Then-BPDA Director Arthur Jemison speaks at an Aug. 11, 2022 press conference at Boston City Hall as Mayor Michelle Wu (left) and then-BPDA Deputy Director Devin Quirk (second from right) listen. Photo by Isabel Leon | Courtesy of the Boston Mayor's Office
In an eventful two years as Boston’s planning chief, Arthur Jemison oversaw structural and policy changes at the powerful agencies that control real estate development.
Mayor Michelle Wu’s hand-picked choice to lead a new city hall-run planning department, Jemison announced his plans to step down Sept. 13 and rejoin family in Michigan. Devin Quirk, deputy chief of the Boston Planning Department, was named acting director.
“Arthur has been an exceptional leader and partner to accomplish our shared vision for Boston’s growth – grounded in affordability, resiliency, and equity,” Wu said in a statement.
The changes were designed to create a firewall between the planning functions and permitting powers at City Hall, as Wu sought to reform a system that she critiqued as being driven by individual development proposals rather than consistent long-range planning.
“He’s been extraordinary. You’ve got a lot of people coming at you with different views and different priorities,” said Matthew Kiefer, a real estate lawyer at Goulston & Storrs. “Arthur’s been repairing the plane in mid-flight. He’s done the job forging consensus on planning and development projects while accomplishing the mayor’s very strong campaign promise of changing the way policy and planning are done in the city.”
An Executive with ‘Empathy and Class’
The Wu administration enacted new requirements for affordable housing and environmental sustainability, generating criticism that the regulations would make more projects impossible to finance. The policy changes coincided with tectonic shifts in real estate in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic and headwinds on development from higher interest rates and inflation.
At the same time, the Boston Planning & Development Agency launched a series of rapid-fire neighborhood-specific planning studies known as “Squares + Streets” that could make it easier to build multifamily housing near transit stops and neighborhood centers.
“He was asked to take on a lot and through it all he was resolute in fulfilling the mayor’s vision,” said Anthony D’Isidoro, president of the Allston Civic Association. “He did so with empathy and class and a need to reinforce with the stakeholders and public why the work was so critical and transformative.for a city that works for everyone.”
Jemison’s diplomatic style eased tensions between developers and city hall, according to those immersed in the process.
“Arthur always looked for ways to collaborate with the development community, to encourage and promote opportunities for new growth,” said Joseph Hanley, a real estate attorney who represents many developers navigating the Boston permitting process. “He also deeply understood and appreciated the role of commercial real estate in the strength and success of the city, which built trust and meaningful partnership with the business community.“
Some Big Changes Still Unfinished
On July 1, the newly-created Planning Department officially began operations including a majority of the former independent Boston Planning & Development Agency as staff. The BPDA board of directors continues to vote on project approvals as the city’s equivalent to a planing board.
Formal abolition of the BPDA, in the form of a home rule petition submitted by Wu to the state Legislature, sat on the shelf as the formal session adjourned this week on Beacon Hill.
Jemison’s departure takes place before the next potential major change to how developments are approved in Boston.
The City Council is reviewing a revamp of the Article 80 zoning code which governs project approvals. The changes would include new guidelines for community benefits and mitigation packages required of developers, and a new model for advisory committees that review projects.
A long-time real estate official at public agencies including the former Boston Redevelopment Authority and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development who won praise for his role helping revitalize Detroit, Jemison succeeded Brian Golden – a former Mayor Marty Walsh appointee who oversaw a period of breakneck development in the city.
Under Jemison, the BPDA showed a willingness to take a harder line with developers over enforcing agreements associated with project approvals. In April, the agency ordered Millennium Partners to open the ground-floor Connector food hall at its Winthrop Center skyscraper seven days a week, as required in a management and operation agreement.
“Arthur Jemison is an exceptional public servant who worked closely with Mayor Wu to execute her vision for planning and development in the city of Boston,” NAIOP MA CEO Tamara Small said in an email. “He was always willing to listen to all sides and he understood how development worked. He was respected by all who worked with him.”
