Boston Mayor Marty Walsh will veto the Boston Landmarks Commission’s vote to grant landmark status to the Citgo sign in Boston’s Kenmore Square after a real estate developer agrees to protect the iconic sign for three decades, the city reports.
“We are pleased to share that we have reached a long-term resolution that will preserve the Citgo sign and allow for it to remain in place in Kenmore Square for years to come, recognizing the significance that this sign has on our landscape in Boston, while balancing the opportunity for our horizons to continue evolving in future years,” according to a joint statement issued on behalf of Walsh, Citgo, the developer Related Beal and Boston University and released by the city.
A city official reports that “as the agreement reached protects the long-term viability of the Citgo sign, the mayor will veto the landmark designation.”
Catherine Carlock reports at Boston Business Journal: “That veto will allow Related Beal to elevate the sign’s position as part of a proposed mixed-use development. Related Beal intends to raise the sign by at least 30 feet, and could shift its lateral position, a source familiar with the development said. A landmark designation would have prevented the sign from being moved at all, a city official said.”
Previously: Boston Shouldn’t Give Kenmore Square’s Iconic Citgo Sign Landmark Status
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