With John Connolly and Marty Walsh telling potential voters of their intentions to reconstruct the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), incumbent Mayor Tom Menino has his own message for voters: Do it the Menino way.

The Boston Business Journal reports that Menino chose a groundbreaking ceremony for the $70 million Envoy Hotel in the Seaport to slam BRA overhaul proposals, warning that it would mean “there will not be any development in the city of Boston for a year and a half.” While never mentioning Walsh or Connolly by name, given the candidates’ recent talks of BRA restructuring, there is little doubt as to who Menino was targeting.

“No one should stop the growth we have in the city and we can’t allow anyone to put these folks on the bench,” Menino added, praising the BRA for “getting the job done.”

During an interview with the BBJ following the ceremony, Menino questioned the need for more BRA transparency, adding that each project goes through three steps — neighborhood, governmental and BRA review. Not once, Menino said, has a project rejected by the neighborhood review been approved by the BRA.

As far as the Envoy project goes, Menino praised its tourist-, business travelers- , and federal courthouse-friendly location.

The 100,000-square-foot “boutique” hotel broke ground at 66 Sleeper Street. Developer Norwich Partners of Vermont will bring 136 luxury guest rooms, a restaurant and bar to the former parking lot next to the Barking Crab by 2015. The plan reportedly includes a public roof deck fitted with a bar and lounge.

The 16,910-square-foot lot was purchased in 2011 for just under $9 million.

 Image from ESPN