The city’s new chief of the Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Cabinet, Segun Idowu, made a trip to his home neighborhood of Mattapan on Monday night to speak with the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council (GMNC) and note that the new administration’s emphasis will be on putting traditionally ignored neighborhoods to the front of the line so that every area of Boston thrives.
Idowu, who was chosen by Mayor Wu to head up her economic cabinet two months ago, said he was excited to return to Mattapan, where he grew up and where his mother – who is active on GMNC – still lives. Beyond that, Idowu stressed that his cabinet is committed to visiting a different business district every week. They were in Mattapan Square two weeks ago.
Those visits, he said, are going to inform policy decisions, and have already cemented the fact that Black and Brown and low-income communities like Mattapan will receive more attention than in the past when it comes to programs, resources, and city contracting.
“Equity will be centered especially on communities that have been ignored so long and historically not just overlooked, but purposefully left out of the conversation and participation in economic development in our city,” he said. “They will be front and center, and we will plan around these communities’ desires rather than having them tacked on at the end so you can say you addressed equity and inclusion.”
To that end, he unveiled a four-point plan called ‘Strategizing for Success,’ which will include Covid Recovery, Neighborhood Revitalization, Shifting City Investments, and Prosperity for All.
Neighborhood Revitalization was key to the discussion for Mattapan, he said, including boosting the Main Streets programs, but also going further to make sure that full amenities are available for every neighborhood. Noting how he can go to New York City and stay in one place without having to leave to find places like a restaurant, he said he wants that for places like Mattapan.
“All of the amenities you would want are in that borough as opposed to hopping to different neighborhoods for different amenities,” he said. “That’s how it should be here. You should be able to stay with a friend in Mattapan and not have to go to JP or downtown for things to do.”
In that same vein, he indicated that inclusion would mean that all parts of the city, not just a few, must function at 100 percent. “Boston cannot reach its full potential if Back Bay is thriving and Mattapan is not,” he said.
Another key piece of his focus is making sure commercial real estate spaces are affordable, particularly for Black and Brown and legacy businesses. He said as much as affordability and ownership are talked about in housing, it also must be talked about for commercial property. He said that also helps with retention of Black and Brown families so as not to gentrify and change the neighborhood too drastically.
“Many times, family members don’t want to come back to a neighborhood they don’t remember,” he said. “We need to maintain our cultural vibrancy and make sure our legacy businesses are not pushed out.”
Finally, he said, a major piece he is working on now is to prevent Black and Brown folks from leaving Boston, particularly those who come here for college and those who grew up here and leave. He said there is a drain of talent in general, but it is most evident in the Black and Brown communities.
“When people have things to do and places to go, that’s a key and important part to staying in the city,” he said. “Black folks often say there’s nothing to do and there’s not many places to go beyond one or two places and one neighborhood. That’s a piece we’re working on.”
MATTAPAN NOTEBOOK
• GMNC Chair Fatima Ali-Salaam reported that a Taco Bell with drive-thru is attempting to locate a new restaurant on a vacant lot next to Le Foyer Bakery on Babson Street near Mattapan Square, and that already there are many strong opinions. She said Taco Bell has presented to the River Street Civic Association and to the Woodhaven Civic and will present to the GMNC Zoning Committee on March 17 in an online meeting.
“There is a lot of strong community feelings about places like this in our neighborhood and I urge all residents to appear at the Zoning Committee,” she said.
• A new construction project by Caribbean Integration Community Development, under Director Don Alexis, is slated to begin work in April or May at 872 Morton St. – the site of the old B-3 Police Station. The community is working with them on how to configure the Odom Serenity Garden during construction, as well as other matters. The formerly city-owned land is slated for a three-story residential building with 38 units of family housing and 42 parking spaces. The project is to include 8,000 square feet of open space for the garden, which memorializes Stephen Odom, a 13-year-old boy who was murdered near his Evans Street home in a case of mistaken identity in 2007.
• A community meeting to discuss a new roundabout and traffic configuration on the Cummins Highway project will take place online March 29.
•I n a long discussion with new 3-1-1 Director Alicia Payne, resident Barbara Crichlow brought up the fact that many Mattapan residents cannot call 3-1-1 from a land line as the 298 and 296 exchanges get confused with Milton. Payne said that in those circumstances, it is best to either use the 3-1-1 app, call on a cell phone, or use the old 617-635-4500 number. She said she would try to address the issue with the city’s Information Technologies department.
• Mattapan Main Streets is looking for a new executive director and will be posting the open position in the next week or so. The organization hopes to find someone ready to get to work and re-build the Main Streets.
