East Boston Community Commons Development Survey

First of two reports from community based participatory research project. East Boston may soon be experiencing a surge of development. Currently, there are several proposals for housing, retail, and commercial development along the waterfront, with the groundbreaking of Portside at Pier One occurring in January 2013. Recently, a partnership between Suffolk Downs and Caesar’s Entertainment has submitted an application to build a resort style casino at the Suffolk Downs race track. If any these developments are built, they will certainly change the fabric of community. Several residents in the neighborhood were interested in what East Boston residents know about these developments, what they predict will happen if any of the proposals go through, and whether residents support these proposed projects. This community alliance, a group of active residents from across the neighborhood, worked with a team of graduate students from Northeastern University to develop a series of surveys to answer these questions. Once the surveys were developed, Dr. Neenah Estrella-Luna, a professor at Northeastern and an East Boston resident, served as the principal investigator to assist the Community Alliance in developing and implementing the survey focused on what residents know and think about the proposed developments. From May 2012 through August 2012, residents from across the neighborhood distributed surveys on paper and online in English and Spanish to their neighbors, at neighborhood association meetings, at community events, and via online networks. In the end, 360 surveys from East Boston residents were collected. Dr. Estrella-Luna oversaw the process to ensure that the survey was administered properly and that data was entered accurately. She analyzed the data under the direction of Community Alliance members. This report is a summary of this analysis. Overall, the survey found that knowledge about the waterfront projects is highest in Jeffries Point, Eagle Hill, and Orient Heights. Residents who live in Maverick Square or Central Square, as well as Latino residents, are least likely to know about any of the proposals for waterfront redevelopment. Support for waterfront development is high, with most residents expecting positive changes in the neighborhood once those developments are completed. However, residents are also concerned about the potential for gentrification. Over half of residents surveyed are opposed to the proposed casino. Only one-quarter of residents support the casino. Importantly, opposition to the casino is higher among registered voters than the general population. Opposition to the casino is wide across each section of East Boston, with the exception of Central Square. Most residents expect do expect that the casino will increase the number of jobs available for residents. However, residents reported expecting more negative impacts than positive impacts if a casino was built at Suffolk Downs