Savin Hill residents are deploying new signage to make their case for a quicker implementation of the Neighborhood Slow Streets program in their section of Dorchester – a part of the neighborhood prone to cut-through traffic and speeding vehicles.

Neighbors recently unveiled three prototypes of signs that have been springing up around Savin Hill and along Columbia Road. At the Oct. 2 meeting of the Columbia/Savin Hill Civic Association (CSHCA), proponents announced they would be giving away the signs to draw attention to the urgent need for traffic-calming measures like speed humps, bump outs, raised crosswalks, and other hallmarks of the program.

“Morrissey Boulevard, when not full of traffic, is a racetrack,” reads the statement on the group’s website, slowdown.boston, website, hosted by the CSHCA’s Safety Committee. “Savin Hill has become a major cut-through for traffic speeding between Morrissey Boulevard and Dorchester Avenue. Drivers speed on Grampian Way, Savin Hill Avenue, Sydney Street, and the streets connecting Columbia Road. They run stop signs, fail to yield to pedestrians, and frequently sideswipe cars, signs, and telephone poles.” 

The Neighborhood Slow Streets program arose from direct lobbying of the Talbot Norfolk Triangle Neighborhood Association off Codman Square many years ago, taking the form of a competitive grant program. This summer, Mayor Wu announced that the program would become standard in every neighborhood street network over the next several years, dubbed a “Safety Surge.”

For Savin Hill, the hiccup came when neighbors found their area was penciled in for improvements in 2027 – deemed too long a wait, given proximity to major thoroughfares like Morrissey Boulevard, Dorchester Avenue, and the Expressway.

“The city’s new ‘Safety Surge’ is not currently scheduled to install speed humps in Savin Hill until 2027 at earliest. The city can and must do better,” read the statement on the site.
For now, the distributed signs will read “Slow Down for Dorchester,” “Slow Down for Savin Hill,” and “Savin Hill Wants Slow Streets Now. 2027 is Too Long to Wait.” Each sign also lists the effort’s website, where signs can be requested.

A no to Pearl St. development
The CSHCA went on the record in opposition to a six-unit proposal at 33 Pearl Street at its Oct. 2 meeting. Attorney Matt Ekel presented the project to the general membership, where, despite recent changes, it drew opposition from 14 members, with 7 in support, and 2 abstaining. The Planning Committee last month voted 7-3 in opposition.

The plan calls for razing the existing single-family home on the site, and building a six-unit, three-story Mansard style building with eight parking spaces. The original proposal entailed eight units with ten parking spaces in a building with fewer architectural details. There was no clear indication of what would occur with the project due to the lack of support, and the developers do not yet have a date at the Zoning Board.

Neighborhood Notebook

•Upcoming events in the neighborhood include “Music in the Park” at Savin Hill Park on Oct. 15, from 1-4 p.m. The children’s Halloween Parade will take place on Sat., Oct. 28, from the park to the beach at 3:45 p.m.

•Boston Police reported stopping and arresting a 61-year-old Dorchester man on Sept. 13 at Columbia and Buttonwood after he crossed into C-11 territory from South Boston/Newmarket. The Drug Control Unit had been investigating the man, and after the stop found 13 grams of crack cocaine in a secret compartment – known as a “hide” – in the car. Police noted he had been arrested previously.

•Neighbors expressed concern and frustration with the continued vacancy of the old Theo’s Pizza location at 1080 Dorchester Ave. The business has been closed for years and conditions there are deteriorating rapidly, neighbors say. They have noted an uptick in graffiti and possible structural issues. The hope is to get the space on the city’s problem properties list. According to city records, the property is owned by Peter Le of Dorchester.