Sue Kim

Sue Kim is a Senior Planner at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). The neighborhoods Kim works on developmental planning processes include Chinatown, the Leather District and Midtown Cultural District.
One of the BRA’s most recent projects is the South Bay Planning Study, said Kim. The South Bay Planning Study is development plan for the land located south of Kneeland Street and adjacent to Chinatown, said the BRA’s South Bay Phase 1 Report. The plan includes land uses, urban design, massing, infrastructure, transportation, and environmental issues that at the completion of the plan will lead to new zoning, the report added.

The BRA has also been working with the community to create development guidelines for Central Artery Parcel 24, said Kim. This project is also being done in conjunction with the Turnpike Authority, she added.

The BRA is also currently working on the Central Artery Parcel 23D park with the Mass. Turnpike Authority, said Kim.

Kim said the BRA reviews all development projects. These review processes include public meetings and public review, she said.

The BRA is also reviewing the development proposal for the Central Artery Parcel 24, said Kim.

“Also, streetscape infrastructure for Essex and Beach Street will be reviewed as part of the Mayor’s Crossroads Initiative,” she added. The “Crossroads Initiative” is Mayor Thomas Menino’s plan to reconnect Boston’s neighborhoods to the Harbor, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and to one another. They also connect neighborhoods that were formerly isolated by the Central Artery.

Kim said some improvements the BRA would like to see in Chinatown is an increase and diversification of housing types and income availability. The organization also wants improved streetscape design and maintenance, and to work with the Boston Public Library and Public Works Dept to establishing a location for a Chinatown-branch library.