East Boston business owners upset entertainment space took over key parking spots

BOSTON – A temporary entertainment space for seasonal and youth programming went up in Day Square in East Boston. The space took up key parking spaces, and now have business owners concerned over the traffic issues it may cause.

11 parking spots taken

There is a sign near the temporary space that will tell you more information about the installment. When you put your phone up to the QR code it will take you to a website. In the paragraph on why they chose the space, one of the reasons is for an abundance of parking. A Streets Cabinet spokesperson says the space removed 11 spaces, and that there are 160 spots within the surrounding blocks and side streets. The trouble is those 11 spots are in a prime location near the majority of the small businesses in the square. 

“That’s totally not true,” said Walter Yourawski, owner East Boston Diamond & Gold Exchange. “There’s not enough parking, but we are making what’s good of what we have.”

Double parking concerns

While WBZ was at his store, one customer drove around the block three times to find parking. He says since the space went up double parking has become worse. Our cameras caught a car double parked in a crosswalk and blocking an MBTA bus from getting by. The bus driver just kept honking as traffic lined up behind him for a few blocks. The temporary space already has a broken chair, a waterlogged foosball table without a ball, and planters that are littered with mini alcohol bottles and debris.

“Unfortunately, there was no transparency no letter of intent to businesses,” said Yourawski. “With a letter of intent to tell us what we are going to do, at least we could all discuss it and come to a happy medium as a group.”

Yourawski claims there was a discussion with business owners and residents about future changes in 2021, but that nothing has been discussed since. The Streets Cabinet spokesperson says the city had an engagement process started by the BPDA in 2018, but it wasn’t adopted until January 2024.

“They said nothing is set in stone, but this is what we would like to do,” said Yourawski.

City responds

In a statement, a Streets Spokesperson responded:

“After five years of community engagement, Plan: East Boston laid out a vision, based on community input and desires, that looks to change how traffic circulation works in Day Square, enhance safety, and improve the public realm. We see this temporary plaza as an opportunity for residents to talk with city planners about the future of Day Square and help people learn about the recommendations and gather input on how it should be implemented. The plaza will also feature programming coordinated by our partners, the Veronica Robles Cultural Center.

Changes to the streetscape to add more parking spaces could be part of any permanent changes to the roads and public spaces in Day Square as part of any later capital projects. We are also looking to engage the community around other potential changes to parking regulations in the area to make sure that they make sense for how they are used today and in the future.

We expect the plaza to be taken down after Open Streets East Boston in September.”

There will be additional community engagement to go along with this activation, so conversations appear to be ongoing. The shaded entertainment space was put in place as part of efforts to heat resiliency solutions in neighborhoods. East Boston is considered an environmental justice community and a hot spot due to less tree canopies and less dark pavements.

City Councilor Gigi Coletta heard the owners’ complaints and has taken their concerns to the city’s project managers who oversee the space. In a statement, she says in part, “We all want to make sure Boston is prosperous and enjoyable. If an initial idea isn’t helping to achieve that goal, there is always opportunity to course correct.” 

Mike Sullivan

Mike Sullivan is a multimedia journalist for WBZ-TV. He returned to his home state of Massachusetts after reporting in the Midwest for more than ten years.