Jamaica Plain Gazette
Jamaica Plain Gazette


  • Man charged in Hyde Park Ave. killing
    A suspect has been charged with murder in the April 27 shooting death of a Jamaica Plain man inside his Hyde Park Avenue apartment, according to the Boston Police Department (BPD). The killing of Mariano Malave involved a drug deal gone bad, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Charles Reddicks, 18, of Dorchester was arrested today in JP and charged with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to BPD. Reddicks was out on bail in an unrelated case where he is accused of the drive-by shooting of another man, according to the DA’s Office. He is now being held without bail. The killing happened as Reddicks allegedly attempted to purchase a pound of marijuana from Malave in his 132 Hyde Park Ave. apartment, Assistant District Attorney Daniel Mulhern said in a press statement. “In the course of the transaction, the defendant fired multiple shots, killing Mr. Malave,” Mulhern said. Reddicks was already in legal trouble for a Dec. 1, 2011 incident elsewhere where he allegedly shot and wounded a man in retaliation for a previous altercation. Reddicks is slated to return to court on the murder charge on June 20.   Updated version: This [...]

  • Apartment project faces more opposition
    Eleven out of 13 members of the city-appointed Impact Advisory Group (IAG) for the proposed apartment building at 161 S. Huntington Ave. have signed a letter opposing the project. The letter, sent to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) today, included 20 bullet points opposing the look, size and scope of the project. “The signatories think that there are some very serious issues with the project. We wanted to spell out in detail to the BRA,” signatory and IAG member Kevin Moloney told the Gazette. “Thank you all for your effort in putting together a concise, itemized, and thorough letter clearly explaining your concerns. It will assist us greatly,” John Fitzgerald, the BRA’s project manager, wrote to the signatories in an email, a copy of which was provided to the Gazette. The BRA did not have an immediate official comment. Among the complaints listed in the letter are the small size of the proposed units, precluding families from living in the building; its “ugly” facade; the number of units, expected to be between 190 and 200; expected low percentage of affordable units; the proposed removal of 53 mature trees; failure to restore or adapt the historic 1914 building; and hidden identities [...]

  • Police post signs for fallen officers
    Street signs memorializing Boston Police officers killed in the line of duty have popped up at three Jamaica Plain locations as part of a citywide effort. The gray-and-black signs are part of the “Hero Project” to mark spots where officers were killed, according to Boston Police Department (BPD) historian Officer Robert Anthony. All three of those killed in JP died in motorcycle accidents, and a September motorcycle parade is planned to memorialize them further. “We don’t forget our own,” said Anthony. The signs, which went up with no public announcement on Centre Street and the Arborway, are drawing questions and commentary from JP residents. One sign may be moved after a local historian raised the possibility that it is in the wrong spot. An activist group found that another sign showed up on the spot it was hoping to erect its own memorial to a pedestrian killed more recently on the Arborway. JP resident Michael Moore told the Gazette he assumed a sign near his Pond Street home was for a “local hero” and was disappointed to discover the officer was the victim of a traffic accident. The signs describe the officers only as “killed in the line of duty,” [...]

  • Apartment project hits roadblocks
    S. HUNTINGTON—The Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) voted this week to delay demolition of the 1914 Knight Building at 161 S. Huntington Ave. to make way for luxury apartments. The BLC vote came on the heels of a Jamaica Pond Association’s (JPA) vote in opposition of the project earlier this week. The project’s developer, Boston Residential Group, wants to demolish the entire Home for Little Wanderers site to make way for 190-200 luxury apartments. “The Commission voted that, in the public interest, it is preferable that the 1914 Knight Building…is preserved or rehabilitated rather than demolished,” BLC staff architect Gary Russell wrote in the BLC’s determination. The BLC encouraged the developer to work with the community for a compromise. The 90-day delay expires Aug. 7. Part of the JPA’s opposition to the project stems from the fact that another project for 190-200 luxury apartments is planned for 105A S. Huntington Ave. Concerns raised at the JPA meeting included the very large size of the proposed apartment building and its design, the façade of which would create a very long wall along S. Huntington Avenue, JPA Board President Jack Fay said. The proposed developments at 161 and 105A S. Huntington Ave. “are both very [...]

  • Loft apartments planned for church site
    HYDE SQ.—Loft-style, market-rate apartments are being planned for the vacant Norbert School building on the Blessed Sacrament Church site, a move that reportedly has “divided” the board of the affordable housing nonprofit involved in selling the building. The vacant former church on the Centre Street site also is getting developers’ attention, with at least two proposals for housing or community space on the table and a decision expected with the next couple of months. The Norbert School at 26 Sunnyside St. would become “small, loft-style units for the younger knowledge workers so important for the future of our city,” according to Drew Leff, a principal at GLC Development Resources, whose offer to buy the building was accepted last week. “Knowledge workers” means people in high-tech fields. “We’re going to restore and renovate the building,” not knock it down, Leff added. The former Roman Catholic Church complex on Centre between Creighton and Westerly streets was closed eight years ago. The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) and New Atlantic Development bought it. They have redeveloped most of the site into affordable housing and retail and nonprofit space. The gigantic church building was slated to become market-rate condos in the original plan. [...]