Over the past few months, MyRWA has been following the ongoing conversation around the new soccer stadium poised to be built in Everett. Across the river in Charlestown, residents have been raising their voices to highlight priorities around traffic, public transportation, and green space. As an organization working on waterfront access, open space, and sustainable mobility, MyRWA is committed to the issues elevated by community members, and we are advancing a number of projects in Charlestown oriented toward these priorities.
Construction at the Little Mystic Channel breaks ground in September, 2024
Little Mystic Channel
In partnership with the Charlestown community, the City of Boston, and Massport, we are creating a vision for how a high-quality park along the Little Mystic Channel can provide better opportunities for recreation, access to nature, social gatherings, and climate resiliency. This waterbody is a long-forgotten corner of Boston’s waterfront, characterized by years of deferred maintenance and a lack of open space amenities. This area is also susceptible to coastal and inland flooding in the near-term, and the entire neighborhood is threatened by increasing surface temperatures in the summer. On May 31, we will be hosting a grand opening for a new plaza at the channel with new shade trees, seating, and a community-designed mural.
Ryan Playground and Schraffts
MyRWA has been working with regional partners and the City of Boston to fix critical flood pathways, including at Ryan Playground and Schraffts in Charlestown. Since 2018, we have helped to convene 20 municipalities, state agencies and non-government organizations to form the Resilient Mystic Collaborative, which to-date has collectively secured nearly 100 million dollars towards flood resilience interventions north of Downtown Boston. The City of Boston has been instrumental in their efforts to design and implement these solutions for the Charlestown community.
Rutherford Ave
MyRWA is advocating for transportation safety improvements along Rutherford Ave as part of the City of Boston’s design project, which aims to improve pedestrian connections and safety to MBTA transit stations and the community, decrease traffic congestion, protect Main Street from cut-through traffic, create public and open space, provide opportunities for appropriate development, and provide bicycle connections. Rutherford Ave is included in MyRWA’s Greenways Vision for 25 miles of safe and accessible routes for walking, biking, and rolling, connecting people to places, nature, and each other.
Completing the Boston Harborwalk
Also included in MyRWA’s Greenways Vision is the completion of the Boston Harborwalk, extending the well-known waterfront access route from its current end-point in the Charlestown Navy Yard upstream along the Mystic River to the Draw Seven Seawall Path adjacent to the Sullivan MBTA bus yard. The multi-year effort includes robust collaboration with the City of Boston and private landowners.
Air Quality Research
MyRWA was funded by the EPA to pursue a three-year air quality study: Community-led Improvement of Air Quality and Health in the Lower Mystic (CLEANAIR). We are monitoring air quality at community-identified locations in Everett, Malden, Charlestown, and East Boston; some of the most burdened communities by transportation-related air pollution and disease in Massachusetts.
All of these projects build toward a more resilient and connected Charlestown as changes come to the neighborhood and the surrounding communities. MyRWA is committed to advancing these initiatives and to continuing to listen to the concerns and priorities of residents, which guide our work.
