Bayside Charrette Follow-up

On May 7, the University of Massachusetts Boston began a process of working with faculty, staff, students, and our neighbors throughout Boston and beyond to share ideas and possibilities as we started planning for the redevelopment of the Bayside property and coordinating it with our 25-year master plan. That day nearly 100 people brainstormed about the property and Columbia Point. Their ideas and concerns were captured in a report available on the UMass Boston website. At the time, we promised that we would reconvene in the fall to continue the dialogue.

Since May we have held four smaller discussion sessions with our faculty, staff, and students, followed by four additional sessions with development experts, representatives from state and city agencies and community health centers, and others knowledgeable about how this property may best serve our academic objectives and become a vibrant place for all to enjoy.

On Saturday, November 5, from 9 a.m. until noon, we will reconvene with a second public charrette. At this session we will discuss what we have learned over the past months and provide a forum for you to further refine and share your ideas about the property and its possibilities. 

I invite you to join us and many of our neighbors in the UMass Boston Campus Center Ballroom for this charrette. We can't do the work of transforming our campus and the Bayside property to better serve our students and community without your support.

Please RSVP to community.relations@umb.edu or 617.287.5310 by October 31, 2011, to let us know if we can count on your participation. Breakfast will be provided.

I look forward to seeing you on November 5.