and security presence on the campus for new vendors.
10. Maintain the outpatient/temporary (i.e., methadone clinics) vs. inpatient (i.e., supportive housing/detox) ratios of the current Shattuck Hospital services, with a priority for inpatient services.

Invitation Details:

The Commonwealth, with a consultant team and community input, is engaging in a visioning or planning process – through June 2019 — to make recommendations for the future use of the Campus. Franklin Park Coalition is a member of the Advisory Board on this process. The next community meeting is at at the Golf Clubhouse in Franklin Park. Doors open at 5:45 pm and dinner is provided. A Spanish interpreter will be provided for the meeting. Written materials will be available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.

You can find the slide presentation from Community Meeting 1 & 2 and additional background information about the planning process on www.mass.gov/shattuckcampusplanning.