Zoning board set to restart
Plans first meeting since shutdown
The city’s zoning board — normally a busy gatekeeper granting dozens of permits during its biweekly meetings — hasn’t met in full since before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the city, as technical issues hamper the board even as other city agencies continue to function.
Mayor Martin Walsh’s administration said that the Zoning Board of Appeals is aiming for a virtual June meeting after not having one since February.
A Walsh spokeswoman said, “The ZBA recognizes that transparency and community input is paramount in this process, and that it’s necessary for community stakeholders to have real input to ensure that the process is conducted in a fair, open, and equitable way. The ZBA has been cognizant of the technological challenges inherent in conducting full appeals hearings virtually, and has taken the necessary time needed to ensure that the process moves forward thoughtfully, deliberately, and mindful of equity and access.”
The zoning board has fired up its Zoning Advisory Subcommittee, which had its first meeting ever on May 14. That was created to deal with smaller residential projects in an effort to reduce the huge caseload on the full board each week.
Prior to the creation of the subcommittee, the zoning board had been extremely busy, often having very little time to hear testimony on projects.
Other boards, including the City Council and the Boston Planning & Development Agency, have been able to meet for weeks, and the city’s new pot licensing board will have its first meeting this month.
Under Boston’s current zoning code, nearly every new project requires the granting of a variance, meaning the property owners have to go before the board and ask for an exception to the law.
The board came under scrutiny last year when a bribery case brought by U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s
office resulted in one staffer pleading guilty to federal charges and a board member resigning.
The scandal prompted multiple investigations into the board’s operations.
The Walsh administration implemented several changes, including the creation of the smaller board, as some city councilors continue to push for further change.