BOSTON — The city of Boston is considering a proposal that would turn a portion of Hanover Street into a one-way thoroughfare this spring and summer.
Under the city’s proposal, Hanover Street from Richmond to Cross Street would be limited to one direction from early April through early September.
It was presented to the North End community during a virtual meeting to offer more room for outdoor dining setups this time around.
The city also says the idea is in response to congestion and commercial loading complaints experienced during the last two outdoor dining seasons.
“I don’t know who’s making the decisions, but they better give it a lot of thought,” said Claudia Spagnuolo, owner of La Familia Spagnuolo. “This is a horrible situation!”
Boston 25 News spoke with several business owners who are opposed to the proposal.
“I think they should close the whole street. If they make it one way, it causes a lot of problems,” said Francesco Graceffa, owner of Dolce Vita.
Some believe the city should consider shutting down a portion of Hanover Street to traffic all together.
Others said that making any changes to the iconic stretch of road would create a nightmare for residents who live and park in the area.
“It’s not going to be better to be honest with you,” said Greg Chobanian. “A lot of people are not going to be happy with that.”
North End neighbors have vocalized their share of frustration about noise, trash, traffic and parking issues related to outdoor dining in the past.
To address parking concerns, the city is proposing that participating restaurants fund replacement parking spaces for residents in area parking garages.
A city spokesperson told Boston 25 News that the city is reviewing community feedback and will make a decision in the coming weeks.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2022 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
