IN HER Feb. 26 op-ed column “What’s Vancouver got that we don’t?’’ Renée Loth suggests that Boston’s economy and livability are being held back by a “pokey’’ development process, and that development along Boston’s waterfront is “stalled’’ because of a lack of political will or certainty, or a fear of density.
Nothing could be further from the truth, especially relating to the Greenway Planning Study. The guidelines we have developed will have an impact on this district for generations, and we need to get it right. Citizen input has been critical to the process.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority takes great pains to consider community impacts when development proposals are being vetted; neighborhood issues demand our most serious attention, and often result in better design and implementation.
Pokey? Under Mayor Menino’s leadership, more than 32 million square feet of development (that’s about 30 Prudential towers), including more than 7 million square feet on the South Boston Waterfront, have been approved and are ready to begin construction.
Projects such as Fan Pier and Russia Wharf are already underway, bringing new jobs, density, and public amenities to our waterfront for all Bostonians to enjoy.
The global economic slowdown has affected the pace of development all over the world, not just in Boston.
The mayor and our agency continue to do our part to ensure that when the economy rebounds, there will be no shortage of new density and place-making in Boston.
John F. Palmieri
Director
Boston Redevelopment Authority 
