September 2026 Meeting
Updated: Sep 21
Summary
The Wharf District Council met on September 15, 2026 at the Aries Club in International Place, hosted by Don Chiofaro Jr. of the Chiofaro Company. Boston Police District A-1's Officer Mustacchio reported a quiet, low-crime summer, noting increased Code 19 police visibility compared to 2025 and crediting stronger community partnerships, though calls involving intoxicated individuals rose. Pembroke's Kristan McLaughlin discussed the company's 255 State Street property and climate resilience upgrades underway at Commonwealth Pier, including raised floors, waterproofing, and deployable flood barriers. State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz addressed the newly passed state budget—achieved without tax increases or drawing from the rainy-day fund—and spoke at length about Massachusetts' housing affordability crisis, citing it as a leading reason residents leave the state and highlighting the "Yes in God's Backyard" (YIGBY) initiative to develop underutilized institutional and religious land for affordable housing.
On coastal resilience, Harbor Towers Trustee Norm Meisner outlined dry floodproofing improvements protecting the 55-year-old brutalist towers from coastal storms, prompted by 2018 flooding, and previewed Boston's citywide Deployable Day on September 30, which includes a walking tour led by Chief Climate Officer Brian Swett and a ribbon-cutting at Harbor Towers. WDC President Marc Margulies reported on the Council's 2,500-page response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' draft Boston Coastal Storm Risk Management Study and emphasized the WDC's active, collaborative role in advancing waterfront resilience.
Finally, representatives of 510 Boston Café LLC (Starbucks) presented plans for a small, primarily takeout café at the InterContinental Boston on Atlantic Avenue, emphasizing responsible neighborhood practices and requesting a letter of support. The council also noted its Autumn Newsletter and social media channels. The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m., followed by an executive session in which the WDC unanimously voted to grant the Starbucks location its requested letter of support.
