New rules for outdoor dining in Boston

Also: The plan to overhaul an Allston eyesore; new grant program aims to ‘decarbonize’ low-income housing [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  February 17, 2023 🌫️ Patchy fog this morning, with showers in the afternoon and a high near 60. Good Morning Boston, It's nearly the weekend — and maybe a long weekend or week-long school vacation for some of you. So, let's get straight to the news: - There's going to be a lot less outdoor dining in Boston's North End this year. Mayor Michelle Wu's office announced a new permanent outdoor dining program last night allowing restaurants across the city to set up patios on sidewalks or in parking spots if they pay a fee beginning May 1. But in the North End, the al fresco dining will be limited to only sidewalks (if they're wide enough). That means patios will not be allowed in public on-street parking spaces in the North End like the last few years. - Why? Wu's office cited "unique challenges" and concerns voiced by residents in the dense neighborhood about traffic, sanitation and accessibility during the previous outdoor dining pilots. Officials also said they expect [the months-long Sumner Tunnel closure]( to increase traffic in the North End this summer. - The new rules come after North End restaurants [fiercely clashed with Wu's office last year]( over a $7,500 fee to help mitigate the impacts of outdoor dining in the neighborhood. This year, all restaurants in Boston will instead pay a monthly fee for outdoor dining ($399 if they have a liquor license; $199 if they don't). - Some North End restaurateurs are again unhappy with the city's policy. "It's not just us. It's our employees, it's the waitstaff, it's the kitchen staff that is really going to be hurt by this," Karen Pellino, the co-owner of Casarecce Ristorante, told WBUR's Dave Faneuf. "So, we're fighting for them, too." Rendering of the proposed 176 Lincoln Street redevelopment (BPDA) - You know that mammoth warehouse by the Mass. Pike in Allston? (You've definitely seen the eyesore if you've ever crossed the highway [using the Everett Street bridge]( It's been vacant for over 35 years. But that is poised to finally change. The Boston Planning and Development Agency voted last night to approve [a plan]( to redevelop the five-acre site into offices, lab space and over 250 apartments (plus shops and restaurants). - Other features: The makeover also includes two acres of open space, fully underground parking and a new, expanded home for the nonprofit [Artisan’s Asylum]( — with "makers markets" and other public arts programming — according to Berkeley Investments, the local real estate firm [behind the project](. - Why has it been vacant so long? The site [has a long history]( — first home to Carnegie Steel and then a moving company, before the internet company Globix signed up in 2000 to turn the giant warehouse into something called "Boston Internet City." But then the dot-com bubble burst, Globix went bankrupt and no one has been interested in filling the space since. - What's next: Berkeley still needs approval from Boston's Zoning Commission next month. If that happens, they intend to start construction in 2024, with the hope of opening in 2027, says Morgan Pierson, the firm's senior VP for development. - Boston Public Schools is working on a new agreement with the city's police department that will not involve stationing cops in schools. The Boston Globe [reports]( it will formalize a relationship between the two entities and better clarify when teachers should call the police. - Police haven't been stationed in BPS schools since the summer of 2021, but a series of recent violent incidents led [several city councilors]( to call on the city to reconsider. - Interim no more. The Boston Celtics [named 34-year-old Joe Mazzulla its full-time head coach yesterday](. The move means former head coach Ime Udoka — who coached the Celtics to the NBA Finals last season — will not be returning after [his yearlong suspension]( is up. - The team seems to be doing more than fine without Udoka — heading into the All-Star break this weekend atop the NBA's Eastern Conference with a 42-17 record. As a result, Mazzulla and his staff will get to coach in the All-Star Game on Sunday. - Mazzulla isn't the only Celtic participating in All-Star weekend. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will also play in the game Sunday — and Tatum will [compete Saturday night]( in the 3-Point Contest. P.S.— A top state official is retiring today. Do you know who he or she is? Then [take this week's Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of the local stories we covered. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [It's official: Marty Walsh is the new head of the NHL player's union]( The NHL Players’ Association has hired U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh as its executive director. The union said its executive board with representatives from all 32 clubs unanimously approved Walsh’s appointment. Walsh, who will begin his new role in mid-March, is the first of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet secretaries to leave. [Read more.]( [It's official: Marty Walsh is the new head of the NHL player's union]( The NHL Players’ Association has hired U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh as its executive director. The union said its executive board with representatives from all 32 clubs unanimously approved Walsh’s appointment. Walsh, who will begin his new role in mid-March, is the first of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet secretaries to leave. [Read more.]( [New $50 million grant program will help ‘decarbonize’ low-income housing in Mass.]( The money can be used for things like swapping fossil heating systems for air or ground-source heat pumps, upgrading electrical panels, replacing old windows, adding insulation and installing rooftop solar panels. [Read more.]( [New $50 million grant program will help ‘decarbonize’ low-income housing in Mass.]( The money can be used for things like swapping fossil heating systems for air or ground-source heat pumps, upgrading electrical panels, replacing old windows, adding insulation and installing rooftop solar panels. [Read more.]( [Sen. John Fetterman is receiving treatment for clinical depression]( Fetterman checked himself in atWalter Reed hospital Wednesday night. "While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks," chief of staff Adam Jentleson said in a statement. [Read more.]( [Sen. John Fetterman is receiving treatment for clinical depression]( Fetterman checked himself in atWalter Reed hospital Wednesday night. "While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks," chief of staff Adam Jentleson said in a statement. [Read more.]( [Nikki Haley stops in N.H. a day after launching presidential run]( Throughout her major open-door event of the 2024 Republican presidential race in New Hampshire, Haley made a pitch for Republicans to seek out younger leaders as she courted voters who packed the town hall building Thursday. Her appearance in N.H. comes a day after launching her campaign in her home state of South Carolina. [Read more.]( [Nikki Haley stops in N.H. a day after launching presidential run]( Throughout her major open-door event of the 2024 Republican presidential race in New Hampshire, Haley made a pitch for Republicans to seek out younger leaders as she courted voters who packed the town hall building Thursday. Her appearance in N.H. comes a day after launching her campaign in her home state of South Carolina. [Read more.]( [How seniors could lose in the Medicare political wars]( Politicians are again pointing fingers over cutting Medicare. Any party accused of threatening the program tends to lose elections, but without a bipartisan agreement, seniors stand to lose the most. [Read more.]( [How seniors could lose in the Medicare political wars]( Politicians are again pointing fingers over cutting Medicare. Any party accused of threatening the program tends to lose elections, but without a bipartisan agreement, seniors stand to lose the most. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Under new leadership, the Boston Pride parade is returning this June for the first time since 2019 — with the intent of centering the LGBTQ celebration around the people of the community. WBUR's Jacob Garcia [has more here about the event's triumphant return](. - Looking for something to read for Black History Month? WBUR arts fellow Lauren Williams has [three books written by Black women for this week’s Read-In]( , including a Gayl Jones' tour-de-force, a critical fabulation from Saidiya Hartman and "Toni Morrison at her best." - The recent downing of unidentified airborne objects has thrust NORAD back into the spotlight. But aside from the Cold War stories and tracking Santa each Christmas, the general public doesn't know a lot about the multi-country aerospace organization. Here's [a rundown of NORAD's history, how it works today and how it might change](. - Following the untimely death of her dog Toby last month, Anita Diamant [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that she has now outlived four dogs — and can't imagine life without them.  What We're Reading 📚 - A new force for climate bills on Beacon Hill: the New England Aquarium ([The Boston Globe]( - Doctor’s orders—head to the museum instead of the pharmacy ([Harvard Public Health Magazine]( - An inside look at how the Boston Archdiocese is crafting gender-identity guidelines ([National Catholic Reporter](  Tell Me Something Good [After viral TikTok posts, Montpelier author's 'Stone Maidens' novel is a bestseller (Vermont Public)Â]( Lloyd Devereux Richards’ daughter, Marguerite, hoped to drum up a few sales for his debut novel with the simple, 16-second video. It’s now been viewed over 42 million times — and has put the 11-year-old book on the bestseller list. [Read more.]( [After viral TikTok posts, Montpelier author's 'Stone Maidens' novel is a bestseller (Vermont Public)Â]( Lloyd Devereux Richards’ daughter, Marguerite, hoped to drum up a few sales for his debut novel with the simple, 16-second video. It’s now been viewed over 42 million times — and has put the 11-year-old book on the bestseller list. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common previews [all the fun and affordable activities around Boston for families to check]( out during February school break. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: ["Exactly how I would expect a rich Boston suburb to describe itself."]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? 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