Mayor Convenes Closed Downtown Zoning Meeting
In January, the city released a draft that would have allowed 500-foot towers along Washington Street. In response to 500 letters of opposition, in July, the city released a new version of the draft that scaled back height along the Boston Common, save for some select pre-approved parcels.

And the Winners Are…
The city’s largest neighborhood group, the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) presented its community service awards at its annual meeting on Wednesday.

Welcome New Neighbors
You probably noticed the welcoming signs as you entered the city. Boston is a most friendly city, but we do have our own idiosyncrasies..

Thieves Love Honda Accords
In previous years, full size pickup trucks topped the list of most stolen vehicles, but it seems that car thieves in Boston and across America now favor sedan models that have inadequate anti-theft and security features. In any event, Boston’s auto thefts have been decreasing compared to last year.

New A-1 Liaison Meets Community Leaders
“The biggest takeaway I got from him is that he wants us to reach out,” said Patricia Tully, executive director of the BHCA, who met with Wallace last Tuesday. “He wants us to call him for whatever we need, and to not hesitate to do so. I felt that he was extremely nice, and very eager to engage with us.

From God To Condos
Seen here are both the faculty as well as students at the school in front of Warren Hall at 72-74 Mount Vernon Street, the former duplex townhouse of John and Nathaniel Thayer of John E. Thayer & Brother, which was reorganized as Kidder, Peabody & Company.

Community Driven Art Being Created for October
Finkelmeier said that due to the community-sourced nature of the projects, each one has come out differently than the others, sharing between them only that they’re reflective of the identity of the area. Not even they know what the project will end up looking like until they’re close to finishing it.

Our Local Woodstock
In the Community Gardens category, the Berkeley Community Gardens received first and second place with Jenny Li & Mark Springel winning the top spot and Dimple Patel coming in number two..

Santiago to Leave Veterans Services
Dr. Jon Santiago, who lives in the South End and was previously the neighborhood's state representative for five years, led Veterans Services through a massive overhaul in order to restructure the department and better combat veteran homelessness in the state.

Local Language
Comm Ave.: Abbreviation of Commonwealth Avenue.

Seaport Grocery Access Limited But Improving
“If you ask folks, if they’re using Trader Joe’s, they’re buying a day or two worth of groceries,” said Tom Ready of the Fort Point Neighborhood Association, who has lived in the area for 15 years. “They tend to either drive to a store to get the big stuff or they’re having it done via delivery service.

District Hall Closure Leaves No Civic Space
In a statement given over email, WS Development said, “We're excited to unveil this reimagined hub for collaboration and celebration in the coming months,” but did not respond to multiple attempts `to clarify a timeline or reason for the prolonged closure.