Boston Plans Big Renovation of Development Reviews
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration is trying to cut through the murky process that forces real estate projects to shell out millions in unpredictable community benefits payments.
Abolishing BPDA to Cost Many Employees Their Strong Job Protections
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu last month followed through on her 2019 campaign pledge and signed into law an ordinance transferring the Boston Planning and Development Agency over to city control. But the agency’s very strong civil service-like protections for many of its employees will not go with them.
Boston Looks to ‘Skyline’ for Help
Changes designed to attract more developers and commercial tenants to downtown Boston and avoid a looming fiscal chasm tied to declining office occupancy are moving closer to the finish line.
Related Beal Picked to Develop Roxbury, Marine Park Projects
Developer Related Beal received approval to move forward with projects on city-owned properties in South Boston and Roxbury that could include more than 400 housing units and nearly 320,000 square feet of lab space.
In Contentious Vote, City Councilors Back Wu’s BPDA Reforms
Starting in July, many of the main functions of the Boston Planning & Development Agency will be transferred over to a new city Planning Department. But key elements remain unresolved.
Shawmut Hires Former BPDA Official
As part of a strategy to expand its growth in New England, Shawmut Design and Construction hired a former Boston Planning & Development Agency official and a life science specialist as new business development leaders.
Wu Administration ‘Optimistic’ About New Faneuil Hall Marketplace Operator
The head of the BPDA said the city had been pressuring the operator of the Faneiul Hall Marketplace to invest money in the historic landmark or face legal consequences before the asset’s sale was announced.
Council Backs Wu on Affordability Increase
Boston City Councilors backed an increase in income-restricted units in multifamily developments, a move that real estate industry groups predict will further discourage housing production.
Dorchester Art Studios Seek to Add Condo Building
A Dorchester property that spotlighted displacement pressure on Boston’s artist community will be redeveloped as affordable live-work housing under plans submitted by New Atlantic Development.
Dorchester Bay City Passes First Big Test
Acres of parking on the Dorchester waterfront will become Boston’s next major mixed-use development including nearly 2,000 housing units under a 6.1-million-square-foot master plan approved by the Boston Planning & Development Agency.
A Checklist for Change in Charlestown
Developers would find a clear pathway to build higher-density projects lining the upper deck of Interstate 93 at Boston’s northern gateway under a rezoning plan nearing the finish line.
Developers Scale Back Navy Yard Affordable Housing Proposal
Following a lengthy community outreach process, developers are moving ahead with conversion of a vacant former hotel at the Charlestown Navy Yard into affordable and supportive housing.
Developers Pitch Up to 757 Housing Units in Charlestown
Two development teams will deliver pitches this month to build up to 757 apartments and condominiums on a Charlestown parcel spotlighted in Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s push to create affordable housing on city-owned properties.
Critics Dismiss PLAN: Downtown as ‘Spot Zoning’
Proposed new downtown Boston zoning drew critiques as a developer-driven plan that allows excessive building heights and puts historical properties at risk.
Regulators Eye ‘Embodied Carbon’ in New Buildings
Is another sustainability regulation coming down the line for Boston developers? Traditional commercial building materials such as steel and concrete are drawing scrutiny from regulators as a potential contributor to the building sector’s carbon footprint.
PLAN: Downtown Seeks to Simplify Development Rules
The study recommendations offer “consistent and fair baseline and bonus heights” for new projects, the draft plan states, replacing a mishmash of more than 20 height limits.
Sheraton Owners Submit Dorm Conversion Plan
The 428-room project has generated opposition from local elected officials and a hospitality union.
BPDA Approves Developments Totaling 876 Housing Units
City officials green-lit a $130 million project on Brighton’s Commonwealth Avenue and redevelopment of a former East Boston casket factory property, among others, to hit the second-largest number of units permitted all year.
BPDA Approves New Zoning for Newmarket
Boston Planning & Development Agency directors approved new zoning regulations for one of the city’s last pockets of industrial real estate and the epicenter of the opioid crisis.
Office-to-Residential Swap Proposed Near Cleveland Circle
A development team including City Realty executives submitted plans to revamp a Brighton property containing a retail and office building as a 30-unit apartment complex.
