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This guy was so close but somehow still missed it. “It doesn’t sit really well within the community, from the people who I talk to,” South said. “They got rid of the street cars in the middle of the lane because more and more people were buying cars. Now we have more people, more cars; now...

A good place to start is the city's own analysis report below which, whether you agree with it or not, does a good job of outlining the complexity of the issue. https://www.bostonplans.org/getattachment/ff18ba95-e421-4385-90fa-92214ddcc72c

It's not just the real estate group that says this will decrease housing production, it has been demonstrated in multiple studies and papers all over the country that this will decrease both total housing production and affordable housing production. Unfortunately, the city believes that 20% of...

That definitely could be the case. Just my guess though, by the way this project was floated out last year at 700, followed by the mayor's office not outright saying no to the height but suggesting a "re-zoning", and then now coming in near 500 suggests to me they got some assurance of...

The lower height suggests the BPDA is already on board with this. I doubt RMR would have filed an LOI if they were going to lose another 200 feet in height during the permitting process.

Is the early commitment to a 4.3 FAR the maximum based on the open space requirements? If not, why are they limiting the FAR at the outset? Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but this site is in a 300-foot FAA zone, slightly higher than the rest of the 250–274-foot Fort Point/Seaport zone. There...

The city can do the following tomorrow, without seeking state approval. 1. Any business not serving alcohol is allowed to operate 24 hours a day, by right. 2. Any business serving alcohol is allowed to operate until 2am, by right. 3. Any business can offer live entertainment until 2am, by...

Zoning and NIMBYism cannot be separated as issues. To develop these vacant lots, the underlying zoning either needs to be changed (see PLAN: JP/ROX failing due to NIMBYism) or the developer needs a variance (see JP abutter lawsuits due to NIMBYism).

Those metrics were in response to the idea that businesses are pulling back from investing here and/or fleeing the state. I agree the area is unaffordable and that is the biggest problem we face. If we don't build more housing and that investment keeps coming in it is only going to get worse.

A lot of Boston doom and gloom in this thread - JLL disagrees. From its 2024 Innovation Geographies report: 1. Boston ranks 3rd in the world (behind the Bay Area and San Diego) in number of patents generated per capita; 2. Boston ranks 4th in the world in innovation output (behind the Bay Area...

Interesting comment on planning from Councilor Coletta, who opposed both "forward-looking planning efforts" in her district - PLAN: Charlestown outright and PLAN: East Boston before it was scaled back. What she means by planning is: cover most of the existing neighborhoods in historical...

Yes and no. The mayor appoints the BPDA board, the Zoning Commission, and the ZBA board (ideally) based on their expertise in land use, planning, architecture, etc. If city residents do not like the direction the city is going in regarding development/zoning, they can vote the mayor out. Beyond...

In addition to the transactional benefits described above, a huge pro in favor of keeping the board independent is keeping it away from city council "oversight" and "accountability." These are code words for giving city councilors veto power or heavy influence over BPDA development decisions...

Interesting question. I think the correct avenue would be for a developer to apply for a building permit that would otherwise comply with the MBTA Communities Act. When Milton's building inspector and/or planning board denies the permit for not complying with Milton's zoning code, I would...

Milton's zoning bylaws are now officially in violation of the zoning act M.G.L. 40A and the state's position should be the bylaws are void. Milton should lose its right to enforce zoning until the bylaws are in compliance. Period.

The BPDA has been quietly promising this for the past couple years on multiple projects during the permitting process. I would love to see some follow-up on whether the City is actually enforcing the agreements years later when residents finally move in.

I think people are ignoring the only real concern here: TD Garden and Fenway do not want competition for concerts. The "environment" "traffic" "process" "location within Boston" all might be concerns but they are sideshows. The chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Aaron Michlewitz...

Several non-profit organizations such as MAPC, Mass Housing Partnership, CHAPA, Boston Indicators, A Better City, etc. have issued reports on this exact question in recent years. The general consensus in north of 200,000 by 2030 to achieve a healthy vacancy rate. That figure was also used as a...

This school is anticipated to serve 60 students? Is that a typo?

Aside from the massive civil lawsuits that will arise out of this, the Attorney General's office should get involved. To know that the track gauges are improperly narrow but proceed anyway is beyond negligence. I don't usually comment on these transit focused threads but this is an absolute...