Vivien Li
Title: President, The Boston Harbor Association
Age: 59
Experience: 30 years
Anyone that knows her will tell you Vivien Li is one of the most knowledgeable civic leaders in the region when it comes to Boston’s waterfront. The Boston Harbor Association, which she has led since 1991, has been instrumental in creating the 39 miles of completed HarborWalk around Boston, with another eight to come as real estate developments move forward. The group started in 1973 to advocate for cleaning up Boston Harbor, then one of the dirtiest harbors in the country. It is now one of the cleanest. But Li is not just a water baby – she also has her finger on the pulse of development – in Boston and beyond.
Q: Can you talk about the impacts of all the development on the waterfront and what you’re trying to do with the harbor association.
A: Fidelity and the Drew Co. were the visionaries to think about the South Boston Waterfront. Back then no one thought about it. John Drew was really the one that pushed for the Silver Line from South Station to the Seaport District. But there were no restaurants back then. There was Anthony’s Pier 4, Jimmy’s Harborside and the No Name Restaurant. Now, as we talk about celebrating the accomplishments of [Mayor] Thomas Menino and as we look to the new mayor … the No Name is there, but Anthony’s is about to close and Jimmy’s Harborside has been replaced by Liberty Wharf, which now houses several destination restaurants. Now that it’s been branded as the Innovation District, it’s changed the way people see the area. As a result, you have developers like Young Park and Berkeley Investments who, on Congress Street, have created what’s referred to informally as “the foodie’s food court.” Park said, ‘I’m not going to take chains like McDonald’s.’ He got Joanne Chang from Flour to open here. He also brought in Barbara Lynch with Sportello and Drink and Menton. He brought in Tavern Road and Bee’s Knees [Supply Co.] … all these unique, non-chain restaurants to this area, and made it as a result an eclectic area.
Q: Looking forward to the November election, where should Boston’s next mayor focus his or her efforts?
A: I think the next mayor should really focus on different waterfront neighborhoods. I think East Boston and Dorchester. That’s where the next mayor can really make a difference. I think it’s highly unlikely that we’ll have another mayor that will have five terms. Look at all the candidates. Whoever makes it, unless they run away with the election in November and slaughter the other candidate, they’re going to have to work pretty hard in four years. If you look at the polls, it’s not like there’s one clear winner where one has 50 percent of the votes. If I was a candidate and I didn’t make it this time, I’d be looking hard at the next four years.
It only takes two years for new election committees to form and start campaigning. You have to show that you’re doing something in the first two years or they’ll be nipping at your heels. They can make a difference in East Boston and Dorchester, and I say that because there’s a pretty solid middle class there. The waterfront has become very gentrified. But in East Boston and Dorchester, the prices have not skyrocketed like on the [South Boston Waterfront]. The middle class, most young professionals just cannot afford the South Boston Waterfront now, unless they’re two professionals working for someone like Fidelity.
Q: Where along the water outside of Boston do you see promising economic development activity?
A: The two communities for the next governor to look at are really Chelsea and Everett. Chelsea is one of the magnets for the artists that have been pushed out of Fort Point because there are so many industrial spaces that artists love. The redevelopment started with Admiral’s Hill, but it’s been really building across the city. The other place is Everett, and it really came to our attention with Steve Wynn’s casino proposal. Young Park, again, who has a property not far from the casino, actually came up with this idea as he was listening to a proposal from Wynn’s team. He said, “this sounds like a 20th century casino in the middle of the desert where Frank Sinatra’s going to perform. It doesn’t sound like a 21st century casino on the water.” The water experience is what you want to sell. So now we’re talking about really pushing that idea. You come from Logan Airport, you come by boat to the casino. The reason it’s so powerful is that there’s nothing that blocks the view, and you can see all the way to the Back Bay of Boston.
Li’s Top Five Waterfront Activities:
- Swimming and walking to the top of Spectacle Island, one of the harbor islands.
- Eating a lobster roll from James Hook & Co.
- Taking the water ferry to see the USS Constitution in Charlestown Navy Yard.
- Visiting the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Dorchester.
- Watching free Friday night movies along the Boston Harbor Hotel’s HarborWalk.
