On Dec.10, in the cozy embrace of the Corrib restaurant, West Roxbury Business and Professional Association (WRBPA) members finally heard from the new Trader Joe’s manager in West Roxbury, Claire Sommers; she was unable to make last month’s meeting.

Dressed in a black Hawaiian shirt and jeans, Sommers seemed a bit nervous but held her own, making self-deprecating jokes while standing in front of business owners who had questions ranging from parking to permission to fund-raise outside the store.

Sommers told the crowd she began working for Trader Joe’s 19 years ago. Most recently she was at the popular Brookline location before being asked to lead this new one in West Roxbury. Her main objective as a manager is to make sure that everyone has a really nice time, she said, describing her coworkers as “the kindest of the kind.”

With the air of a cruise director wanting to steer the audience toward a fruitful discussion, she opened up for questions and feedback almost right away. The first question was on the state of the parking lot the previous day. She asked, “Do you mean yesterday?”

Apparently, the parking area was in chaos for a few hours. She explained that Trader Joe’s began using “smart” shopping carts. “The tape should all be off now and parking all available,” she said. The updated “smart” shopping carts have locks preventing them from going past certain boundaries. However, if someone needs to reach their car ‘down the road’ employees can unlock the carts to accommodate patrons. The intention is to keep track of all the carts without them straying.

Myles Duffey, a frequently outspoken WRBPA member, asked about constituents with petitions taking up space outside Trader Joe’s as grocery stores are known for being places for signing petitions.

Sommers said anyone looking to get someone on the ballot or push a ballot question has every right to be there. Her only concern is for solicitors to not stand to the left of the exit, by the wheelchair accessible ramp. Someone else asked for permission for Girl Scouts to sell cookies and Sommers said they only allow political-based solicitors. “A lot of it has to do with it being a rental property.”

Sommers said she has fielded 60 phone calls in a four-day period from the Girl Scouts thus far and had to say ‘no’ as the space is just not there.

District 6 City Councilor Ben Weber brought up the issue of the parking spaces near the sidewalk which do not have barriers, like at other parts of the store. Sommers said she is talking to the landlord to provide some demarcations for safety reasons and was going to follow up after the meeting.

West Roxbury Neighborhood Council Vice Chair Stephen Smith asked why Trader Joe’s only opened at 9 a.m. and not 7 a.m. like other supermarkets in the area. Sommers said part of the reason for that was Trader Joe’s has trucks that come in every morning and employees show up as early as 4 a.m. to help unload food and stock it and so as not to rush employees or make shoppers have to walk over things on the ground, they open a bit later for safety and comfort reasons.

“Almost every Trader Joe’s in the US is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.”

In response to a question about what separates Trader Joe’s from other grocery chains, Sommers said “We really are about the customer experience and making sure everybody feels comfortable in the store. We don’t do any ‘sales’ – dropping the prices to have you come in. We really have great values.” She also emphasized the unique types of snacks Trader Joe’s offers.

“If you’re hoping for Doritos, that’s not who we are. But if you’re looking for good prices on your everyday things or you’re looking to get adventurous we have a lot of fun items. But what really stands out for us are our everyday great prices.”

Sommers also brought up the culture of integrity in the workplace and each employee giving their all every day. To that end, people mentioned donating to Rose’s Bounty, and Sommers said she met Darra Slagle, the food pantry’s director. She paused and people laughed as most are familiar with how passionate and energetic Slagle is.

Sommers said Slagle now comes into Trader Joe’s three times a week for collections. “She’s incredible,” she said.

Somers said she tries to foster that sense of community and caring with her employees, too, and asking about their lives outside of work. She said many employees have said how Trader Joe’s stands out for being a place that cares. The West Roxbury location is fully staffed, and 60 percent of the staff are able to walk to work. What Sommers has noticed is that there is no peak period that retail stores often get.

They are steadily busy throughout the day, with the weekends being a little busier.

Weber then took the stage and encouraged people to give back by volunteering or donating to food pantries. Even though SNAP benefits are back the eligibility for them has tightened, he said.

“They got rid of the work exemption for non-disabled veterans; they’ve upped the limit from 51 to 55 years old.”

Another group to consider is Neighbors Connect, formerly JP@Home, which helps older people remain in their home. Weber said this program helped his father in law who was initially a priest and then later became a carpenter, having kids late in life and working for as long as he could, into his late 70s. John McGuire, a longtime volunteer for Ethos, which runs Neighbors Connect, called it a village helping one another to lead longer, healthier lives. He encouraged people 68-91 to take part in the regular walks at the Arboretum and other outdoorsy locations, to avoid isolation which often leads to depression.

Brightening up the event, Hennigan played a video made by the Salvation Army as an accompaniment to his award for his community service. Featuring many community-oriented people praising Hennigan, Lindsay Chase’s words felt the most heartfelt. The director of West Roxbury Main Streets, she said many people rely on Hennigan to not only organize efforts but to inspire them; he works in an understated way, not realizing how much joy he brings.

A raffle and parting gift bags were some fun highlights of the meeting. The raffle included five $50 gift cards to the Corrib, which is known for its quality comfort food. Hennigan’s wife and daughter, who surprised him with her attendance, were on hand to facilitate the raffle and goodie bags.

For those who want to participate in the Parkway Kettle Campaign (ringing the bell for the Salvation Army) outside of Roche Brothers or for the second round of turkey dinner deliveries as part of the Mary Mulvey Jacobson’s Families in Need volunteer effort, contact Hennigan at jim@jimhennigan.com.

As he stated many times throughout this meeting and last, ringing the bell is just for one hour so no matter how cold it is, one can brave the elements for the greater good.

On Dec. 10, the Boston Zoning Commission (BZC) voted unanimously – after holding a virtual public hearing – to add two new Squares + Streets (S+S) zoning districts to the six already in the citywide code. Their approval marked the latest update to Mayor Michelle Wu’s initiative to increase residential development in neighborhood business districts selected by City Hall.

It also served as a milestone for what has been a contentious and lengthy community engagement process regarding the Planning Department’s S+S rezoning of Hyde Park’s Cleary Square.

Cleary Square and Roslindale Square were the first neighborhood downtowns/main streets selected for the initiative, and when the Planning Department released the draft amendment (Article 26) proposing six new S+S zoning districts in early December of 2023, there were many concerns regarding their potential negative impacts, as well as how much meaningful input the community would have in determining which of those zones would go where.

Those concerns were informed by the fact that the loosened restrictions of the S+S zones allow for greatly increased height and density in new residential development – and a possible reduction of active use/commercial space in the areas where they are mapped. The districts would also reduce, if not eliminate, any binding community input built into the zoning relief process, as the Zoning Board of Appeals would not get as many zoning variance requests.

The planning process for Cleary Square officially kicked off in February of 2024 and the BZC adopted Article 26 into the citywide code that April. Throughout the year, the Planning Department held many public meetings and community outreach events while, some feel, avoiding publicly addressing those reiterated zoning concerns in any sort of detailed way as things moved forward.

In response, that summer a volunteer ad hoc committee drafted a citizens’ petition in which it proposed changes to Article 26. It focused on protecting business space in Cleary Square from being taken away, guarding against residential and business displacement, addressing concerns raised by the S+S zones having no minimum parking requirement, and the environment.

Over roughly the next year, the citizens’ petition would go back and forth between the ad hoc committee and City Hall as it was winnowed down, and the Planning Department opted to submit two of its own S+S amendments that were informed by it.

“Although the new districts we’re proposing now are not identical to those in the citizens’ petition, this amendment is meant to meet the residents’ request for more options for districts that suit smaller-scale mixed-use and commercial areas,” Cleary Square Project Manager Maya Kattler-Gold explained during her hearing presentation last Wednesday morning.

The two new zones also are designed to act as buffers.

The existing S+S districts (S0-S5) increase from maximum allowed heights of four, to five, to seven, to about 12 stories in generally corresponding mixed-use proportions, and active ground-floor use is not required until the first seven-story zone (S3).

The new S3-6 zoning district differs from the original S3 (Active Main Street) district in only one way: it allows for a maximum of six stories instead of seven, thus connecting to the five-story S2 (Main Street Mixed-Use) district, which allows – but does not require – active use.

The new SC (Shopping and Commercial Nodes) district is similar to the S2 district, aside from allowing for a maximum height of four stories and more commercial uses on its upper floors. Its design also provides a link to the primarily residential four-story S1 (Main Street Living) district.

The Planning Department’s other S+S amendment – adopted in January and also a result of the citizens’ petition – expanded active uses on ground and upper floors (mainly in the S0-S2 districts) and made primary frontage ground-floor residential units in S2 a conditional use.

The hearing ran about 15 minutes and was uneventful, with public testimony in favor of the amendment from two members of the ad hoc committee (the only other testimony – also in support – was from District 5 City Councilor Enrique Pepén’s office), and a letter submitted by the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association (the organization most involved in the community-led response to S+S) that was also in support of the new zoning districts.

In short, there was consensus, but the whole process’ existence could be said to call into question the veracity of the S+S community process.

Those two amendments were adopted because residents put in the extra time, effort, and expense to prepare and follow up on a formal petition in order to try to force constructive communication with the Planning Department regarding their zoning concerns.

Beyond that, none of what happened between the ad hoc committee and the Planning Department to bring about those changes was public: the community at large was not officially notified of the proposed amendments until they were, in effect, ready for approval.

That noted, in early 2026, the S+S community process will resume when the Planning Department releases its proposed S+S zoning map for Cleary Square for public review.

For Squares + Streets information, visit www.bostonplans.org and scroll down to its quick link: https://www.bostonplans.org/planning-zoning/planning-initiatives/squares-streets