Dear elected officials, DCAMM, and EOHHS,

I STRONGLY OPPOSE Boston Medical Center's (BMC) proposal within Franklin Park. I and many of my neighbors from all sides of the park believe the BMC's current proposal to redevelop the Shattuck Hospital campus is too large and unmanageable for success. While we support affordable housing and recovery services we feel that the current proposal to house and/or treat 850+ individuals with opioid use disorder and severe mental health issues would be counter-productive to their recovery and create a density that could not be managed effectively. While we are open to listening to the BMC's proposal, we are skeptical, given the difficulties that currently exist managing only 58 low-threshold units at this site. A marked increase in opioid use inside of Franklin Park has been documented at http://bostonheatmap.com, as evidenced by people openly using, discarding syringes, drugs, and other waste. This proposal would adversely impact the surrounding communities and our much-needed urban oasis, Franklin Park. 

My community has already demonstrated its commitment to helping people with recovery and housing issues in the past and we continue to do so, but I believe that concentrating this large amount of recovery and low-threshold housing inside a 485-acre park does not represent a commonsensical, safe, or successful approach to helping this population. In the last few years, the focus has been on decentralization for the successful administration of services to those in need. I advocate for a region-wide approach that would spread the recovery efforts to many locations throughout the state and not impact one area that has already contributed so much. Not only does the regional approach decrease the potential for community concerns, but it increases the success rate for those seeking assistance.  

While I and my neighbors may have different ideas for the use of these 13 acres in Franklin Park, we believe the current proposal should be halted immediately. As your constituent, I urge you to act now to halt the process and open a transparent community dialogue with the abutters of the park to determine the future use of this valuable parkland. Please help us achieve a more viable solution for all!

Thank you for your attention.
[full name]
[full address]