Welcome to Spontaneous Conversations, a weekly thread to allow members of this subreddit to discuss topics not necessarily related to Jamaica Plain.

Get to know your neighbors, have fun, be polite!

Hi! How is the parking situation for periods of a few days? Would you say spot angels is accurate or no? Thank you!

Welcome to Spontaneous Conversations, a weekly thread to allow members of this subreddit to discuss topics not necessarily related to Jamaica Plain.

Get to know your neighbors, have fun, be polite!

Hey everyone!

I'm looking for a personal trainer in Jamaica Plain, preferably someone with a PT (or similar) degree. Any recommendations? Looking to improve overall fitness and strength training.

Thanks a bunch

Welcome to Spontaneous Conversations, a weekly thread to allow members of this subreddit to discuss topics not necessarily related to Jamaica Plain.

Get to know your neighbors, have fun, be polite!

During the first wave of covid the Forest Hills Cemetery decided to ban bikes, joggers, and dogs. They continued to allow cars and did not provide any bike parking to store your bike if you arrive on one. It was clear to the community at the time that this was an exclusionary policy and which contradicted the original intention of the cemetery, which was in part to serve as a semi-natural refuge for urban dwellers. This decision followed the canceling of lantern fest in 2014 and has coincided with the clearing of trees from several parts of the cemetery as well as the closing of pedestrian gates on some sides of the park.

The community set up a petition and got almost 2,000 signatures to reopen the cemetery to these uses: https://www.change.org/p/forest-hills-cemetery-please-allow-dogs-bikers-and-joggers-at-forest-hills-cemetery However, this was completely ignored by the cemetery board (none of whom live in the neighborhood and only one of whom even lives in the city).

Four years later, the issue remains. Thankfully city councilor Ben Webber is starting to apply pressure on the cemetery around this as well and it is starting to get media coverage again: https://jamaicaplaingazette.com/2024/08/23/weber-going-to-bat-for-those-disappointed-and-frustrated-with-forest-hills-cemetery/?fbclid=IwY2xjawE5UQxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHWw9V5sxGU3fKDd8xch_yeifFs6MonOBHK4vxud-WWyjFcO2mB5XMxfc1Q_aem_yDRmUJRpAIcZSe8_qa7THg

I tried getting some quotes for limos to my brothers wedding next month and didn't get many responses. Does anyone know of a good local company that would pickup near JP (Hyde Park)?

Is there a Best Buy equivalent nearby?

Howdy folks, I'm putting this sub up for new moderators, as the old ones no longer live in JP and are not particularly active in this community.

If you'd like to be considered, please post a note.

Found a left side AirPod Pro on the ground on Weld Hill St while walking my dog this morning. If it’s yours shoot me a message so I can get it back to you! Them things are expensive lol.

I am a recent postbac and got offered a research job at one of the Harvard affiliated hospitals. I plan to apply to PhD programs after building my research experience more in the next 2 years and realize this city has the potential to open so many academic opportunities.

Heres my dilemma. I’ve been offered another similar research job at a university near my hometown. The university is not an ivy leugue, but I would say still it’s a top 30s. Additionally, I would save on rent by living with my family and the job pays slightly higher than what I would be getting at the Harvard hospital.

Despite the many drawbacks I’m seeing of shifting to Boston, my friends are encouraging me to take the move to expand my horizons. I’ve had a tendency to turn down opportunities in the past because of my social anxiety and this worry of stepping out of my comfort zone. I struggle to make friends, but am glad I’ve managed to build a solid tightknit circle of people I care about in my hometown. Everyone is staying back for their gap years, and I feel like this is the only time I’ll get with them before they all eventually go off on their own. Additionally, the work life balance for my hometown job is significantly better. At the Harvard hospital, I will be expected to work overtime for little pay, and they are already trying to push for an earlier start date while I’m still confused about how to find the right housing. I‘m worried ill screw myself over with a not so ideal living situation, work overtime, and be friendless in this big city all for the sake of “expanding my horizons”.

I feel like running behind prestige and the chance at a coming of age journey is going to set me up to be miserable. It’s true I haven’t stepped out of my home state, but I’m struggling to look at this situation objectively and would love to have someone from the area who might’ve been in my situation weight in.

Just remembered that yesterday was my 32nd anniversary of moving to JP. My bride-to-be and I got a 2-bedroom 800sf apartment looking out on the Monument for $800/month August 1st 1992. We split in 97, and I stayed on until I was gentrified out in the spring of 2007 by a court ordered sale of the two family house (by which time the rent had risen to $1,200/). I tried to buy it, but was squashed by a developer. I looked in Medford, Somerville, the South End, up down and all around. Fortunately I found a 1,400sf single family down in Stonybrook near Doyle’s (RIP). I’m so happy to have been able to stay in JP despite all the intense development pressure our neighborhood is currently experiencing.

Drove by and it was all caution taped with police and a guy in a hazmat suit cleaning something off the sidewalk. Looked like it could’ve been blood

Anyone else come across a snake in the JP arboretum. My dog spotted this one crossing one of the gravel paths.

Hey, trying to track down a band from the Jamaica Plain area. They had a self released EP that came out around 2000. Some nice indie tunes, sadly lost to disc rot from 24 year old CDr. The release itself gives no info or names of any band members, besides a compilation CD saying they're from Jamaica Plain. I want to know more about this band. Anyone have any info?

I’ve seen numerous near collisions involving cyclists (including e-bikes) and pedestrians on the pedestrian only paths at Jamaica Pond. Has anyone seen the same trend and is there any where to report this? Hopefully some more obvious and frequent signage might help.

Surprisingly, these aren't easy to find anymore. I guess Facebook destroyed this.

I see people taping posters in certain places, but are there any bulletin boards left?

Where are they?

Big crowds, lots of tents, a main stage, and lots of Dominican flags. I saw a sign that said Cafe Santo Domingo but I can't find any info online about what the event is/was.

Applications available for 45 new affordable condos on Brookley near Third Cliff and Forest Hills.

https://jpndc.org/in-development-brookley-flats/

I understand most places will be closed and I appreciate that. I'm just wondering if anyone knows of any places that have decided to open up on July 4th

Any recommendations for thorough cleaning services in JP?

How is the area near the brewery? Looking at an apartment on Washington st near the VU cafe and worried about safety. Thank you all in advance!

Hi, was wondering if anyone on Castleton St had their cars broken into last night 6/23-6/24. My car was broken into near the end of street. Additionally, was wondering if anyone had cameras on this street. Unfortunately, my canrtas don’t cover the area where my car was. TYIA

As of this morning, it's now bus-lane red.

I'm happy they are doing something about it! I constantly see hundreds of cars a day turning in that lane despite multiple signs saying it's bus-only at rush hour. This could be the start of the city taking this seriously.

Who knows if they'll actually enforce the policy now, but it's a teeny tiny step in the right direction.

Hello!

The Village Works, located at 769 Centre Street, is hosting a Community Coworking Week on June 24-28.

We want to give our community a chance to experience the joys of coworking for free during the first week of summer vacation. Fast internet, free coffee, crispy A/C, and amazing hospitality are some things folks can expect during their time with us!

Would you be able to post our event so we can spread the word? I have attached the flyer and listed the sign-up link below.

https://calendly.com/thevillageworks/community-coworking-week?back=1&month=2024-06

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me! 

The above is copy/pasted diectly from an email from vennard@thevillageworks.com. I have no connection to them but thought I would pass along.

At the May 15th Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council Zoning Committee meeting, held via zoom, a small group of residents discussed a proposed project to build an addition onto an existing home. The addition would serve as a dormer and it would be used as a rental. Several abutters opposed the project, claiming that the addition would pose risks to the environment, pedestrian safety and vehicular safety. They also opposed it on the grounds of how it would affect “neighborhood character.” I wrote a comment voicing my support. I said “We are in a housing crisis, and any additional housing built will relieve pressure put on residents due to the severe lack of supply of housing units in the city.” Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council member Bernard Doherty responded saying “what we need is more affordable housing”. He elaborated, arguing along the lines that because the proposed addition would not house low income people, the council should not support it. He also implied that because this was merely one unit, it would hardly contribute to the problem we all face with housing. 

This argument fails to understand the dynamics of the housing crisis, what perpetuates it, and how it can be solved via building more housing of all kinds. Bernard doesn’t understand that in Boston people in all income brackets compete to find housing they can afford. When there is a shortage of homes at your price point, you start looking for cheaper housing that people who make less than you typically rent. When there are fewer homes in any category, rental vacancies decrease and prices rise. 

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the rental vacancy rate in Boston has decreased from 3.6 in 2019 to 2.5 in 2023. The Boston Foundation lists a healthy rental vacancy rate at 6%. In Q4 of 2023 the total US rental vacancy rate was 6.6. That means in 2023 there were 62% fewer vacant rental units for renters to choose from as compared to the overall US. This number has continued to trend down. And as high interest rates price would-be buyers out of homeownership they create added pressure on the rental market and increase rents city wide for everyone. 

The second failure of Bernard’s argument is related to affordable housing. Yes, we need affordable housing. Everyone agrees with this. But we need affordable housing not only for low income residents. We need affordable housing for all residents. A single earner qualifies for rental assistance in Boston if they make $155,850. They qualify for section 8 vouchers if they make up to $83,120. Most people wouldn’t consider those figures low income. But in Boston they are. Furthermore, an example of an affordable unit in Boston, according to Boston.gov, is a 2 bedroom apartment in South Boston’s South Standard for $3500/month. 

But even these programs have not helped change the tides in the housing affordability crisis. As the Joint Center For Housing Studies of Harvard University writes in their 2024 publication, America’s Rental Housing, “because rental assistance programs are not an entitlement, they only serve one in four income-eligible households.” 

Affordable housing is certainly one aspect of the solution to alleviate the housing crisis. But Chapter 40B has been in place since 1969. It clearly is not doing enough. The real problem is local neighborhood defenders using land use regulations to stymie development. A small group of unelected and unrepresentative individuals, such as those who show up to the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council meetings, have been empowered to prevent new housing construction in order to protect their personal interests. 

The most effective route we can take as a city to increase housing affordability is to abolish single family zoning. Please call your city council members and tell them to end single family zoning now.