Several of Boston’s top real estate developers and investors agree – the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) lacks transparency and needs to plan first and approve construction later.

"The planning process is key to faster development," but city planners need to do a better job of anticipating where demand and growth will occur so zoning is already established by the time investors propose construction plans, Stephen Faber, executive vice president for Related Beal, said at an industry event hosted by media firm Bisnow this morning.

Several of the event’s panelists agreed the BRA is "one of the best redevelopment authorities in the country," but went on to bemoan certain aspects of dealing with the agency, potential problems the city’s new mayor could attempt to fix.

Before redevelopment projects are underway in the city, investors need clear, defined timelines to move forward effectively, said Justin Krebs, principal with Normandy Real Estate Partners. Normandy recently signed a long-term lease with TripAdvisor for 280,000 square feet of new office space in Needham, to be the anchor tenant for the developer’s Center 128, an office park with 830,000 square feet of space available for development. 

"[A new mayor] needs to embrace the BRA – revamp it for timetables, transparency, deadlines and accountability," offered John Hynes, principal in the development team for Seaport Square, where Hynes hopes more than 50 percent of the total 6.3 million square feet of office, residential, hotel and retail space planned for the neighborhood will be under construction by the end of next year.

"My only criticism of the BRA is they get past zoning and urban planning and then get stuck in design," Hynes added. "Architecture is very subjective. Where the BRA plays an important role is where the architecture meets the street."