The View From Prospect Hill for the week of Nov. 8

Compromise. It is something we should all be able to do. But particularly those who hold public office. Officials accountable to different, and sometimes opposing, factions of the city must be able to mediate and find solutions.

   The good news is that effective compromises are happening all over the city. A decade-long stalemate over Assembly Square development came to a close this month when the Mystic View Task Force and Federal Realty each gave up some of their wishes for the site and acquiesced to one another. Mystic View agreed to more retail and residential space than they originally hoped for and Federal agreed to a cap on the number of car trips going into the site. The new compromise clears the way for an exciting 145 acre development in one of the city‚Äôs underutilized business districts.
   And this week, city leaders showed a willingness to give and take with citizens.
Residents arrived at Wednesday‚Äôs Finance Committee meeting to find that aldermen and Mayor  Joseph A. Curtatone had reached most of the points in a pact to preserve a portion of Zero New Washington Street as open space. The city originally wanted to sell off the entire lot for revenue but residents throughout the city and, particularly in East Somerville, spoke up and encouraged aldermen to keep the area as open space. By keeping one acre of the land as open space, aldermen generated revenue while also proving they could compromise with residents interested in the livability of their city.
   And now for the bad news. There is a private social club on Marshall Street desperate to meet its neighbors and discuss neighborhood issues. The perfect mediator in a situation such as this would be the ward alderman. But Ward 4 Alderman Walter Pero refuses to compromise. In his time on the board, Pero has proven himself to be a reasonable, independent voice. But an aldermen should never say mediation is ‚Äúimpossible‚Äù when at least one party is willing to compromise. Pero must take the lead on this issue and be a voice for his neighborhood with any businessman willing to compromise.