Like the Olympics all over again: Seaport condo association says planned Grand Prix should be stopped

I'd care more if there were an actual neighborhood involved (such as on A Street).

That said, I'm still against the event if it would interrupt Silver Line service to the airport.

Special event - pull your permits. As long as there is no technical graft - don't we elect city officials who hire key personnel to make those decisions? I get the inconvenience factor - but in my opinion it's part of living in the city. I don't understand why certain parades need to be on Boylston - and it massively screws up traffic - but it's the price I pay to live near there the other 355 or so days a year.

At least you have well publicized notice. Can't tell you how frustrating it is to be heading home and realize there was some Martian day parade or some sort that was never advertised (with 3x more people in the parade than on the sidewalk) and it takes literally 90 minutes to go 3 blocks.

Briefly:

I live at 407 D Street, next to 437 D and across from the Lawn on D. The start / finish line is approximately right in front of my building and our apartment faces D Street.

It's a fun idea and I'm on board with it.

There are a lot of problems with it.

First, the people at 437 D Street aren't "1 percenters" they are long-time Boston residents, many of whom have lived there since before the BCEC was built. They're invested, personally and financially, in the neighborhood.

Bottom line is, I believe for many of them, they are mostly concerned about the route of the IndyCar race, not the actual event. They have only involved an attorney because the owners believe their concerns have not been addressed. (I can't speak for them since I've only had limited interactions with several of the owners.) Some, of course, don't want it at all. I can respect their opinion even though mine is different.

The route, as proposed, goes through the South Boston Waterfront on roads that don't face housing, apartments or condos. That's fine. That's cool. Great neighborhood for this sort of thing.

A smidgen of the route goes directly in front of residential housing; namely, 437 D Street and my building, the Flats on D, at 407-411 D Street. That smidgen, unfortunately, is the start and finish lines, where there is going to be the most activity.

437 D Street is a condo building - the people living there own their homes. They have concerns much like you or I would have; namely, safety, noise, inconveniences.

Please take a look at the route. Near the finish line, it goes directly under the BCEC - under it - and then comes out the other side. Where it comes out, the cars (not at 180-mph, most-likely, but 100 mph maybe?) will be going directly toward the condos at 437 D Street. Like, head-on. The cars will pull a sharp right, go down D Street, and finish ~500 feet away.

Images of route at 437 D Street

http://imgur.com/5KOcdD4
http://imgur.com/qy1pX8N
http://imgur.com/DP2YwMX

The organizers of the race have said they will construct 16-foot barriers along the street to protect the building (and, people?) from any harm. I don't know if I was an owner if I'd feel you could build barriers of any height and guarantee protection.

The race takes two weeks to build and another week to tear down; this isn't a "one-day" or "three-day" event; it's a month-long event for those who live in the neighborhood.

And, it is a neighborhood. It was always designed to be a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial.

The noise issue is a temporary one - I guess just three days although I assume the drivers drive the course during the week before to check out the route?

The street will be blocked off - for how long, undetermined. Perhaps a "minor" inconvenience in the minds of some, but not being able to access your residential parking garages for a week is a problem - and something that apparently isn't being addressed by the event's organizers. Both garages empty onto D Street. That's not going to be possible during the event.

From what I understand, the race organizers and city hall / state officials from the neighborhood haven't been very responsive to concerns raised by area residents. That's what's driving (lol) the opposition. The organizers either don't have the answers to the questions or don't want to admit them. Either is not good.

This is the first time Boston is doing this. Baltimore did it for three years and apparently the city - not the organizers - lost money every year. (The reason Boston signed up for five years is 1) because it was required; and, 2) because due to sunk costs you have to go that long to break even.) (And, the economic benefits are questionable, based on what I've read.)

As we all know, there are people pro and con about any issue, any event, and this will be no different. For a list of the cons, check out this Baltimore Sun article / column. If you're looking for reasons to oppose an IndyCar race in Boston, this has all of them. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-01-03/news/bs-ed-grand-prix-201201...

For some, this event is eerily familiar to the Olympics where promises where made and agreements forged prior to anyone who lives here actually being involved / asked for an opinion. That alone makes some people angry.

The race organizers are apparently unprepared to deal with residents; at meetings, they have apparently been saying, "I dunno," and, "Let me get back to you," when asked elementary questions. Local officials have seemingly been passing the buck.

From a practical point of view, I can't believe that noise of 140-decibels, the typical level at its highest for IndyCars, won't blow out all our windows. That level is apparently what you hear on the deck of an aircraft carrier. (Again, we can all find pros and cons to argue our points.)

Those who oppose the route of the race have proposed other routes - three, is what I've heard - but have been shot down by the organizers. Is there a fourth option?

The route down D Street was chosen (most-likely) for two reasons: 1) it's a straightaway and has room for viewing stands at the Lawn on D; and, 2) organizers of races such as these like to have cars running under buildings and having the route go under the Convention Center allows them to do this.

Thoughts?