News From Senator Joyce

For Immediate Release: June 18, 2001
Further Information: Marie Blanchard (617) 722-1643

 SENATOR JOYCE ANNOUNCES ARBORWAY AGREEMENT

Senator Brian A. Joyce today announced that an agreement has been reached on the future of the Arborway Yard facility in Jamaica Plain.

The agreement, which was announced Thursday afternoon at Arborway Yard, is the culmination of three years of work between local legislators, the MBTA, the city, and concerned residents and neighborhood groups over a 1998 proposal to build a functioning bus maintenance facility in Arborway Yard.

The final agreement states that no more than 118 buses can be garaged and maintained in the Arborway Transit Facility and that all buses housed in the Yard will be alternatively-fueled. Originally, the MBTA planned to station 180 diesel buses in the facility. The MBTA has also agreed not to do any work at the Yard between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and to include sound barriers in the design of the facility to protect residents from light and noise pollution. Additionally, it was decided not to create any commuter parking in order to preserve the current parking spaces for existing businesses and residences.

The agreement also includes the transfer of 8.5 acres of MBTA land to the city for community use such as low-income housing or a youth recreational field and another 9 acres to connect Franklin Park and the Arnold Arboretum at the Arborway that will provide green space for the community.

"I cannot stress enough how pleased I am with how far we’ve come since I organized the first Arborway Yard community meeting over three years ago," said Senator Joyce. "Given the complex set of interests that initially surrounded this project, I am delighted that the community’s collective voice was heard and their concerns addressed."

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