On Thursday, city officials
presented a rezoning plan, two years in the making, for the square.
They said the changes would help the square, much of it currently a
gritty stretch of traffic and auto body shops, become a "vibrant,
downtown area."

Citizens at the hearing, however, called for
more affordable housing, lower building heights and questioned if a
major part of the plan – to develop specific parts of the square as
housing for artists – was ethical.

"I'm concerned about
legislating who lives where," said Alex Pirie during the public comment
period after the presentation. "Why not have a teacher's district
instead of an arts district? As a parent, I would rather have our
teachers in our community. This sends the wrong message."

Nearly
all of the speakers said the current zoning proposal is an improvement
over earlier drafts. The percentage of new housing units increased from
12.5 to 15 to 17 percent through the revisions. City officials said
there will be 550 new affordable housing units in Union Square when it
is fully built out.

Business owners said the news focus on Union
Square is welcome. "It's been along time coming," said Ben Dryer, owner
of the Sherman Café.

But one neighborhood group remained
skeptical of the proposal. Union Square Neighbors have devised their
own rezoning plan that calls for less density and lower building
heights.

The city's plan, they said, would jam too many
over-sized buildings into the square and block Prospect Hill's clear
view of downtown Boston. "The gold rush effect is not how we should be
approaching this," said Stuart Dash, a member of Union Square Neighbors.

Another
concern voiced at the hearing was if Union Square's diverse, affordable
character could survive a rush of development that may bring the city
tax dollars but also displacement of longtime residents.

"We
celebrate the diversity of Union Square but the folks who give Union
Square that diversity will be pushed out," said Fred Berman.

"What
we'd really like to see is an anti-displacement plan," said Matan
Benyishay. "How do we keep families in Union Square after this massive
displacement happens?"

Aldermen must approve the rezoning before it can be implemented.