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Roslindale Coalition tells council Main Streets outreach failed; asks whether relocation dollars exist for displaced businesses
Summary
A Roslindale Coalition representative told the committee that outreach to small business owners during the Squares and Streets rezoning was insufficient, that language access was poor, and that at least four owners said they plan to leave the square. She asked whether the OEOI budget includes funds to help businesses relocate.
During the public‑testimony portion of the Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means hearing April 29, Lori Radwin of the Roslindale Coalition urged OEOI and city planning offices to intervene for small businesses affected by the Squares and Streets rezoning.
Radwin said the Roslindale Coalition represents about 800 members and affiliates, with about 20–25% of those members owning small businesses in Roslindale Square. She told the committee that outreach and translation were inadequate during rezoning and that many small owners had little time or information to respond.
Why it matters: Community representatives said zoning and redevelopment decisions that proceed without effective outreach and supports can push long‑standing neighborhood businesses out of their locations, eroding local character and jobs.
What Radwin told councilors
Radwin said the Planning Department’s business inventory list contained only 21 entries for a square with “more than 200 businesses,” and that some owners on Corinth and Birch streets reported receiving no outreach from the Planning Department as recently as March 2025. She said the final zoning plan was released two days before the Boston Planning & Development Agency vote and left business owners insufficient time to respond.
Radwin also described language‑access failures: owners with limited English proficiency, particularly Mandarin and Vietnamese speakers, received no translated materials or targeted events despite requests for such outreach. She said the Roslindale Coalition’s surveys (in English and Spanish) found that 33% of respondents identified as Latino/Latina and 50% as immigrants and that the feedback did not support proposed height or public‑realm changes.
Radwin said four owners told her they plan to leave the square because they felt unheard; three of those four are immigrants. She asked the committee whether the OEOI budget includes any funds to help owners relocate, citing one example in which OEOI helped obtain legal funds for a business owner but the owner was displaced nonetheless.
Response and next steps
Committee members acknowledged the testimony and the need for tighter coordination among OEOI, Planning, and neighborhood Main Streets programs to prevent displacement and to provide relocation or stabilization assistance when appropriate. OEOI representatives who presented earlier in the hearing described Main Streets seed funding and technical‑assistance programs; Radwin asked specifically whether relocation dollars are available in the current budget.
What was not decided
No formal action was taken during the hearing. Radwin’s request is part of the record for the committee’s budget deliberations; councilors and OEOI staff indicated follow‑up would be possible through committee channels.
Quotes
"Only 21 out of more than 200 businesses in the square represented in the planning department's inventory database," Lori Radwin told the committee, characterizing outreach as insufficient.
Ending
Radwin’s testimony was recorded during the committee’s public‑comment period; the committee asked OEOI staff to follow up on neighborhood‑level needs and to provide committee members with additional information during the budget review process.
(Reporting note: this article summarizes public testimony delivered April 29, 2025 to the Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means.)
