Boston council committee hears support to dedicate Phillips Square plaza to Tony Lee

Boston City Councilors and community leaders on April 6 heard broad support for dedicating the new open space at Phillips Square to Tony Lee, the late MIT planner and Chinatown resident whose work documented and defended the neighborhood.

At a hearing of the Council’s Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation, lead sponsor Councilor Flynn said the proposal grew out of a community design charrette and grassroots petition and described Lee as “a widely respected and well‑loved community leader.” Amy Cording, director of engineering for the Boston Transportation Department, told the committee the city is moving from a tactical plaza to a formally designed plaza with plantings, benches and gathering space and that the administration will provide the full design and construction budget on request.

The proposal would dedicate the plaza portion of the Phillips Square project as “Tony Lee Plaza” (also referenced in testimony as Tunney or Tiny Lee Plaza) while leaving the existing square name in place. Panelists and residents stressed that the dedication is meant to lift up Chinatown’s history and broaden access to neighborhood open space. “This would be a great honor and a fitting one for our father who grew up in Boston’s Chinatown and always held it close to his heart,” Kayla Lee Tunney, Lee’s daughter, said during the hearing.

Historians and community groups recounted Lee’s career — at the Boston Redevelopment Authority, in state planning offices and as a longtime MIT faculty member — and his efforts to involve residents in planning decisions. Alice Kane of the Chinese Historical Society of New England urged the council to support the naming request and noted the project site sits steps from Lee’s childhood home on Oxford Place.

Panelists and residents also framed the dedication as part of a broader set of design and interpretive measures. Lydia Lowe of the Chinatown Community Land Trust said the plaza could anchor a corridor of historic markers along Harrison Avenue and recommended on‑site interpretation such as a plaque or QR code linking to the Chinatown Atlas. “Marking this space in honor and memory of Tony Lee will help preserve and celebrate our community’s rich history,” a representative of the Chinese Progressive Association said.

Councilors repeatedly raised the limited amount of open space and tree canopy in Chinatown and asked for details about how the project will address heat mitigation. Cording said the design will include additional plantings where feasible but noted subsurface utilities constrain larger street trees in parts of the plaza; she said staff would provide the committee with a current timeline and the full design and construction budget.

Several residents described daily uses of the current tactical plaza — particularly by elders and families during hot weather — and urged the City to fund cooling elements such as shade, plantings and, if budgets allow, water‑mist features. “On hot summer nights, Phillips Square is filled with tenants sitting outdoors as they try to cool off,” Lydia Lowe said.

Committee members and panelists stressed the grassroots origin of the idea: participants said the “Tony Lee Plaza” name emerged from community design workshops led by Sasaki and follow‑up meetings among neighborhood organizations. Panelists said they intentionally proposed naming the new plaza (a city asset) while leaving the historic Phillips Square name unchanged to avoid a formal street‑renaming petition process.

No formal vote or motion was recorded at the April 6 hearing. Councilors said they would continue working with the administration and community advocates on next steps, including securing project funding, finalizing the plaza design and coordinating an appropriate dedication or ribbon‑cutting event.

The committee requested the Boston Transportation Department provide the full design and construction budget and an updated project timeline to the council.