Community Corner

Letter: Preserve CANA 3 as Open Space?

Peter Dodds suggests a community garden might be a better use for the plot than the 17-home plan currently slated for it.

To the readers of the Charlestown Patch, 

I live on Park Street next to the undeveloped piece of land that is bordered by Park and Warren streets, known as CANA 3. The site is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

There is now a plan to develop this site with 17 townhouses and this has been under discussion for some time.

As the City of Boston is now giving serious consideration to expanding the concept of "urban agricultural sites" in open spaces, it occurred to me that the Charlestown Community might want to support an initiative to have CANA 3 be incorporated into this program.

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The site could be given to community gardens, with agricultural and floral themes and could also include an open space for all members of the community to enjoy.

Thus one of the remaining open spaces in this part of the city would be permanently dedicated to the enjoyment and use of our community and visitors.

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Cynics might say that this is a a self-serving effort on my part. I will readily agree that if I could choose, I would prefer the site to be left undeveloped and thus avoid the additional congestion and disruption that development would certainly bring.

I must stress however that I can clearly see the attraction and benefit that would accrue to the community if the site can be left undeveloped, the chain fence removed and this sunny and open space dedicated to active, open use by the community.

The purpose of this letter is to try to measure the interest of the Charlestown Community in supporting such an initiative.

Without strong, active, vocal support I have to say that it is unlikely that such an effort will have any chance of success, so your comments will be most useful and welcome.

Peter G.R. Dodds
Park Street, Charlestown.


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