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Residents and owners urge council to protect Nubian Square legacy businesses as budget cuts bite
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Summary
Public commenters and councilors at the April 30 hearing urged the city to support struggling legacy businesses in Nubian Square, citing opioid‑related public‑space problems, a shrinking number of Black‑owned stores and the need to restore legacy business awards or find alternative funding.
Residents and small‑business owners used public testimony at the April 30 hearing to press the City Council and administration for urgent support for Nubian Square and other neighborhood commercial corridors.
Antonia Edwards, who identified herself as a legacy Nubian Square resident, described what she called a deteriorating neighborhood environment and a shrinking set of Black‑owned businesses: "We are overrun by the opioid crisis... There is nothing in Nubian Square that reflects our culture," she said, and she specifically urged support for local firms including Bridal Touch and Frugal Bookstore.
Business owners and advocates at the hearing urged restoring the legacy business awards program (the panel said the legacy awards program was cut by about $1,000,000) and better targeting the city’s commercial vacancy tool. EOI staff said a vacancy mapping pilot was run in Nubian Square and will be further piloted before a broader roll‑out.
Echoing neighborhood requests, a small‑business owner testified that Boston’s programs provide access but that execution and consistency are uneven. "When there are inconsistencies in delivery ... it reduces trust and limits the impact of otherwise strong initiatives," Erin Ashley Bailey said.
Panelists committed to follow up with councilors on neighborhood plans, the vacancy‑tool pilot results and options for supporting legacy businesses, including potential philanthropic partnerships or scaled program models if operating funds are not available.
What happens next: councilors signaled interest in exploring models to sustain recognition of legacy businesses (smaller awards, philanthropic matches or pared‑down neighborhood allocations) and asked staff to provide detailed plans for Nubian Square task‑force work and vacancy‑tool findings.
