With the exception of a few, albeit loud dissenters, most Fenway residents accept the notion that the Red Sox will continue to play in their neighborhood, as they have for the last 87 years.  And, although a preservationist group called Save Fenway Park! is struggling to keep the ballpark on the same site it currently sits, that group's proposal does little to address the concerns of Fenway residents.  The truth is that — from a resident's perspective — the real issue is that both proposals seek to expand the capacity of the stadium by 10,000.

Can a new Fenway Park be built while still preserving the Fenway residential community?  I am persuaded that the answer is yes.  Indeed, there is an opportunity here to use the new ballpark as a lever to enhance the neighborhood.  To do so, those who care about the Fenway neighborhood need to focus on achieving three goals.

Improving the Boylston Street facade.  One obvious flaw with the Red Sox's current proposal is that the wall bordering Boylston Street with its expanse of red brick will create a dead zone along the streetscape.

The solution is obvious.  Boylston Street should have a mix of retail, commercial and residential uses.  The portion of the new ballpark that fronts Boylston Street needs to be redesigned so that it permits retail uses on its first floor.  Moreover, the facade of the ballpark on Boylston Street shouldn't look like a ballpark.  The current proposal, with its mixture of red brick and green steel, may be fine for the rest of the ballpark, but not for Boylston Street.

By doing so, the new ballpark can create a precedent for the rest of the street, so that eventually Boylston Street will become an active, alive, and year-round boulevard similar to Tremont Street in the South End.

Solving parking and transportation problems.  The addition of 10,000 seats raises the specter of 10,000 more cars and the possibility of traffic clogged streets.  That specter obscures the real issue, which is that right now the streets are clogged with traffic, and the parking situation is unacceptable.

These issues can also be resolved.  The Red Sox have made some good suggestions for enhancing public transportation and for moving vehicular traffic off neighborhood streets.  Other specific steps should be taken.  The City should impose emergency parking regulation similar to those that were enacted when Boston College expanded its stadium.  Those regulations mandate towing of nonresidential vehicles parked in residential spots on game days.  In addition, the City should move to shut down the open air parking lots that blight the neighborhood.  One benefit of closing these lots is that they can then serve as locations to build additional residential housing; something that is plainly in short supply not only in the Fenway, but in all of Boston.

Enhance residents' quality of life.  The Red Sox need to commit to an aggressive program to reduce and to the extent possible eliminate the noise, trash and unacceptable behavior that accompanies the 82 home games each year.  That means hiring cleanup crews to sweep through Kenmore Square and the Fenway immediately after every game.  It means hiring additional police officers during and after every game to patrol the neighborhood and keep residents safe.

The bottom line is money.  Improving the Boylston Street facade, solving parking and transportation issues and enhancing the residential quality of life will require considerable resources from the Red Sox. The City, and Fenway residents, should insist that this money be spent before they sign off on any new plan for a ballpark.  If they do, the new ballpark will emerge as a positive development for both the City and the Fenway neighborhood.