City Councilors Michael Flaherty (at large) and Ed Flynn (South Boston) want the BPDA to shove developer's plans for more than 1,300 condos and apartments at the old L Street power station into a drawer until after the developer and Massport can proved the developers actually have the right to build a giant residential complex next to a truck route feeding into the nearby working port area.
Flaherty - who lives in South Boston - and Flynn said developers Hilco Redevelopment Partners and Redgate Capital Partners have yet to adequately explain how they will mitigate the transportation demands the development - which would also include two hotels and retail space - would put on South Boston's already overburdened roads and transit routes.
Flaherty said BPDA approval before the Massport issue is resolved is like going ahead with a proposal to build on a neighbor's land when the neighbor has yet to sign off on the deal, potentially creating a massive amount of wasted effort by people looking for a say on the proposal
"The community is under siege," and needs a break in which it can be assured the BPDA won't suddenly approve the plans, Flaherty said. "They're meeting'd out. They're meeting'd out. They're also condo'd out, but they're meeting'd out."
"My community wants to make sure they have a voice in this prcess," Flynn said. "There's too much development going on, so many condos going up so fast. ... The transportation system is not able to get our people from South Boston to downtown Boston."
State Sen. Nick Collins (D-South Boston) recently filed a bill that would require Massport to conduct a detailed study of the proposal's impact on the nearby Conley Terminal.
Flaherty and Flynn said that in addition to the local longshoreman's union expressing concern about the port, the union representing MBTA drivers is also raising questions about the impact on South Boston transportation.
Last fall, the two developers proposed dealing with the transportation issues through a new, privately funded bus route from their site to downtown.
The council as a whole agreed with Flaherty and Flynn to hold a formal hearing at which the developers, Massport, MassDOT, the BPDA, the unions and members of the public could discuss a potential halt in the BPDA approval process.
