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Randi Grohe Lathrop
President: RG Lathrop Consulting LLC
Randi Grohe Lathrop is a seasoned professional with 35 years of experience in Urban Planning, Zoning, Real Estate Development, Government Relations, Community & Business Participation, Retail Overview, Business and Economic Development. She specializes in Development Consulting, Government Relations, Retail Assistance, Urban Planning & Zoning, Business & Community Engagement, and Start-Ups in the City of Boston. Randi holds a Master's Degree/Magna Cum Laude in Reading Specialist, a Bachelor of Science/Magna Cum Laude in Special Education and Elementary School Teaching, an Associate's degree in Early Education/Liberal Arts, and a High school diploma in Liberal Arts and Sciences. She has held key positions such as President at RG Lathrop Consulting LLC, Director Of Business Development at Boston Redevelopment Authority, Deputy Director/Community Planning at Boston Redevelopment Authority, Gallery Manager at The Society of Arts + Crafts, Co-Owner at Signature and the Grohe Glass Gallery, and Elementary School Teacher & Reading & Math Specialist at Barrington Public Schools.
Randi Grohe Lathrop's expertise lies in assisting with approvals within the South End Historic Landmark District Commission, providing overview, permitting, and finance for retail projects of all sizes, and navigating the intricate landscape of the City of Boston's various neighborhoods like Turnpike Air Rights, Downtown Boston & Downtown Crossing, Newmarket Sq, South End, Fenway, Mission Hill, Roxbury/Nubian Square, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and the Seaport Sq. area. She is an effective public speaker, strong communicator, team builder, action-oriented, and highly knowledgeable about the City of Boston. With strong relationships with City of Boston public officials, elected officials at State, Federal & City levels, various City departments, and the staff at the Boston Planning Development Agency (BPDA), Randi is well-connected within the city's governance and planning circles.
Randi Grohe Lathrop's accolades include prestigious awards such as the Life Time Achievement Award from IREM (Institute of Real Estate Management) Boston Metropolitan Chapter, the Susan King Public Service Award from NEWIRE (New England Women In Real Estate), the Shattuck Award for public service from the City of Boston, the Faces Award from The Fenway Alliance, the American Planning Association (APA) recognition for Washington Street as one of its 'Great Places in America', the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 'Greatest American Main Street Award' for Washington Gateway Main Street, the Director's Award for Outstanding Leadership from Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Bay Village Neighborhood Association.
In addition to her professional achievements, Randi Grohe Lathrop is deeply involved in the community, having contributed significantly to the vibrant cultural and historic fabric of Boston for the past 35 years as a resident. She is a seasoned manager and supervisor with a multi-task oriented approach, extreme organizational skills, and a comprehensive understanding of the public, non-profit, and private sectors. Her strong relationships with commercial brokers, retailers, the business community, and community-based organizations across Boston make her a valuable asset in fostering collaboration and driving initiatives for sustainable urban development and economic growth. Randi is also well-versed in Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and the City of Boston's Main Street program, further highlighting her commitment to fostering vibrant and thriving neighborhoods.
With a wealth of experience, a robust educational background, a track record of professional excellence, and a deep-rooted connection to the City of Boston, Randi Grohe Lathrop continues to be a respected leader in the fields of Urban Planning, Zoning, Real Estate Development, Government Relations, and Community Engagement, driving positive change and impactful development initiatives across the city.
Highlights
Scott Van Voorhis Thank you Jay Hurley for your 21 years on the Zoning Commission . You deserved better . Wu’s purge: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu cans critic who raised concerns about pet climate initiative . Apparently, in Wutopia everyone speaks with one voice - or else.
Last month Jay Hurley, the long-time chair of the Boston Zoning Commission, shot down the mayor’s proposal to impose tough new net-zero emissions rules for new buildings starting next year, accelerating her plan by an entire decade. Hurley was a long-time top official in the ironworkers union who was involved, in one way or another, in any new tower or other project built in the Hub in the last half century.
As Boston’s development boom has gone bust, Hurley had grown increasingly worried about the impact of new Wu administration climate & other regs on proposed development projects struggling to get financing.
“I just felt it like they were pushing it too fast - it’s too much too soon,” Hurley told Contrarian Boston.
Last Tuesday, when the agenda for the next zoning board meeting failed to show up in his inbox, Hurley reached out to City Hall.
He didn’t hear back for several hours, which was odd. Finally, Hurley received an apologetic call from an old City Hall colleague. After expressing surprise that Hurley hadn’t been notified, he then told him the news: “You’ve been replaced.”
“‘Are you kidding?’” Hurley replied - clearly shocked. So ended Hurley’s two decades of service on the zoning commission, in which he had outlasted a string of mayors: Menino, Walsh, and Kim Janey (acting mayor for a few months) before being unceremoniously shown the door.
Hurley, who just turned 70, said he’s not particularly aggrieved by losing his seat on the zoning commission, for which he was paid maybe a couple thousand dollars in a good year.
“I’ve been fired from better jobs than this,” he quipped.
Hurley told Contrarian Boston he’s concerned with a large drop in construction activity in Boston. There has been a big falloff over the past two years in new projects moving ahead - everything from new apartments and condos to new lab space. And that, in turn, has meant increasingly lean times for union construction workers.
“Work has been the slowest it has been since I can remember, at least in the last 20 years,” said the veteran - and now retired - union official and South Boston resident.
But Hurley is also clearly troubled about what his removal says about the ability of members of the zoning commission and similar boards to speak their minds and raise concerns about Wu’s policies, with the uber progressive mayor’s sensitivity to criticism and perceived sleights an open secret.
“If you can’t vote your conscience, what are you going to do?” Hurley said. “You might as well not have the (zoning) board.”
Great points. Contrarian Boston reached out to Wu’s press office for comment, but did not receive a response by our deadline.
Multi space meters will be installed this fall on Tremont Street in the South End. It’s important to have these meters in mixed use districts.
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Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
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