The Seaport now has its own dedicated neighborhood organization, rallying the area’s growing population to expanded access to city services.
The Seaport Neighborhood Association (SNA) has been putting itself together for years, spurred by the Fort Point Neighborhood Association’s (FPNA) struggles to represent the entirety of the changing neighborhood.
Today it’s fully operational, with a board of ten members overseeing operations from Boston Harbor down to Summer Street.
“We’re all volunteers, just people who live in and love the Seaport that wanted to get involved,” said David Morse, one of the board members. “Someone focuses on transportation, another on the waterfront, another on working with the police or city hall.”
An open community meeting in December was standing room only with several hundred attendees at the Gather District Hall. The SNA aims to hold three general meetings per year, and regularly sends representatives to public meetings like real estate review committees.
“The census in 2010 recorded 930 people in the Seaport. In 2020 it recorded 5,800 residents, and there’s a great deal of community interest,” said Morse. “It’s a very vibrant, active community. We may need to bring on more board members, but for now we’re up and we’re absolutely running.”
Laying the groundwork for the SNA began in late 2021 or 2022 with now-president Norm Lind. The FPNA had traditionally spoken for the Seaport, but new apartment blocks brought explosive population growth and old administrative structures struggled to get the city services that growth demanded.
The Seaport still lacks many community staples like childcare, schooling, a library, public transit, or dedicated voting stations. Even emergency services are often located Downtown or in South Boston, forcing them to get over an often-crowded bridge to reach an emergency in the Seaport.
The SNA has involved itself in community events, the summer street bus lane pilot and real estate proposal review.
Most recently it took a heavy interest in the proposal for a new migrant shelter in the Seaport. While the SNA’s publications did express frustration at the lack of community engagement, now that it’s a done deal the organization is supportive of the shelter and its new residents.
“My wife and I could’ve lived anywhere in Boston, and we chose the Seaport. I see it developing into this wonderful, vibrant neighborhood. Access to the water, transportation, a good place to work and to live. I’m excited about the future of the Seaport,” said Morse.
