►
Description
Docket #0981 - Order for a hearing regarding zoning relief for 100% affordable and deeply affordable projects
B
B
C
A
A
We
have
many
many
speakers
and
many
many
counselors
here.
So
I'm
going
to
just
do
some
quick
housekeeping
notes.
Then
kick
it
over
to
the
two
co-sponsors
for
a
an
opening
statement
of
the
length
of
their
choosing
and
then
everyone
else,
maybe
on
on
the
council
a
quick
word,
but
if
you
could
keep
it
to
just
about
30
seconds,
that
would
be
wonderful
and
appreciated.
A
So
just
to
remind
everyone.
This
hearing
is
being
recorded
and
broadcast
live
on
zoom
and
the
city
council
youtube
page
as
well
as
streaming
on
the
city
of
boston's
website
and
we'll
be
rebroadcast
later
on.
Public
cable
access
tv-
if
you
are
watching
this
and
wish
to
testify
at
this
moment,
you
can
email
michelle.goldberg
at
boston.gov,
and
we
can
get
you
the
zoom
link
public
testimony
will
be
after
handle,
presentations,
okay,
so
at
this
point
I'll
hand
it
over
to
the
lead,
sponsor
counselor,
kenzi
bach
and
follow
next.
My
counselor
matt
o'malley.
D
Thank
you
so
much
madam
chair,
and
I
want
to
thank
everyone
for
joining
us
today.
I'm
really
excited
to
hear
both
from
our
administration
here
in
the
city
of
boston
and
some
fantastic
advocates
and
folks
working
in
the
trenches
of
affordable
housing
and
then
from
some
of
our
friends
across
the
river
about
things,
work
that
they
have
done
already
and
are
in
the
process
of
doing
that.
We
could
possibly
emulate
here
in
boston.
D
They
don't
happen
at
all,
so
this
hearing
was
really
galvanized
by
a
project
in
councillor,
o'malley's,
district
and
I'll.
Let
him
speak
to
that,
but
I
think
the
reason
you
know
we're
doing
it
together
is
because
that
project
is
really
just
evocative
of
an
overall
theme,
both
here
in
our
city
and
across
the
region,
and
so
I
think
that,
as
we
as
elected
officials,
we
go
to
the
ribbon
cuttings
for
affordable
housing.
We
celebrate
when
it
happens.
D
There
are
cities
in
this
country.
San
francisco
is
probably
ten
years
ahead
of
us
on
that
path.
Some
are
five.
You
look
at
cities
like
london
and
vancouver
where
low-income
people
have
really
ceased
to
be
able
to
live
in
the
city,
we're
proud
to
have
that
20
of
affordable,
deep
restricted
housing
in
the
city
of
boston,
but
we've
got
to
figure
out
how
to
make
more
and
not
just
to
make
more
housing
but
to
make
more
deeply
affordable
housing.
D
So
I'm
excited
to
see
what
we
and
the
administration
could
do
in
partnership
and
how
we
can
learn
again
from
our
neighbors.
I'm
really
honored
that
we'll
be
joined
by
some
other
elected
officials
today
from
those
neighboring
communities-
and
I
just
want
to
thank
you,
madam
chair,
for
holding
this
hearing
and
my
colleague
counselor
o'malley
for
co-sponsoring
it.
E
Thank
you
very
much,
madam
chair,
for
holding
this
important
holding
this
hearing
and
helping
facilitate
this
incredibly
vital
discussion.
Thank
you,
of
course,
to
my
dear
colleague
and
friend,
the
district
council
from
beacon
hill
counts
for
bach,
for
her
leadership
on
all
issues,
as
it
relates
to
housing.
Long
before
she
was
elected,
and
certainly
it's
it's
been
the
hallmark
of
her
career
thus
far
and
looking
forward
to
seeing
the
work
continue.
E
This
number
will
only
grow
by
leaps
and
bounds
as
we
begin
to
feel
the
economic
impacts
of
covid
and
we've
seen
firsthand
already
how
the
pandemic
has
worsened.
Housing
stability
from
displacement
to
eviction
across
the
city
of
boston
and
across
the
region.
We
know
that
thousands
of
families
are
on
waiting
lists
from
bha
and
cdc's
at
every
single
block
of
this
city,
in
every
single
neighborhood
rather
of
this
city.
We're
seeing
this
and
the
action
is
needed
now.
E
It
is
absolutely
imperative
that
we're
able
to
vastly
and
quickly
increase
our
stock
of
deeply
affordable
housing
units.
Now
one
of
the
obstacles
that
we
often
have
to
this
are
the
regulatory
barriers.
We
all
know
that
we
know
what
a
robust
and
laborious
community
process
can
look
like.
All
of
us
have
lived
through
them.
I've
been
on
this
body
for
10
years.
E
I've
lived
through
more
than
more
than
your
average
beer,
but
while
it's
an
important
part,
sadly,
we've
often
seen
that
very
process
being
used
to
further
prevent
the
creation
of
any
housing,
but
particularly
deeply
affordable
housing.
As
was
mentioned
and,
and
it
is
important
to
note
there
was
a
project.
There
is
a
project
scheduled
for
washington
street
jamaica
plain.
E
We
need
strategic,
comprehensive
zoning
relief
so
that
it's
easier
to
build
deeply
this
kind
of
housing.
This
is
a
time
for
creative
ideas
when
it
comes
to
affordability.
Many
of
the
approaches
that
are
being
piloted
in
other
cities
attempt
to
provide
carrots
rather
than
sticks.
The
goal
here
is
to
make
affordable
development
easy
and
attractive
to
developers,
as
well
as
standardizing
the
process
that
there
is
less
friction
and
less
reinventing
of
the
wheel.
We
not
only
need
a
dramatic
increase
in
supply
to
realign
our
housing
market.
E
We
can
also
do
affordable
more
intelligently
by
incorporating
mixed
income
developments,
urban
design,
best
practices,
as
well
as
prioritizing
transit,
oriented
development.
This
is
incredibly
important
conversation
to
have.
I
am
hopeful
that,
from
this
we'll
be
able
to
actually
put
some
real
policies
and
procedures
in
place
that
will
codify
both
the
zoning
code.
The
zoning
commission,
as
well
as
bpda
overview.
This
is
a
very
important
conversation.
The
timing
has
never
been
more
vital
than
it
is
right
now
and
I'm
delighted
to
get
to
work
with
each
and
every
one
of
you.
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
A
F
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
council.
Well,
I
just
want
to
say
thank
you
to
councillor
bark
and
council
o'malley
for
their
many
years
of
support
of
affordable
housing
across
our
city,
great,
to
have
strong
leaders
like
o'malley
and
bach
and
in
working
with
the
residents
across
the
city.
I
have
further
comments,
but
I'm
in
the
interest
of
time
I'm
going
to
hold
off
councilwood.
Thank
you.
G
G
I
wanted
to
just
thank
michael,
my
colleagues
and
the
sponsors
of
this
hearing,
looking
forward
to
having
a
conversation
about
the
affordable
housing
situation
that
we
find
ourselves
in
and
while
this
may
not
be
the
appropriate
public
hearing
to
discuss,
but
you
know,
I
think
it
would
be
important
at
some
point
for
us
to
really
define
what
affordable
is
and
affordable
to
who
and
what
that
looks
like
in
the
city
of
boston.
But
looking
forward
to
this
conversation
and
to
being
all
in.
H
I
thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you
to
councillor
bach
and
council
o'malley
for
bringing
this
forward.
It's
a
it's
a
great
idea,
looking
forward
to
the
conversation,
thank
you
to
all
of
the
panelists
for
also
being
here
this
morning.
I
think
you
know
the
co-sponsors
summed
it
up
well
that
you
know
obviously
every
single
day
as
a
district
council.
H
C
Good
morning,
madam
chair,
I
also
want
to
echo
my
thanks
and
appreciation
for
the
leadership
of
councillor
bach
and
councillor
o'malley
on
this
issue.
I
I've
talked
about
many
times.
We
have
a
wait
list
in
alts
and
brighton
of
17
000
folks,
waiting
for
affordable
income,
restricted
housing.
We
are
building
thousands
and
thousands
of
units
in
austin,
brighton
and
most
of
it
is
the
income
restricted.
C
Part
of
that
is
usually
above
70
percent
of
the
area,
median
income,
which
means
that
most
people
and
live
in
austin
brighton
can't
afford
to
live
in
those
income,
restricted
homes.
So-
and
this
is
an
issue-
that's
really
near
and
dear
to
my
heart-
and
I
look
forward
to
hearing
the
panelists
and
and
thank
you
for
sharing
this
hearing
this
morning.
Thank
you.
B
A
A
So
I
know
we
have
a
number
of
folks
here.
I
see
brian
glasscock,
christy
d,
jessica,
boatwright
and
michelle
mccarthy
and
tim
davis.
So
I'm
not
quite
sure
if
you
all
have
coordinated
what
order
you'd
like
to
go
in,
but
if
you
could,
whoever
has
an
opening
statement,
if
you
could
just
introduce
yourself
your
role
and
keep
it
to
just
a
few
minutes
that
would
be
appreciated
and
then
we'll
go
into
q.
A
with
all
the
counselors.
I
Thank
you,
chairperson
wu
councillors,
bach
o'malley
flynn,
mejia
campbell,
brady
and
arroyo
for
your
attendance
and
your
interest
in
this
topic.
Today
for
the
record,
I
am
tim,
davis,
deputy
director
for
policy
development
and
research
at
the
department
of
neighborhood
development,
and
I
am
joined
here
today
by
jessica,
boatwright,
deputy
director
for
neighborhood
housing
development.
I
Thank
you
for
holding
this
hearing
on
this
important
topic.
The
department
of
neighborhood
development
provides
funding
for
the
construction
of
new,
affordable
income,
restricted
housing,
as
well
as
the
preservation
of
existing
income,
restricted
housing.
We
are
always
looking
for
ways
to
reduce
the
costs
and
speed
up
the
development
of
these
units.
I
We're
interested
in
having
this
discussion
boast
and
look
forward
to
working
with
our
zoning
and
planning
partners
at
the
boston
planning
development
agency.
Who
will
follow
me
and
hearing
the
thoughts
of
the
city
council
and
the
public
today?
Thank
you,
and
I
will
pass
this
over
to
the
boston
planning
development
agency.
J
Hi
everyone
thank
you
so
much
for
having
us
here
today,
chairwoman,
wu,
counselors,
bach
and
o'malley,
and
everyone
else
who's
here
to
talk
about
this
important
issue.
I'm
michelle
mccarthy,
bbca
housing
policy
manager
for
about
the
past
two
months,
now
extremely
excited
to
hear
about
what
the
council
envisions
for
100,
affordable,
housing,
overlay
or
deeply
affordable
housing.
Zoning
overlay,
I'm
really
interested
to
hear
how
we
at
the
bpda
can
assist
and
adapt
ideas
from
other
communities
and
work
creatively
on
this
extremely
important
issue.
J
A
K
A
A
D
Thanks
so
much
madam
chair
yeah,
and
thanks
so
much
to
both
teams
for
being
here
today
I
mean,
I
think,
we're
gonna.
You
know
our
next
panel
we're
gonna
hear
from
advocates
about
things
that
would
be
helpful
and-
and
as
I
mentioned
at
this
top
we've
got.
You
know
folks
from
cambridge
and
somerville
coming
to
talk
about
their
overlays.
I
guess
one
question
I
would
have,
and
maybe
it's
best
directed
to
brian
is
sort
of
what
what
examples.
D
D
I
just
know
that
we,
you
know,
we
hear
a
lot
of
frustration
from
residents
about
why
we
can't
get
more
deeply
affordable
buildings
and
units
built
in
the
city
and
again
and
again
it
comes
back
to
issues
of
cost
and-
and
I
think
there
are
places
where
the
permitting
the
time
that
we
lose
in
the
process
could
really
make
the
difference.
So
I'm
just
curious
whether
I
know
that
we
don't
have
an
existing,
affordable,
housing
overlay
in
the
city.
K
Well,
generally
speaking,
I
don't
want
to
dive
too
deep
into
into
zoning
just
yet
because,
as
as
you
know,
that
could
be
a
kind
of
a
rabbit
hole,
but
zoning
overlays
are
generally
used,
for,
I
think,
probably
the
thing
people
most
familiar
with
is
the
interim
planning
overlay
district.
So
it's
a
temporary
overlay
that
sort
of
freezes
things
in
time
as
we're
doing
a
planning
process.
K
So
as
we
develop
new
actual
hard
zoning,
you
know
there's
not
sort
of
a
fire
sale
on
people
trying
to
develop
things
really
quickly
before
the
new
zoning
kicks
in,
but
other
overlays
green,
green
space
overlay
district.
It's
areas
that
an
overlay
is
used
for
things
where
ordinary
property
lines
and
street
grids
are
not.
K
You
know
not
the
best,
a
way
of
of
defining
a
geographic
area,
so
in
the
case
of
of
of
100
affordable,
for
instance,
that's
something
that
that
comes
up
in
neighborhoods
across
the
city.
It's
it's
an
issue.
There's
demand
certainly
demand
for
it
in
every
neighborhood.
So
to
have
an
overlay,
it
seems
like.
K
Maybe
that's
either
you
have
an
overlay
for
the
entire
city
or
we
or
we
amend
the
actual
zoning
in
every
neighborhood
citywide
to
make
you
know,
make
that
an
unallowed
use
treat
it
as
a
use,
and
I
think
that's
what
I'm
going
to
defer
to
my
colleague
michelle
and
other
folks
that
are
going
to
talk
about
what's
going
on
in
cambridge.
But
it
seems
like
that's
sort
of
the
the
upshot
of
that
is
defining
100,
affordable
as
a
separate
use
category
and
then
saying
it's
allowed.
K
So
it
doesn't
need
stoning
relief
and
it
can
be
built
as
of
right
and
that's
that's
a
a
different
and
I
think
much
more
direct
way
of
of
you
know
getting
at
that
issue.
I
I'm
I'd
have
to
know
more
about
what
you're
contemplating
as
an
overlay,
to
figure
out
how
to
to
streamline
the
the
process
more
and
if
I
can
drill
down
just
a
little
bit
more
on
that.
D
And
just
one
question
for
dnp:
I
was
wondering
africa
or
tim,
but
just
if
you
guys
could
speak
about.
Obviously,
obviously
dnd
puts
money
into
lots
of
affordable
housing
projects
around
the
city
and
I'm
curious.
If
you
could
just
speak
to
how
how
often
you
see
you
know,
delays
and
even
projects
dying
because
of
because
of
issues
around
around
zoning
and
permitting.
I
Though,
currently
we
are
seeing
about
one
project
a
year
that
is
having
these
problems,
but
then
those
projects
may
be
delayed
significantly
because
of
the
zoning
issues
they
can
come
in
a
couple
different
formats.
They
are
usually
abutter
lawsuits,
which
was
the
case,
which
is
obviously
the
case
and
the
pine
street
community
builders
project
on
washington
street.
I
I
But
again
it's
about
one
project
per
year,
but
every
project
that
gets
delayed
is
is
important
to
us,
especially
with
the
pine
street
project,
given
that
the
the
vulnerable
population
have
intends
to
serve
and
the
really
important
need
for
that
and
if
jessica
would
like
anything,
that
would
be.
That
would
be
fine,
she's
thinking.
L
D
E
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
so
I'm
gonna
follow
up
on
that,
so
so
tim
and
and
jessica.
You
said
it's
about
what
one
lawsuit
a
year
and
do
you
know
even
anecdotally
what
the
success
rate
of
those
lawsuits
that
are
filed
or
I'm
not
a
lawyer,
but
I
think
I'm
smart
enough
to
know
the
answer.
The
question
that
I'm
asking,
which
they
eventually
are,
are
settled
and
the
the
construction
is
eventually
built
by
and
large.
E
I
I'm,
I
can't
think
of
a
scenario
where
one
of
these
lawsuits,
many
of
which
I
would
characterize
as
completely
frivolous,
have
stopped
a
project,
but
it
has
caused
major
major
delays
and,
to
your
point,
it's
it's
prevented
people
a
vulnerable
population
during
pandemic
from
having
access
to
housing.
So
that's
one
of
the
reasons
why
I
think
the
action
that
this
body
in
this
city
should
take
is
desperately
needed.
Now,
I'm
not
suggesting
for
a
moment
that
we
should
get
rid
of
the
community
process
for
all
its
lumps
and
bumps.
E
I
support
the
community
process,
but
what
I
do
think
is
that
we
have
a
broken
process
in
many
ways
where
you
can
have
people
use
this
this
process
to
stop
progress,
to
stop
development,
to
stop
something
that
has
is
again
just
universally
supported
throughout
throughout
the
throughout
the
neighborhood
throughout
the
city.
So
going
back
to
brian's
question
point
about
sort
of
a
city-wide
overlay
or
versus
you
know,
amend
the
zoning
code
to
look
at
something
like
this.
E
Just
this
is
somewhat
of
an
intellectual
exercise
right
now,
I
wonder
what
that
would
look
like.
Have
we
done
that
with
any
other
sort
of
changes?
Admittedly,
the
zoning
code
is,
is,
I
think,
needs
significant
reworking
and
and
overhauling
I'd
even
say,
but
it's
something
we've
had
for
many
many
years
have
we
seen
something
that
has
been
applied
to
every
neighborhood
to
make
building
easier
sort
of
in
your
time,
I'm
thinking.
H
K
Well,
it's
even
more
sort
of
basic
than
that.
I
mean
we,
we
made
things
like
art,
galleries
and
bakeries,
and
you
know,
repair
shops
and
so
on.
It
used
to
be
conditional
uses
in
business.
Districts
made
those
allowed
city-wide
and
sort
of
an
omnibus
change
to
zoning
to
to
free
that
up,
because
there's
you
know,
there's
no
reason
that
a
coffee
shop
going
into
a
business
district
should
need
to
go
through
the
the
zba
process.
K
That's
what
business
districts
are
for
and
so
sort
of
removing
those
things
that
are
more
common
sensical,
you
know,
has
worked
fairly
well.
You
know,
I
think
the
other
ways
of
streamlining
having
a
separate
zba
process
for
small
businesses
has
has
worked
well.
That
thursday
night
subcommittee
for
homeowner
projects
and
small
businesses
has
opened
the
door
for
lots
and
lots
of
of
people
that
just
couldn't
you
know
if
they
got
in
the
zbaq
that
they're,
you
know,
they're
gonna,
wait.
You
know
six
months
to
get
to
get
hurt
on
something.
K
I
think
that
you
know
that
that
went
a
long
way.
This
is
a
little
a
little
broader
than
that.
I
you
know
not.
We
don't
know
what
the
parameters-
I
guess
right
now
would
be
for
a
100,
affordable
project.
I
think
I'm
intrigued
by
what
you're
talking
about
is
the
community
process?
I'm
not
sure
what
the
community
process
would
be.
Somebody
came
in
proposing
you
know
a
200
unit,
100
affordable.
K
You
know
15-story
building
in
in
a
neighborhood
doing
that.
As
of
right,
I
I
think
would
would
be
very
difficult
from
a
community
process
point
of
view.
I'm
not
sure
how
the
the
abutters
would,
how
we
would
engage
with
the
community
in
a
meaningful
way,
so
that
their
input
could
actually
shape
the
project.
If
it's
already
as
of
right,
they
you
know.
K
Theoretically,
the
developer
doesn't
need
anything,
maybe
some
design
review,
but
I'm
not
sure
how
we
created
a
forum
for
a
a
give
and
take
with
the
with
the
neighborhood
and
the
developers
and
the
advocates
so
that
we
can
figure
out.
What's
the
what's
the
right
thing,
how
do
we
arrive
at
the
right
sort
of
heightened
density
and
all
those
other
things.
E
E
If
we're
going
to
allow
for
this
system,
where
one
individual
can
can
stop
a
project
that
again
has
been
years
in
the
making
and
we're
on
the
same
page,
I
know
the
city
was
very
instrumental
in
supporting
this.
I
was,
I
think,
believe
all
my
at
large
colleagues
were.
I
mean
this
is
something
that
that
was
really
just
incredibly
supported,
and
it's
just,
I
think,
speaks
to
a
deficit
in
what
our
process
is.
I'm
not
saying
we
should
throw
everything
out.
I've
said
that
several
times,
but
I
think
your
point
is
right.
E
This
is
this
is
something
that
is
going
to
take
some
some
thought
and
some
care
and
deliberation.
So
I'm
looking
forward
to
hearing
more
from
advocates
and
our
neighbors
in
government
to
hear
some
more
things
before
I
close.
I
did
want
to
thank
tim,
michelle
and
brian
for
joining
me
and
wearing
blue,
checked
or
striped
shirts.
Today
we
all
got
the
memo
this
morning.
So
that's
right
with
all
of
you.
So
thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you
again
comes
from
paul
yeah.
K
Sorry
did
you
want
to
chime
in
yeah?
I
just
wanted
to.
You
know
touch
on
one
last
thing
that
counselor
o'malley
sort
of
mentioned
it
you
know
and-
and
it
would
be
wrong
to
not
acknowledge
the
fact
that
you
know
the
administration,
the
bpda
and,
very
importantly,
you
know
this.
This
body,
the
boston
city
council,
together,
submitted
a
home
rule
petition
that
is
still
pending
about
the
state
house.
K
That
would
authorize
the
city,
empower
the
city
of
boston
to
develop
zoning
that
has
inclusionary
units
built
into
it,
and
I,
I
think
that's
really
an
important
piece
of
that.
It
would
be.
We
believe
it
would
be
sort
of
a
first
in
the
nation.
You
know
pure
inclusionary
zoning
without
any
strings
attached
where
we
could
have,
as
of
right
projects
be
required
to
include
inclusionary
units,
and
that
would
help
I
I
think,
immensely.
K
It's
not
going
to
solve
everything,
and
it's
not
going
to
solve
problem
where
there
are
dimensional
limitations
and
zoning
relief
is
required.
But
it
gets
us
past
this
point
of
having
to
keep
things
down
zoned
for
the
sole
purpose
of
being
able
to
ensure
that
the
inclusionary
units
happen
and
that
that's
a
big
piece
and
that
you
know
we
should.
We
should
all
be.
You
know,
proud
of
ourselves
for
actually
getting
that
up
there.
But
now
we
we
need
to
you
know,
continue
to
push
and
get
that
passed.
I
Yes,
just
one
quickly,
council
o'malley
had
a
pre
had
a
as
part
of
his
question.
He
asked
about
projects
that
had
actually
been
cancelled
because
of
the
better
lawsuits.
You're
correct,
counselor
o'malley.
There
not
been
anything
that
we
know
of
that
have
been
cancelled,
they
just
delayed
and
they
are
eventually
resolved.
However,
they
do
that
does
cost
money
and
time.
Thank
you.
E
Can
I'm
sorry,
madam
chair,
I
just
I
forgot
one
quick
question
that
I
just
wanted
to
ask.
I
know
I
already
closed,
but
just
very
briefly-
and
this
may
be
for
you
brian,
do
we
know
what
the
status
is
on
the
zoning
commission
on
adopting
the
rules
set
forth
in
the
jp
rocks
plan,
something
that
the
community
spent
years
coming
together
with.
I
believe
that
we're
waiting
now
for
the
zoning
commission
to
formally
ratify
that.
K
Well,
that's
that's
kind
of
a
that's
a
that's
a
little
bit
of
a
tall
order,
but
I
can.
I
can
tell
you
this
and
you're
right.
There
were
a
lot
of
of
a
lot
of
hours
and
and
blood,
sweat
and
tears
spent
on
that,
and
I
think
the
the
jp
rocks
plan
itself.
You
know,
really
was
sort
of
a
turning
point
in
how
the
city
has
approached
planning
and
zoning.
K
It
was
really
sort
of
the
dawning
of
a
new
age
and
as
rough
as
that,
you
know
that
learning
process
might
have
been
came
up
with
a
really
good
plan.
The
problem
is
that
we
were
still
unable
to
get
consensus
around
from
the
community
around
actually
implementing
zoning
to
carry
that
out.
So
what's
been
happening
in
the
in
the
interim,
is
projects
have
gone
as
part
of
gone
forward?
K
They've
largely
adopted
the
you
know
the
guidelines,
the
guidance
that
the
planning
document
presented,
but
they
still
need
to
go
through.
You
know
that
very
rigorous
zoning
relief
process,
the
zba
process
in
order
to
get
to
get
built
and
projects
have
have
gotten
built.
Could
more
of
things
have
happened?
Could
we
have
have
realized
more
affordable
units
got
the
zoning
bed
in
place?
K
Maybe
we
are
having
those
conversations
with
the
with
the
community
we're
we're
re-engaging.
We
want
to
find
out
now
five
six
years
later,
what
worked
about
the
process
and
and
what
didn't
work?
How
can
we
do
better
in
in
other
neighborhoods,
so
we
do
once
we
have
a
plan
that
that
we've
got
consensus
around.
How
do
we
turn
that
into
actual
zoning?
A
A
I
also
want
to
recognize
that
they
will
be
in
a
later
panel,
so
you
will
hear
from
them
directly,
but
thank
you
to
our
elected
colleagues
from
neighboring
vicinities,
mayor,
cambridge,
mayor
symbol,
siddiqui
and
somerville,
councillor
ben
you
and
kampen
for
being
with
us
and
on
the
zoom
already
okay,
and
so
I
had
wanted
to
give
the
lead
sponsors
as
much
time
as
they
needed
to
set
the
stage.
But
I
am
turning
on
the
five-minute
clock
for
a
colleague,
so
we
can
keep
going
briskly.
G
So
I'm
going
to
be
really
quick
with
my
questions.
I
have
five
minutes,
so
I'm
going
to
expect
those
folks
who
are
answering
to
be
just
as
quick,
because
I
want
to
get
through
all
of
this.
Okay.
You
also
I'ma
put
you
on
a
timer
as
well.
How
about
that
so
michelle
first,
thank
you
for
being
here.
I
know
that
a
lot
of
folks
who
are
watching
who
are
living
these
realities
don't
understand
half
the
lingo
that
we're
using.
So
if
you
could
just
I
know,
counselor
bach
mentioned
something
about
overlays.
G
J
Scheme
over
which
the
city
or
sections
of
the
city
would
have
specific
zoning
rules
with
regard
to
whatever
is
being
proposed,
so
in
the
instance
of
100,
affordable
housing
overlay,
it
would
say
that
the
default
zoning
rules
exist,
but
then
the
overlay
is
kind
of
laid
on
top
of
that
to
say
that
that,
in
the
instance
of
affordable
housing,
a
specific
set
of
additional
rules
or
easement
of
those
rules
exists.
But
I
think
that
brian
might
be
a
better
expert
to
answer
that
question.
J
K
Second,
shot
at
it,
so,
ordinarily,
we
use
overlays
to
where
there's
a
particular
issue
that
covers
multiple
zoning
districts.
You
know
not
based
on
sort
of
streets
and
wards
and
precincts
and
the
usual
lines
that
we
draw
on
the
map.
So,
for
instance,
greenway
planning
over
overlay
district
follows
a
green
space,
as
it
goes
through
a
number
of
different
other
zoning
sub-districts
and
and
a
lot
of
a
lot
of
times,
it's
measured
as
a
distance
back
from
the
river,
for
instance,
or
distance
from
from
parks.
G
Good
job
ryan
get
a
plus
for
that
one.
Thank
you!
So
I'm
moving
on
to
10.
tim.
You
know
I'm
just
curious
about
just
zoning,
for
not
just
about
zoning
for
affordable
housing,
but
in
in
zoning,
in
the
way
that
we
might
be
potentially
be
able
to
build
wealth
as
well.
We've
been
working
on
projects
around
residential
kitchens
and
zoning
for
things
like
barber
shops
and
hair
salons
to
be
operated
out
of
people's
homes.
I
G
K
G
K
Okay,
so
there
are
actually
there
are
provisions
for
you
know
at
home,
businesses
and
it's
really
becomes
kind
of
a
gray
area
because
part
of
the
part
of
the
problem
we
certainly
wouldn't
want
somebody
to
have
an
at-home
body
shop.
That
would
be
a
problem
if
they're
spray-painting
cars,
so
the
there's
a
provision
for
things
like
doctors
offices,
you
know
at
home,
lawyers,
accountants
people
can
work
from
home.
K
I
think
there's
a
real
opportunity
to
maybe
rethink
that
in
the
in
in
the
work
from
home
covet
era,
we've
managed
to
get
along
with
it,
okay,
but
the
quick
and
easy
answer
is,
if
you're
doing
something
from
the
home,
where
it's
not
impacting
your
neighbors,
you
don't
have
cars
lining
up.
You
know
because
you're
delivering
food
to
the
curb
from
your
house-
probably
okay,
that's
a
nice,
a
bit
of
an
isd
question
and
it
is
kind
of
a
gray
area.
It's
not
really
well
defined
in
the
zoning
in
the
zoning
code.
Okay,.
F
G
I'm
bouncing
off
of
counselor
box
question
and
I'm
not
sure
who
this
I
I'm.
I
apparently
am
going
to
be
signed
off.
This
account
for
some
reason,
but
we're
finding
what
you
mentioned,
that
there
were
one
case
per
year
that
gets
pushed
back
tim
and
we're
finding
these
cases
in
the
same
neighborhoods
or
we
are.
They
are
occurring
across
the
city
and
you
may
not
be
able
to
answer
this,
but
I'm
just
curious
to
know
what
kind
of
legal
aid
the
city
currently
provides
for
some
of
these
low-income
housing
projects.
I
A
I
Right
right,
right
right,
so
they're
they've
been
in
all
different
neighborhoods
jamaica,
plain
mission,
hill,
downtown
hyde
park,
dorchester
they've
been
they've,
been
in
different
neighborhoods.
We
don't
provide
direct
legal
assistance.
However,
we
do
fund
the
projects,
and
so,
if
there
is
a
funding
increase
due
to
the
the
timing,
then
we
often
have
to
plug
that
hole
in
their
budget
based
on
the
cost.
The
increased
cost
of
the
project
overall.
L
And
I
do
just
want
to
add
that
you
know,
unfortunately,
if
we
do
have
to
plug
a
gap
because
because
of
either
project
delays
or
need
for
redesign
or
just
time
or
or
staff
time
or
legal
fees,
that
you
know
those
are
dollars
that
otherwise
would
go
to
another
affordable
project.
So
it
is
a
sort
of
net
loss
for
us.
A
C
C
I
Oh
yes,
it
can
be
another
tool.
I
it's
obviously
a
very
different
question
than
the
question
of
an
affordable
zoning
overlay
district,
the
as
you
were
well
aware,
there
is
also
a
process
going
on
to
pass
a
zoning
ordinance
around
affirmatively,
furthering
fair
housing
and
through
that
process
there
will
be,
I
think,
significant
opportunities
for
communities
to
ask
developers
to
do
affordable
units
that
are
responsive
to
the
community
and
responsive
to
the
very
questions
you're
asking
in
terms
of
in
terms
of
incomes
and
equity.
I
C
K
The
thing
about
overlay
is
it's
either
you're
either
trying
to
describe
an
area
that
doesn't
follow
street
grids
or
you
know
specific
zoning
sub
districts
where
you
can
just
sort
of
say
you
know
the
cleary
square,
neighborhood
shopping
district,
for
instance,
in
hyde
park,
is
a
you
know,
well-defined,
discrete
sort
of
neighborhood,
and
for
that
there's
a
whole
set
of
zoning
rules
that
go
with
that.
You
would
just
change
the
zoning
rules
for
that
particular
subdistrict,
and
we
do
that
all
the
time
on
a
citywide
basis.
K
We
list
all
the
all
the
neighborhoods
and
all
the
sections
that
we
want
to
change
all
at
once
versus
an
overlay
where
we
would
say
you
know
either
an
entire
neighborhood.
You
know
of
of
hyde
park,
or
we
would
say
anything
you
know
within
100
feet
of
the
center
line
of
hyde
park.
Avenue
would
be
covered
by
an
overlapping.
K
Yep,
okay,
so
you
know,
I
think
it's
there
are
a
couple
of
ways
of
getting
at
this
and
I
don't
think
we
should
be
hung
up
on
overlay
versus
a
zoning
change,
but
I
I
merely
mention
that
that
that
it
might
be
more
direct
if,
if
we're
going
to
make
actual
changes
to
zoning,
creating
an
overlay
can
sometimes
add
a
level
of
of
complexity
and
confusion.
People
have
a
hard
time
wrapping
their
heads
around
as
we're
as
as
I
am
right
now.
K
K
C
M
Thank
you,
counselor
room,
thank
everyone
for
being
here.
I
look
forward
to
the
rest
of
the
panel,
so
I
just
want
to
ask
a
quick
question.
I
also
tuned
in
a
few
minutes
late,
so
I
don't
want
to
be
repetitive.
Do
we
look
at
all
with
these
larger,
more
affordable
projects
today?
Do
we
ever
look
and
analyze
sort
of
the
length
of
time
it
takes
to
go
through
the
development
process
compared
to
other
projects?
M
And
you
know,
is
there
ways
to
abbreviate
or
shorten
that
length
of
time,
because
those
affordable
projects
are
so
important
to
our
communities
and
then
do
we
also
ever
look
at
the
size
of
the
units
that
are
developed
yeah?
Are
they
I'm?
I
want
to
provide
more,
affordable,
deeply,
affordable
housing,
a
family
housing.
I'm
just
curious.
If
there's
any
analysis
that
you
all
do
on
that
and
how
does
that
impact?
The
timeline.
L
L
One
thing
that
makes
that
a
little
bit
challenging
is
that
our
larger,
affordable
housing
projects
tend
to
need
tax
credits,
which
means
they
need
to
go
into
the
statewide
competition
for
funding,
so
that
often
can
cause
some
delay
just
because
the
state
pipeline
is
so
big.
The
state's
treated
boston
very,
very
well,
the
last
few
years,
but
but
still
often,
projects
need
to
wait.
L
So
I
would
be
totally
willing
to
look
into
that
a
little
bit
with
with
some
colleagues
at
bpda
and
tim
may
have
a
little
bit
more
to
say
on
that,
since
he
was
re,
since
he
is
a
bpda
dnd
staff
person.
But
I
do
want
to
comment
on
the
unit
size
we
we
do,
try
to
balance
out
and
promote
a
variety
of
unit
sizes.
L
We
also
ask
for
a
lot
of
evidence
of
community
engagement
before
we
fund
a
project
and
then,
as
time
goes
on.
If
things
change,
we
always
make
sure
that
the
project
team
has
gone
out
to
the
neighborhood
again
and
so
often
some
of
the
unit
size
decisions
are
heavily
or
always,
I
would
say,
they're
heavily
informed
by
what
the
neighborhood
is
saying
about
what
they're
looking
for
in
their
community.
L
But
we
do
try
to
promote
projects
that
that
provide
larger
units.
We
try
to
compare
information
about
local
waiting,
lists
and
demand.
All
our
projects
have
to
have
a
market
study.
So
we
do
try
to
take
that
into
account
and
also
appreciate
that
not
every
project
allows
for
the
opportunity
for
those
larger
unit
types,
but
we
especially
emphasize
it
when
neighborhoods
are
asking
for
that.
I
And
in
terms
of
just
following
up
on
that,
it
is,
it
is
clear
that
project,
affordable
housing
projects
require
tax
credits,
do
take
significantly
longer
than
most
market
rate
projects
to
get
from
kind
of
idea
to
you
know
shovel
being
put
in
the
ground.
I
don't
have
any
specific
data
right
here,
but
there
is
also
a
situation
where
right
now,
given
kovid
19
and
the
uncertainties
in
the
marketplace.
I
So
we're
looking
at
so
in
addition
to
something
like
the
zoning
amendment,
we
are
also
thinking
about
ways
in
which
we
can
maybe
in
some
cases
we
should.
If
we
reduce
the
number
of
funding
sources
for
a
project,
then
we're
able
to
move
a
project
more
quickly.
So,
for
example,
if
it's
all
city
sources
plus
an
easier
to
get
quote,
unquote
mass
housing,
you
know
financing,
then
we
might
go
move
quicker.
But
again,
once
a
project
is
looking
at
what
we
call
nine
percent
tax
credits,
then
we
have
significant
delays
and
jessica.
L
Yeah
we
we
have
made
a
couple
of
changes
in
the
last
couple
of
years.
Apologies
we.
First
of
all
we
try
to
work
with
project
teams
as
soon
as
they
have
an
idea,
so
that
once
they
you
know
come
in
for
funding,
we've
helped
them
understand
what
the
city
requirements
are
and
how
they
can
move
more
quickly.
L
We
work
with
partners
who
provide
pre-development
funding
to
to
try
to
help
make
sure,
especially
for
smaller
or
newer
developers,
that
they
can
access
a
flow
of
funds
that
they
need
to
keep
the
projects
moving.
So
you
know
we've
we're
trying
to
cut
at
it
from
multiple
angles,
because
there
are
so
many
moving
pieces.
D
A
C
A
Great
encounters
happy
george
you're,
good,
okay,
wonderful!
Thank
you!
Everyone
thank
you
to
the
administration
representatives
here.
You're
welcome
to
stay
or
or
keep
it
on
in
the
background
as
well
or
or
you
know,
go
to
your
many
other
important
things
that
you
also
have
to
do.
Okay
panel
two
will
be.
A
A
N
N
In
addition
to
being
a
resident
of
jp
for
about
20
years,
I
oversee
tcb's
real
estate
development
work
throughout
new
england,
while
tcb
is
in
14
states
in
the
district
of
columbia.
We
got
our
start
in
boston
over
50
years
ago,
and
our
headquarters
is
here
in
boston
as
a
non-profit.
Tcb's
mission
is
to
build
and
sustain
strong
communities
where
all
people
can
thrive.
The
core
of
our
work
is
developing,
owning
and
managing
affordable
housing
and
improving
the
lives
of
the
residents
and
the
neighborhoods
where
we
work
tcb
is
a
large
stakeholder
throughout
boston.
N
N
As
you
know,
the
zoning
approval
for
that
project
has
been
appealed
is
in
appeal
and
we
are
in
the
middle
of
zoning
litigation,
so
I'm
limited
in
the
specifics
I
can
discuss
on
that
property.
What
I
can
say
is
that
tcb
appreciates
a
robust
community
process.
Such
a
process
can
have
at
least
two
main
elements:
first,
a
neighborhood-wide
plan
that
sets
parameters
for
future
development
and
second,
an
article
80
process
that
involves
project
specific
review
on
3368
washington
street,
as
well
as
our
other
projects.
N
Our
goal
is
to
respect
and
engage
with
existing
neighborhood
plans,
as
well
as
with
local
stakeholders
and
various
city
agencies
with
jurisdiction
over
development.
We
typically
start
this
engagement
well
before
we
file
for
article
lady
approval
on
this
and
other
buildings.
We
have
made
important
changes
to
our
proposals
both
before
and
during
the
article
80
process.
N
This
feedback
has
made
our
projects
better.
Ideally,
this
process
leads
to
a
greater
support
for
the
project.
This
is
what
happened
on
3368
washington
street.
Unfortunately,
when
the
zoning
code
has
not
yet
been
updated
to
reflect
more
recent
planning
processes.
Obtaining
zoning
approval
involves
the
uncertainty
of
obtaining
zoning
variances
with
the
risk
of
litigation.
N
N
I
don't
need
to
tell
anyone
on
this
council
that
we
have
a
crisis
with
too
few
affordable
homes
in
boston.
Clearing
away
this
hurdle
to
the
development
of
more
affordable
housing
is
one
important
step
to
help
solve
this
critical
issue
in
the
specific
case
of
3368
washington
street.
If
an
award,
if
an
affordable
housing,
overlay,
district
or
underlining
zoning
code,
changes
were
in
place
allowing
this
project
as
of
right,
we
would
be
even
closer
to
celebrating
a
groundbreaking.
Thank
you.
O
Thank
you
counselors.
My
name
is
jesse
canson
beninov
and
I'm
senior
project
manager
at
benay,
breath
housing,
we're
a
non-profit,
affordable
housing,
developer
based
in
brighton
working
in
boston
and
the
boston
suburbs.
I'm
also
president
of
abundant
housing
massachusetts,
which
is
a
new
statewide,
pro-housing
advocacy
coalition.
O
O
I
had
the
opportunity
to
be
involved
in
the
discussion
around
the
affordable
housing
overlay
over
a
number
of
years
in
cambridge,
and
so
I'm
glad
to
see
this
emerging
in
boston.
We
all
agree.
There
is
an
affordable
housing
crisis.
We
all
agree.
We
need
more
affordable
homes
in
the
city
of
boston.
We
need
to
create
a
regulatory
scheme
that
allows
affordable
housing
to
be
built.
O
What
I
wanted
to
do
here
in
just
a
couple
minutes
is
go
over
some
of
the
strategies
that
I
believe
we
need
to
to
undertake
in
order
to
create
the
conditions
whereby
we
can
create
an
abundance
of
affordable
homes
throughout
the
city
of
boston.
Bonnebroth
housing
is
a
small,
affordable,
housing
developer.
We
and
other
small
non-profits,
like
cdc's,
often
find
ourselves
in
boston
at
a
disadvantage
in
the
competition
for
land.
O
We
can't
bid
as
high
as
market
rate
developers
as
we
face
a
variety
of
challenges,
including
local
and
state
caps,
on
the
development
costs
when
competing
for
scarce
public
resources
permitting
costs
and
times
are
substantial
in
boston.
This
means
that
money
goes
towards
development,
soft
costs,
like
lawyers
and
less
towards
the
actual
construction
of
new,
affordable
homes.
O
It
also
means
a
much
longer
timeline,
as
andy
was
talking
about,
to
bring
these
important
critical
homes
to
fruition.
Affordable
housing
is
clearly
a
priority
in
boston.
It's
a
public
good.
We
want
to
encourage
it.
So,
as
I
said
at
the
beginning,
the
regulatory
framework
for
affordable
housing
should
be
constructed
to
encourage
this
type
of
investment,
not
essentially
to
tax
it
and
make
it
harder
to
build.
When
we
look
at
regulatory
relief
for
100
percent
or
substantially
affordable
housing
projects
in
boston,
I
would
suggest
there
are
two
items.
O
We
need
to
look
at
that's
the
process
and
then
the
underlying
zoning.
We
need
to
reform
the
process.
I
believe
we
should
exempt
100,
affordable
housing
development
from
extensive
community
review
processes
like
article
80,
large
or
small
project
review
when
it
comes
to
affordable
housing.
Development
research
by
einstein,
glick
and
palmer
at
bu
have
shown
that
community
processes
in
greater
boston
are
not
representative
of
overall
community
opinion
or
need
if
affordable
housing
is
a
priority
for
boston,
at
least
within
certain
parameters.
O
We
need
to
eliminate
extensive,
costly
long
public
reviews
and
comment
period,
but
process
alone
is
not
enough.
The
underlying
zoning
in
any
zoning
district
should
actually
allow
for
the
physical
form
of
affordable
housing
to
be
built.
Remember
that,
as
talked
about
in
the
last
panel,
the
largest,
affordable
housing
development
program
in
the
commonwealth
is
the
low-income
housing
tax
credit
program
which
is
used
for
multi-family
construction.
O
Dimensional
requirements
like
height
limits,
lot,
setbacks,
floor
area
ratios
and,
yes,
parking
can
render
projects
infeasible
on
otherwise
size,
effective
parcels,
perhaps
we're
getting
to
the
territory
of
the
zoning
commission
at
this
point,
but
it's
a
critical
element
to
have
in
any
comprehensive
discussion
of
this
topic.
I
want
to
also
just
highlight
again
parking:
if
we
want
to
build
an
equitable
and
green
city,
we
need
to
reduce
and
eliminate
reliance
on
cars
and
move
people
towards
biking
trains,
walking
other
forms
of
transportation.
O
More
than
that
parking
requirements
are
cumbersome
to
affordable
housing
in
areas
with
high
parking
ratios,
affordable
developments
rarely
see
all
parking
utilized
and
excessive
parking
requirements,
have
a
negative
financial
impact
on
project
and
hurt
the
feasibility
of
building
new,
affordable
homes.
And
finally,
I
want
to
stress
that
anything
we
do
here
should
be
city
wide.
This
is
a
city
investment,
affordable
housing
is
a
city
investment
and
every
neighborhood
has
a
role
to
play
in
contributing
to
this
public
good.
O
The
existence
of
single-family
zoning
or
other
restrictive
districts
in
a
neighborhood
should
not
alone
preclude
it
from
playing
a
role
in
addressing
this
need.
I
want
to
underscore
that
point.
This
should
be
citywide.
I
think
we
need
to
look
to
the
example
of
of
cambridge
and
somerville
who
have
taken
this
citywide
and
made
it
effective
to
every
district
I'll
leave
it
there,
and
I
look
forward
to
answering
questions
after
the
this
panel.
A
Thank
you
so
much
before
we
move
on
to
molly.
I
just
want
to
flag
that,
in
consultation
with
the
the
lead
sponsor
we
are
combining.
We
were
originally
going
to
give
the
cities
of
of
cambridge
and
somerville
their
own
panel,
but
we're
going
to
just
combine
into
one
big
conversation,
because
I
know
my
colleagues
are
eager
to
hear
from
the
mayor
and
counselor
as
well.
A
So
after
we
go
through
molly
and
amy,
then
we'll
also
pass
it
to
mayor
siddiqui
and
councilor
ewan
kampen
and
then
do
q
a
with
everyone,
and
also
wanted
to
note
that
counselor
campbell
has
been
having
some
technical
difficulties
so
she's
president,
I
mean
watching,
but
we'll
send
questions
along
later.
Okay,
molly
thank.
P
You
thank
you
wu
I'll,
be
quick
because
I'm
here
representing
abundant
housing,
also
I'm
the
clerk
and
the
founding
board
member.
I
also
work
for
austin
brighton,
cdc
as
my
day
job.
I
run
the
home
ownership
and
counseling
programs
and
then
for
background.
I
also
have
a
few
developers
in
my
family
in
jamaica,
plain
where
I
live
and
I
grew
up.
I
think
I
have
been
a
resident
for
my
entire
life.
Besides
the
four
years,
I
was
at
umass
amherst.
P
One
thing
I
just
wanted
to
add
to
all
of
jessie's
points
is
that
we're
here
we're
talking
about
rental
housing,
much
of
the
subsidized
housing,
the
housing?
That's
the
housing
stock
developed
by
the
cdc's
is
subsidized
rental
housing.
It
is
very
difficult
to
do.
100,
affordable
home
ownership
projects.
Today,
I
don't
know
of
any
that
have
been
done
without
some
market
rate
cross
subsidy.
P
So
that
is
we're
not
addressing
the
homeownership
problem
and
I
think,
in
terms
of
demand,
it's
skyrocketing.
We've
had
thousands
of
people
come
through
my
home
buying
class
in
the
last
couple
years
and
about
40
percent
of
those
are
making
less
than
80
ami.
So
this
is
not
just
for
people
who
are
above
the
area,
media
and
income.
A
lot
of
people
are
interested
in
home
ownership
and
we
have
the
absolute
best,
first-time
homebuyer
loan
programs
in
the
country.
Q
Q
D
Q
Housing,
so
that's
the
the
housing
shortage
we've
seen.
I
looked
specifically
at
a
lot
more
questions
digging
deeper,
but
one
was
where
are
we
allowing
for
multi-family
housing
to
be
built
across
the
region?
And
my
big
takeaway
was
that
municipalities
are
allowing
incremental
development
in
the
historic
centers,
the
downtowns,
typically
tens
of
units
of
development
over
a
couple
of
decades
and
then
more
on
the
municipal
peripheries
on
the
edges
between
highways,
train
tracks
and
water,
and
hardly
any
in
the
vast
in
between
which
is
you
know,
the
residential
neighborhoods.
Q
The
vast
majority
of
greater
boston
is
zoned
for
single-family
housing
and
very
little
zoning
sort
of
allows
for
more
multi-family
housing
in
the
best
areas
of
the
region.
Greater
boston
has
so
many
historic,
downtowns
great
places
to
live,
and
cities
and
towns
have
seen
adding
housing
there
as
a
strategy
to
keep
them
vital,
and
this
may
be
even
more
important
now
as
main
streets
and
small
businesses
are
hit
during
the
pandemic.
Q
As
an
example
oh,
and
what
I
also
wanted
to
say,
there
is
that
we've
seen
great
progress
here
on
that
about
half
of
the
cities
and
towns
that
I
looked
at
added
housing
to
a
historic
center
in
the
last
two
decades
and
most
of
that
involved
rewriting
the
zoning
to
allow
it.
But,
as
I
was
saying,
it
tended
to
be
at
a
scale
of
tens
of
units
and
very
sort
of
careful
rezoning.
So
a
parking
lot
will
get
rezoned
or
very
specific
properties,
get
re-zoned
to
allow
more
housing
as
opposed
to
broad-based
up-zoning.
Q
And
if
you
add
up
all
of
the
dwelling
units
that
have
been
added
to
all
of
the
historic
downtowns
across
greater
boston
in
the
last
20
years,
it
adds
up
to
a
very
small
portion
of
projected
demand
and
then
to
a
quick
case.
Study
needham's
got
a
historic
downtown
with
a
train,
a
white
steeple
church
and
lots
of
shops
a
great
place
for
housing.
They
started
planning
you
know
15
years
ago,
20
years
ago
for
more
housing
in
the
downtown
and
then
in
2009.
They
rewrote
the
zooming
to
allow
housing.
Q
This
isn't
a
bad
thing,
if
politically
that's
where
it's
acceptable
to
add
more
housing,
we've
needed
that
housing
and
the
question
across
the
region
there
has
been.
How
do
we
create
connected
hubs
on
the
edges
that
are
similar
to
the
centers?
This
is
just
the
view
from
the
top
of
that
apartment
building
with
390
dwelling
units
on
the
far
side
128
from
the
rest
of
needham,
then
the
last
thing.
Q
So
I
talked
about
the
centers,
the
edges
there's
a
vast
in
between,
and
I
think
this
is
where
the
idea
of
an
affordable
housing,
overlay
or
whatever
you'll
call
it
is,
is
particularly
relevant.
Is
that
sort
of
all
these
residential
neighborhoods
have
been
the
hardest
politically
to
upzone
assad
and
just
master
plan
after
master
plan,
housing
production
plans
sentiments
like
readings,
preserve
the
town
as
primarily
single
family,
owner-occupied,
residential
community
or
burlington's
2017
master
plan
for
any
comprehensive
housing
policy
to
work
in
burlington.
Q
It
must
begin
with
protecting
the
south
town's
single
family
neighborhoods
from
unwanted
encroachment
by
other
land
uses.
The
next
sentence
in
the
plan
specifies
that
other
land
uses
is
multi-family
housing,
so
that
sort
of
just
like
a
big
contextual
overview.
You
know,
in
my
view,
we
should
be
allowing
a
lot
more
housing
in
the
centers
and
around
the
centers
and
allow
incrementally
more
housing
and
walking
distance
at
the
centers
and
biking
distance
of
the
centers,
and
that's
getting
really
into
that
zoning
in
single-family
neighborhoods.
Q
That's
so
hard
to
change
and
then
to
plan
connected
nodes
in
on
the
edges
that
are
diverse
and
walkable
and
have
served
by
public
transportation
a
little
bit
harder
in
the
pandemic
age.
I
think
you
know
mobilizing
funding
and
planning
and
attention
to
those
areas,
but
yeah,
that's
that's
my
basic
overview.
Thank
you
and
I
look
forward
to
the
discussion
and
I
really
appreciate
hearing
what
everyone
has
to
say
on
this
topic.
R
Hi
everyone,
thank
you
so
much
for
having
me,
I
will
try
not
to
repeat
what's
been
said
so
in
cambridge.
What
I'll
say
is
that
for
many
many
years
this
has
been,
it
had
been
talked
about,
and
I
think
it
all
came
down
to
the
process
and
so
the
and
it
took
a
while.
So
I'll
start
with
the
the
reasons
why
many
of
us
supported
it
and
those
have
been
mentioned.
R
But
ultimately
our
number
one
goal
is
to
create
and
preserve
affordable
housing
in
the
city,
and
we
are
in
a
housing,
affordability
crisis.
So
we
knew
that
with
this
overlay
it
wouldn't
solve
all
our
problems,
but
it
would
help
us
at
least
create
some
more
units
that
were
100
percent
affordable
throughout
the
city,
because
we
have
parts
of
the
city
that
have
more
affordable
housing
than
others,
so
I'll
go
back
to
equity
and
so
forth,
but
it
took
a
while.
R
R
R
There
was
a
there
was
a
lot
of
process
in
between
to
getting
it
to
be
discussed
by
the
council.
Ultimately,
last
term,
it
didn't
pass
what
we
decided
to
do
was
we
tabled
it,
so
it
could
come
back.
We
didn't
have
the
support
on
the
council
for
the
overlay,
and
I
can
get
into
some
of
the
reasons
why
some
of
my
colleagues
at
that
time
opposed
it
and
why
there
was
a
there
wasn't.
R
There
was
a
lot
of
voices
who
were
in
opposition
to
to
the
overlay,
but
ultimately
it
came
back
this
term.
We
had
the
support
for
it.
We
had
done
so
many
meetings,
we
had
a
lot
of
process
and
we
had
the
the
the
votes
on
the
council
to
pass
it,
but
really
the
the
ultimate
thing
that
the
the
challenges
that
we
had
were
to
the
as
of
right,
permitting
a
lot
of
pushback
to
that
a
lot
of
pushback
to
this
notion
of
neighborhood
character
and
changing
neighborhood
character.
R
What
would
happen
with
height
limits?
Setbacks,
open
open
space
requirements
this
this
really,
this
huge
worry
that
what
we're
going
to
build
would
not
fit
in
to
neighborhood
character,
and
so
there
are
a
lot
of
really
tough
divisive
decisions
and
and
commentary
that
came
out
as
a
result
of
of
these
discussions,
and
so
ultimately
you
know
there
was
there.
R
Were
amendment
made,
there's
a
lot
of
amendments
that
were
made
the
first
round,
but
ultimately,
because
we
didn't
have
the
support
we
had
to
decide
to
table
it
and
this
time
around
there
was
not
there.
There
wasn't
as
much
opposition
into
it.
I
think
still
people
were
fearful
of
what
these
increased
density
allowances
would
do.
But
again
we
the
approach
was.
R
This
is
what
it'll
look
like,
and
so
we
did
a
lot
of
showing
how
this
really
wouldn't
have
a
huge
impact
on
our
neighborhood
in
on
our
neighborhoods,
we're
about
six
seven
miles
and
there's
a
four.
There
is
affordable
housing
in
most
neighborhoods,
so
it
was
really
at
doing
that
education
part
and
so
that's
some
of
the
strategies
our
cdd
department
used,
and
so
you
know,
I
think
it's
really
important
that
we
we
did
did
this.
R
R
Some
critics
are
saying
it's
only
going
to
do
100
and
our
our
response
event
was,
you
know,
that's
a
hundred
homes
right
and
so
whatever
we
can
do
to
create
that
opportunity
for
people
we
have
to
do
and
we
have
such
a
track
record
from
our
affordable
housing
developers
who
make
you
know
amazing
buildings
and
do
listen
to
the
community.
So
instead
in
lieu
of
this
binding,
you
know
approval
process.
We
have
built
in
to
the
process
a
non-bonding
review,
so
you
know
we.
R
We
still
wanted
to
have
some
design
guidelines
and
so
forth,
so
there
will
still
be
somewhat
of
a
process
but
again,
as
you've
heard
throughout
this
presentation.
This
the
goal
is
not
to
it's:
to
streamline
it
and
not
to
hold
up
projects,
and
we
had
so
many
examples.
So
we
really
did
that
research,
how
many
examples
of
affordable
housing
units
where
buildings
one?
One
of
the
examples
I
have
is
there's
a
40
unit
building
that
was
appealed.
R
It
delayed
the
project
for
three
almost
three
years
and
a
redesign
happened
and
that
resulted
in
the
reduction
of
family
size
units
and
the
loss
of
additional
units.
So
we
don't
want
that,
and
so
this
will
enable
us
to
have
a
more
streamlined
process.
So
I'll
stop
there
happy
to
answer
specific
questions.
S
Certainly
so,
thank
you
very
much
chairman
wu
and
counselors
for
having
me
here
today.
This
is
very
exciting.
My
name
is
ben
ewan
kampen,
I'm
the
ward
3
city
councilor
at
somerville,
so
that's
parts
of
union
square
prospect
hill
spring
hell,
I'm
also
the
chair
of
our
land
use
committee,
where
we've
been
working
for
the
past
several
months
on
a
city-wide,
affordable,
housing
overlay.
S
S
I've
shared
our
current
draft
with
councillor
bach,
I'm
happy
to
answer
any
questions
and
talk
about
it.
I
think
it's
very
fitting
today
that
I'm
speaking
after
mayor
siddiqui
and
so
many
of
the
advocates
who
are
involved
in
the
work
in
cambridge,
because
we
and
somerville
certainly
learned
a
great
deal
from
what
was
done
there,
so
I
just
want
to
start
by
being
really
clear
about
what
an
overlay
means
in
this
context,
for
anyone
who
doesn't
live
deep
in
the
weeds
of
zoning
terminology.
S
But
I
want
to
outline
our
process
of
how
we
went
around
this.
So
we
began
by
asking
what
are
the
obstacles
in
our
zoning
to
the
creation
of
new,
affordable
housing
in
somerville,
and
the
reasons
that
we
focus
on
zoning
specifically
is
because,
as
we
all
know,
there
are
so
many
issues,
so
many
obstacles
for
building
new,
affordable
housing.
But
zoning
is
something
that
is
within
the
control
of
the
city
council
directly.
S
So
we
had
our
planning
and
our
housing
staff
go
out
and
conduct
a
number
of
interviews
with
developers,
both
non-profit
and
market
rate
developers,
and
ask
them
what
are
the
obstacles
in
our
zoning
when
it
comes
to
creating
new,
affordable
housing?
We
heard
a
lot
of
answers,
but
the
two
major
issues
that
came
up
over
and
over
were
this:
the
price
of
land
this.
S
This
is
obvious,
but
non-profit
developers,
as
we
know,
are
out
there
they're
competing
for
the
same
properties
that
market
rate
developers
are
which
makes
it
exceptionally
difficult
to
secure
land
because
they
don't
get
to
turn
around
and
make
a
profit.
The
second
issue
is
that
when
these
developers
are
seeking
funding,
when
they're,
when
they're
lining
up
the
funding
sources
for
their
projects,
the
thing
that
funders
are
really
looking
for
is
certainty
around
what
will
be
allowed
to
be
built.
S
The
timeline,
the
the
risk
of
years
of
lawsuits
as
we've
discussed,
so
the
overlay
that
we've
created
tries
to
address
both
these
issues
to
deal
with
the
issue
of
land
costs.
We
offer
density
and
height
bonuses
for
100,
affordable
buildings,
so
the
allowable
heights
for
affordable
projects.
They
vary
based
on
what
the
underlying
zoning
is
so
to
oversimplify
it.
If
you're
in
a
two
to
three
story
zone
in
somerville,
an
affordable
project
could
go
up
to
three
or
four
stories
and
there
are
no
restrictions
on
the
unit
density
within
the
building
envelope.
S
If
you
are
in
a
four-story
what
we
call
mid-rise
districts,
you
can
go
to
seven
stories
and
again
this
is
citywide
and
the
the
number
seven
for
stories
is
actually
that
was
the
result
of
a
lot
of
feedback
we
heard
from
non-profit
developers
who
emphasized
that
in
terms
of
the
available
funding
and
the
way
that
the
construction
process
works.
Actually
this
is
an
important
sweet
spot
so
now
to
deal
with
the
issue
of
permitting
we
removed
the
special
permit.
S
That
would
otherwise
be
required
for
residential
usage,
so
it
essentially
makes
these
projects
by
right,
but
I
want
to
emphasize.
There
is
still
a
great
deal
of
opportunity
for
community
input
on
on-site
plan
on
aesthetics
on
materials,
but
there
is
much
much
greater
certainty
that
the
projects
will
ultimately
be
able
to
move
forward
in
a
reasonable
time.
S
So
I
am
really
excited
to
get
this
done
in
summerville,
but
I
also
want
to
emphasize.
I
actually
view
this
proposal
and
the
work
we're
doing
is
a
relatively
modest
step
forward,
really
more
of
a
floor
than
a
ceiling
for
what
local
government
should
be
doing.
The
fundamental
limiting
factor
around
new,
affordable
housing
is
funding,
and
this
proposal
doesn't
address
funding
whatsoever.
S
What
we're
trying
to
do
at
the
local
level
is
get
out
of
the
way
four
projects
that
do
have
the
funding
that
do
have
a
path
forward
to
make
sure
that,
at
the
local
level,
we
are
not
putting
up
any
additional
roadblocks.
So
again,
I'm
happy
to
answer
any
questions
and
I'll
wrap
up
there.
Thank
you
very
much
for
having
me
and
for
your
work
on
this.
A
T
Welcome
back
madam
chair,
thank
you
thank
you
for
having
me.
I
want
to
thank
many
of
my
former
colleagues
and
and
my
successor
as
district
8
counselor
in
bringing
this
important
matter
forward.
It's
certainly
something
that
we've
spent
a
long
time
working
on
both
in
the
public
and
the
private
sector,
and
particularly
counselors
bach
and
o'malley,
for
this
hearing
order.
T
It's
timely,
it's
on
point,
and
it
coincidentally
goes
well
with
my
my
new
endeavor
that
I'm
working
on
housing
forward
massachusetts,
which
is
a
non-profit
organization
dedicated
to
removing
obstacles,
regulatory
obstacles
to
affordable
housing,
workforce
housing,
development
across
the
commonwealth.
Obviously
boston
is
very
important
to
us
and
we've
heard
already
throughout
this
hearing
countless
stories.
T
So
I
would
say
I
agree
with
many
of
the
proposals
and
housing
forward.
Mass
has
shared
our
sort
of
principles
around
zoning
that
we
believe
in
with
the
panel
that
have
been
talked
about
today.
So
we
need
some
change
at
the
state
level,
but
the
idea
of
making
all
affordable
projects
as
of
right
in
most
areas
makes
a
lot
of
sense,
especially
when
we're
talking
about
not
projects
that
aren't
at
high-rise
levels.
T
So
when
we're
talking
about
you
know
five
or
six
story
projects
that
makes
sense
in
central
business
districts
in
areas
that
are
trans
and
adjacent,
we
need
to
be
doing
this.
The
process
should
not
be
this
complicated
and,
quite
frankly,
I
don't
think
I
don't
think
it's
acceptable
as
a
matter
of
public
policy,
morality
or
or
smart
economic
development
to
allow
one
individual
a
butter
to
hold
up
what
is
otherwise
a
well-supported
project
that
will
solve
a
big
problem
for
the
community.
T
So
some
of
the
changes
that
we've
that
have
already
been
talked
about
in
this
hearing,
I
wholeheartedly
agree
with,
as
I
said,
making
very
low
income,
other
deed,
restricted
projects
as
of
right
in
most
districts.
You
know,
quite
frankly,
in
the
absence
of
massive
federal
funding,
solving
the
affordable
and
workforce
housing
challenges
is
going
to
fall
on
cities
and
towns
and
states,
and
because
we
don't
have
a
blank
check
the
way
the
federal
government
does.
We
need
to
be
smart
about
reducing
regulation
and
counselor.
Ewing
kampen
was
mentioning
this
previously.
T
A
D
D
And
so
you
know
we
really
need
folks
advocating
for
that.
But
some
neighboring
municipalities
that
really
are
giving
us
a
model
here
are
cambridge
and
somerville,
and
I
really
want
to
thank
the
mayor
again
for
being
with
us
and
councilor
ewan
kampen
and
just
to
say
I
mean
I
think
that
I
think
mayor
siddiqui
is
underselling.
D
The
the
process
around
the
affordable
housing
overlay
in
cambridge
was
very
contentious.
I
followed
it
closely
and
her
leadership
was
a
big
part
of
saying
that
this
is
something
that
the
city
needed
to
do,
and
you
know
I
think
it's
funny.
Sometimes
when
we're
talking
about
inclusionary
development
and
affordable
housing.
Folks,
you
know
end
up
saying.
Well,
I
don't
think
we
should
do
this
because
it's
not
it
does
it's
not
inclusionary
enough.
D
It's
not
and
across
the
board.
If
it's
affordable,
anything
goes
but,
like
you
explained,
you're
sort
of
allowing
a
kind
of
equivalent
bonus
for
every
area.
Is
that
right?
So
it's
sort
of
like
if,
if
I'm
a,
if
I'm
a
four-story
area,
I
might
be
able
to
get
well,
I
up
to
five
or
six
right
and
then
and
and
so
you're
sort
of
doing
a
great
a
graded
approach
is
that
a
fair
description.
S
Yes,
that's
exactly
right,
counselor,
so
so
the
way
that
our
zoning
works
in
somerville.
We
actually
recently
overhauled
the
entire
city,
the
way
that
our
zoning
works
and
we
have
what's
called
neighborhood
residence
districts
that
are
basically
two
two
and
a
half
stories:
urban
residence
districts
that
are
up
to
three
stories
and
then
mid-rise
and
high-rise
districts
that
are
three
four
five
six
higher
and
then
the
the
bonus
that
you
would
get
for
an
affordable
project
scales
with
what
the
underlying
zoning
is.
D
Great
no
and
I
think
that's
a
thoughtful.
It's
a
it's
a
thoughtful
way
of
approaching
it,
and
I
noticed
the
same
thing,
mayor
siddiqui
and
in
your
in
your
legislation.
It's
sort
of
you
know
it's
still
taking
into
consideration
the
type
of
district
that
something
is
in
it's
just
trying
to
to
allow
a
little
bit
more
a
little
bit
more
room
for
our
affordable
housing
vote,
and
I
think
it's
important
to
note
that
people
people
often
don't
realize
like
when
I
walk
through
cambridge.
D
I
see
a
lot
of
affordable
housing
that
often
doesn't
look
exactly
like.
What's
next
to
it,
but
totally
fits
into
the
neighborhood,
I'm
integrated
along
the
streetscape,
and
I
think
sometimes
people
forget
that
a
lot
of
our
affordable,
both
naturally
and
funded,
affordable
housing
in
our
cities,
was
created
before
some
of
our
zoning
strictures.
D
So
there's
been
a
lot
of
attention
lately,
for
instance,
to
the
fact
that
triple
deckers
are
not
allowed
by
right
by
zone
by
boston
zoning
in
a
lot
of
majority,
triple
decker
neighborhoods
in
our
city,
and
so
I
think
sometimes
we
we
let
we
let
density.
Be
this.
This
kind
of
imagined
bugaboo
that
it
really
isn't
in
our
lived
experience.
I
wondered
at
mayor
siddiqui
if
you
could
say
just
a
little
bit
more
about.
D
I
think
we're
shamelessly
aiming
here
in
boston
to
to
learn
from
and
benefit
from,
your
experience,
which
was
a
long
and
drawn
out
process
in
cambridge
and
think
about
how
how
you
would
build
community
consensus
for
something
along
these
lines
more
quickly,
and
so
I'm
just
curious.
What
if
you
had
known,
then
what
you
know
now?
What
are
the
things
that
you
think
are
the
biggest
learnings
from
the
process
over
there.
R
I
mean
the
reality
is
that
there
will
be
individuals
who
you
just
can't
convince,
and
I
think
some
of
us,
my
colleagues
who
worked
equally
as
hard
on
this.
We
thought
that
maybe,
if
we
explain
certain
things,
there
would
be
a
change
in
thinking,
so
I
think
we
really.
We
really
tried
doing
that
for
a
while
and
then
realized.
This
won't
have
support
from
certain
people
in
the
neighborhood
because
they
don't
want
more
density
right.
R
You
just
we
just
have
to
realize
you
can't
change
some
of
those
those
minds.
I
think
something
that
was
helpful,
that
we
did
do
was
you
know
I
had
hosted
as
a
counselor
a
session
with
some
neighborhood
groups
around
what
you
know.
How
do
you
fund,
affordable
housing
and
what
is
affordable
housing
because
people
don't
understand
how
hard
it
is
to
actually
build,
affordable
housing
and
they
weren't
clear.
R
You
know
around
all
the
many
different
income,
the
difference,
funding
streams
that
are
needed,
and
so
I
don't
think
people
knew
the
obstacles
and
the
barriers,
and
so
we
were
able
to
have
someone
come
in
and
kind
of,
explain
and
use
some
of
the
projects
and
say
look.
This
took
over
30
funding
streams,
including
from
the
city
of
cambridge,
so
I
think
that
education
helped,
I
think,
maybe
perhaps
we
should
have
done
it
earlier
on
in
the
process.
R
So
those
are
some
things.
I
think
really
our
communities
are
pretty
different,
so
I
think
it's
hard
to,
but
I
think
there
will
be
the
the
people
who
are
really
really
concerned
about
the
the
neighborhood
character
piece
and
so
whatever
you
can
do
to
show
you
know,
pictures
and
and
and-
and
you
know
show
that
this
is
actually
you
know
not
going
to
be
these
tall
buildings.
I
don't
have
a
problem
with
trial
buildings.
I
grew
up
in
affordable
housing
in
cambridge
in
in
some
towers,
but
people
are
like.
R
Oh
we're,
gonna
have
another,
you
know
towers
in
our
neighborhood
and
that's
not
the
case.
So
we
had
to
it
was
uncomfortable.
We
had
to
say
this
is
what
it's
actually
going
to
be
like,
and
some
people
were
comforted
by
the
fact
that
they
were
they
had
images.
So
the
images
piece
I
think,
helped
as
well,
but
it
could
have
happened
earlier
on
in
the
process.
We
were
explaining
what
we
meant
because
those
those
themes,
those
pictures
and
images
came.
R
D
A
E
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
Thank
you,
ladies
and
gentlemen.
Molly
jesse
andy.
We
have
worked
incredibly
well
together
on
some
really
innovative
and
great
projects,
not
only
in
jamaica
plain
but
in
west
roxbury
as
well.
Thank
you
for
your
great
leadership.
Amy
we
have.
This
is
our
first
time
meeting
virtually.
So
thank
you
for
that
perspective
as
well,
and
that
powerpoint.
That
was
great
to
my
my
dear
friend
and
former
colleague,
whom
I
miss
dearly
great,
to
see
you
counselor
emeritus
zakum,
and
thank
you.
E
E
E
Now
we
had
a
a
hearing,
former
actually
counselor
zach's
predecessor,
mike
ross
called
for
hearing
and
the
music
boston's
museum
of
science,
which,
as
you
know,
is
mostly
in
cambridge,
but
part
of
it
is
in
the
city
of
boston
as
well,
and
that
was
seen
as
controversial
that
we
were
holding
boston
business
outside
boston's
limits.
So
it's
great
to
see
this
this,
this
regional
approach
to
these
important
issues.
E
A
couple
questions
and
I'm
just
going
to
sort
of
pop
around
andy,
I'm
going
to
start
with
you
in
in
sort
of
an
in
full
disclosure.
There
is
a
lawsuit
pending
about
the
project,
the
pine
street
project.
So
I
totally
recognize
I'm
not
going
to
ask
you
specifically
about
that.
I
have
my
own
opinions,
which
I've
already
articulated
will
continue
to
do
so,
but
I'm
curious
tcb
has
done
projects
like
this
throughout.
I
think
the
eastern
seaboard
is
safe
to
say:
have
you
seen?
E
Can
you
just
briefly
touch
upon
other
challenges
or
other
ways
that
that
maybe
maybe
better
processes
that
you've
encountered?
You
you
oversee,
I
think
most
of
the
sort
of
the
east
coast
tcb
project,
certainly
the
mid-atlantic
and
new
england.
Other
ways
that
has
this
happened
in
other
cities?
Is
this
something
that's
sort
of
uniquely
boston
or
uniquely
greater
boston,
or
are
there
safeguards
in
place
so
that
a
in
my
opinion,
not
yours?
A
frivolous
and
divisive
lawsuit
can't
derail
an
otherwise
incredibly
supported
project.
N
Unfortunately,
it's
not
unique,
I
mean,
unfortunately,
we
have
in
other
places,
encountered
certain
lawsuits
as
well.
You
know
I
mean
obviously
each
city
town
state
has
slightly
different
laws
and
so
exactly
how
it
comes
about
you
know
different
zoning
processes
and
all
that
stuff.
So
it's
hard
to
say
anything
universal
other
than
there
is
definitely
other
places
have
such
things.
So
it's
great
that
there's
this
progressive
view
of
it
all.
I
think
one
thing
important
to
say:
you
know
the
part
just
one
of
the
discussions
earlier.
N
You
know
coming
back
specifically
to
boston.
I
think
it's
not
the
the
I
it's
certainly
one
project
per
year.
Getting
delayed
is
way
too
many,
but
I
think
it
as
some
people
have
talked
about
it,
isn't
just
about
allowing
those
projects
to
move
forward
with
better
zoning.
It's
also
you
know,
even
if
you
eventually
get
the
zoning
approval
simply
having
to
go
through,
that
process
can
add
time
and
money
to
a
process.
So
you
know,
if
did
nothing
change
about
the
article
80
process
in
boston,
and
you
know
you
went
to
that.
N
You
got
your
bpda
approval.
You
have
to
go
through
x.
Number
of
months
through
a
zba
process,
and
so
if
it
was
as
of
right
again,
I
don't
know
the
technicalities
of
how
article
80
it
relates
to
zba.
But
if
you
you
know,
if
you've
got
article
80
approval
and
then
then
you
were
done
with
the
process
at
that
stage.
That
would
be
a
huge
benefit
not
just
to
the
projects
that
have
the
the
threat
of
litigation,
but
just
to
allow
other
projects.
E
No,
I
I
think,
that's
right,
I'm
glad
you
mentioned
or
invoked
article
80
andy,
because
I
think
that
addresses
the
sort
of
hypothetical
that
brian
glasscock
raised
of
you
know
what
would
be
the
safeguards
if
a
15-story
building
would
be
plopped
in
a
neighborhood.
Well,
something
of
that
size
would
still
go
through
the
article
80
process,
but
this
is
we're
talking
about
what
the
zoning
relief
sort
of
steps
are.
E
So
I
appreciate
that
I'm
gonna,
oh
before
I
get
to
the
the
mayor
and
counselor,
I
guess
I'll
open
up
to
molly,
jesse
or
josh.
Any
other
thought
specifically
on.
I
mean
I
think
you
all
sort
of
articulated
this
well,
but
as
we
look
to
make
changes
at
the
either
the
zoning
code
or
the
through
the
zoning
commission
are
there
other
sort
of
aspects
that
we
should
be
cognizant
of
going
forward,
or
anyone
want
to
sort
of
jump
in
on
that.
T
This
is
very
much
a
regional
issue,
but
boston
can
and
should
be
leading
the
way,
and
I
also
think
we're
in
a
place
where
you
know,
there's
a
more
need.
There's
a
dramatic
need
for
this
and
there's
an
appetite
for
making
these
changes,
and
I
I
urge
everyone
involved
to
to
seize
that
opportunity
and
and
make
some
really
revolutionary
change
that
will
improve
our
communities
for
the
future.
O
I
would
just
like
to
add
counselor,
you
know
just
underscoring
some
of
the
elements
that
I
I
did
talk
about
in
my
comments.
You
know,
I
think
we
have
been
talking
a
lot
about
about
process
and
processes
is
certainly
key
for
the
reasons
that
many
of
us
have
already
mentioned.
But
there
are
those
sort
of
unsexy
elements
of
zoning
that,
even
if
officially,
something
is
by
right,
might
render
a
project
infeasible
right.
O
So
things
like
I
mentioned,
you
know,
setbacks
lot,
setbacks,
floor
area
ratios,
height
restrictions,
those
technical
elements
of
zoning
that
can
actually
make
a
project
infeasible.
So
you
can
say
yeah
go
build
a
four-story.
You
know
20-unit
development.
You
know
this
is
just
off
the
top
of
my
head
on
xyz
parcel
and
we're
going
to
allow
you
to
do
it
by
right.
But
technically
you
can't
fit
in
those
20
units
onto
that
lot.
E
That's
great,
okay,
thank
you,
and
I
appreciate
that
and
let
me
just
close
because
I
I
know
we've
got
other
counselors
to
get
to
and
there
could
be
time
time
constraints,
but
mayor,
siddiqui
and
and
counselor
ewan
kampen.
Obviously,
in
addition
to
displacement
affordability,
we
are
all
feeling
in
our
respective
municipalities
the
high
cost
of
doing
construction.
E
E
I
think
you
go
to
your
municipalities
and
sort
of
get
the
ball
down
the
close
to
the
field
goal
so
to
speak
and
in
the
end
zone
any
cautionary
sort
of
words
for
us,
as
we
begin
engaging
our
constituency
and
working
sort
of
collaboratively
that
we
should
be
looking
at
as
it
relates
to
as
it
relates
to
this.
If
either
of
you
wanna
jump
on
that.
A
R
Sure
you
know,
I
think
I
think
I
mentioned
what
I
would
maybe
expect
and
caution.
I
think
it'll
be
it's
a
lot
of
conversation.
It's,
I
think,
start
with
the
goals.
Right
start
with
the
goals.
The
goals
are
what
it's
all
about
and
then
those
details
that
are
are
important.
You
know
you
have
to
listen
to
people.
I
think
what
people
some
books
critiqued
was
that
there
were
some
counselors
who
weren't,
who
just
weren't,
willing
to
listen
or
allege.
R
R
It
was
very,
I
don't
know
the
word,
but
there
were
a
lot
of
feelings
and
hard
feelings
from
community
members
to
as
to
what
some
of
the
things
that
were
being
said,
you
know
people
felt
that
they
were
being
accused
of
racism,
for
example,
and
so
you
know,
I
think,
there's
a
way
to
have
these
conversations
and
their
difficult
conversations.
But
anything
you
can
do
to
think
about
how
to
disrupt
that.
R
You
know
divisiveness
during
during
this,
especially
during
these
times.
I
think
there
is
a
way
to
do
that,
so
I
would
really
recommend
thinking
about
that
and
I'm
happy
to
send
some
notes
along
those
regards
of
some
of
the
things
that
I
did
think
that
we
could
have
done
probably
better
in
conversations
with
community
members,
but
I
think
overall,
there
is
a
way
to
talk
about
these
things
without
it
becoming
so
so
divisive.
S
S
S
The
answer
that
we
we
actually
heard
from
in
from
so
many
of
the
non-profit
developers
is
that
those
issues
are
actually
very
highly
regulated
by
their
funding
sources
in
many
cases,
and
so
really
what
was
the
best
approach
for
the
city
council
to
take
was
often
to
not
not
get
involved
in
in
issues
like
that,
because
so
many
these
one
of
the
non-profit
developers
memorably
described
it
as
we
are
regulated
up
the
wazoo.
You
do
not
need
to
worry
about.
S
E
G
G
P
P
You
know
subsidized
or
mixed
income,
mixed-use
development-
that's
faced
by
small
developers
too,
but
they
don't
have
the
same
access
to
to
capital
to
carry
them
through
that
process.
Furthermore,
anytime
there's
a
variance
involved,
we're
opening
it
up
to
a
lawsuit,
so
it
doesn't
matter.
If
there's
community
support,
it
doesn't
matter
anything
like
the
variance
opens
the
door
and
so
developers
seek
ways
to
get
stability
and
avoid
that
process.
So
they
do
smaller
projects
that
cost
more
and
in
the
end,
I
think
the
first
time
home
buyers
lose
out
every
time.
G
Thank
you
for
that,
and
I'm
just
curious
and
I'm
not
sure
who
would
be
able
to
answer
this
question.
Counselor
wu
or
maybe
even
if
this
question
is
appropriate
in
this
forum,
but
I
am
curious,
you
know
oftentimes,
we
talk
about
affordable
housing
and
it
always
seems
like
it's
a
dirty
word
that
we
should
not
be
talking
about
affordable
housing
and
I'm
just
curious
about
whether
or
not
when
you
build
affordable
housing.
Does
that
impact
the
property
value
of
the
surrounding
area?
G
O
I'm
happy
to
address
that
as
an
affordable
housing
developer.
I
can
say
absolutely:
there
is
no
impact
on
nearby
property
values
by
affordable
housing,
the
affordable
housing
that
we
that
the
cdc
is
in
boston,
that
the
community
builders
others
built
is
incredibly
high.
Quality
incredibly
well
managed
affordable
housing.
There
is
no
negative
impact
on
property
values.
In
fact,
we
also
pay
taxes
on
affordable
housing
as
well.
O
G
So
I
guess
I
guess
yes,
I'm
sorry
just
because
I
really
want
to
push
back
a
little
bit
that
as
someone
who
grew
up
in
section
8.
I
do
hear
that
from
a
lot
of
folks.
There
is
this
belief
that,
because
you're
low
income
you're
undesirable
and
therefore
that's
going
to
impact,
whether
or
not
people
want
to
live
on
the
block
that
you
are
building
low-income
housing,
and
so
that's
probably
where
I'm
coming
from.
But
I
just
I'm
just
curious.
T
So
it
absolutely
needs
to
be
addressed,
and
I
think
you're
100
right
to
call
it
out
in
this
forum
as
it
should
be.
I
think
in
any
form
where
housing
and
zoning
is
being
discussed.
We
need
to
be
more
thoughtful
about
it,
allowing
the
creation
of
denser
housing
in
the
city
and
across
the
state
goes
a
huge
way
to
address
some
of
these
issues,
and
it's
time
we
did
that
yeah.
O
Right
now-
and
you
know-
I
I
think
obviously,
educational
policy
is-
is
a
huge
discussion
in
our
city
right
now,
and
that
goes
obviously
beyond
just
zoning
but
to
some
degree,
even
though
we
don't
have
neighborhood
schools
in
boston.
You
know
people
do
make
choices
about
what
schools
they
attend,
sort
of
based
on
where
they
live,
even
if
it's
not
codified
into
the
way
our
our
system
works.
And
so
you
know
that's
why?
O
One
of
the
comments
that
I
made
in
my
my
comments
was
about
making
sure
we
distribute
new,
affordable
housing
through
all
neighborhoods
of
the
city.
We
want
to
build
strong,
equitable
educational
opportunities
across
the
city.
We
also
want
to
do
strong,
affordable,
equitable
housing
opportunities
across
the
city,
so
that
we
can
sort
of
marry
those
those
two
policy
discussion
areas.
G
A
Thank
you,
councillor,
braden
is
next
in
the
lineup,
although
I
know
she
had
mentioned
earlier.
She
had
an
11
30
heart
stop,
so
I
think
there's
a
chance.
Counselor
braided
are
you
there,
okay,
and
I
believe
counselor
arroyo
and
council
president
janie
were
going
to
defer
their
questions
this
round
as
well,
so
back
to
our
our
lead,
sponsor
counselor
bach
for
her
second
round.
Thank
you
for
deferring
earlier.
D
No,
that's
fine!
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
I
I
I
think
a
lot's
been
said.
I
think
that
I
one
thing
I'll
flag.
That's
sort
of
different
about
the
cambridge
and
somerville
approaches
is
that
cambridge?
Well,
they
both
did
it
across
the
city,
but
because
of
that
new
zoning
that
ben
mentioned,
that's
come
in
somerville,
it's
transit,
oriented
that
news
owning
and
so
therefore
also
these
like
zones
of
permission
are
become
transit
oriented
and
I
think
that's
like
something
for
us
to
discuss
as
a
city.
D
On
the
one
hand,
what's
appealing
about
that
is
acknowledging
how
central
you
know
transit
is
to
living
in
the
city,
especially
I
mean,
especially
as
a
low
moderate
income
person,
although,
frankly,
all
walks
of
life
use
the
tea
and
that's
the
conversation
that
we're
having
very
robustly
right
now
with
some
terrible
cuts
recommended.
But
I
think
that
I
think
that
there's
an
advantage
to
acknowledging
that
it's
particularly
great
to
put
affordable
housing
close
to
transit.
D
On
the
other
hand,
I
think
what
jesse
said
is
really
important
about
about
us
having
affordable
housing
in
all
parts
of
the
city
and
what
josh
said
about
the
fact
that
historically,
there
are
areas
of
historic
exclusion
through
zoning
that
have
been
designed
to
keep
people
of
all
walks
of
life
out
of
certain
parts
of
the
city
and
we're
actually
trying
to
push
back
against
that
with
our
fair
housing.
Zoning
work
with
under
the
leadership
of
council
edwards.
D
So
I
I
just
think
in
a
city
like
boston
where,
frankly,
the
whole
city
is
pretty
transit
accessible
compared
to
many
other
parts
of
the
state
and
country.
You
know
we
want
to
make
sure
that
anything
that
we
do
will
really
open
up
the
possibility
of
this
affordable
housing
in
all
quarters,
and-
and
so
I
would
have
asked-
I
would
have
asked
ben
about
that
decision,
but
he's
had
to
jump
so
I
think
I'll.
D
D
From
the
perspective
of
transparency
and
consistency,
I
think
that
having
some
rules
across
the
board
that
gave
affordable
housing
developers,
a
level
of
confidence
about
what
they
were
going
to
be
able
to
get
permitted
would
be
both
good
for
our
goals
of
proposing
a
form
of
sorry
proposing,
affordable
housing
and
would
also
be
really
good
for
kind
of
a
level
of
equity
across
the
board
of
access
to
to
that
kind
of
development
work.
So
it's
something
I
just
want
to
flag.
D
This
has
turned
into
a
comment
rather
than
a
second
round
of
questions.
I
just
want
to
flag
that
it's
certainly
something
that
my
office
is
looking
to
sort
of
move
into
an
ordinance
conversation
in
the
new
year,
and
I
really
appreciate
all
the
colleagues
joining
today
and
everybody
all
the
all
the
expertise
on
the
advocate
and
adjacent
community
side
coming
to
the
table.
So
thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you
to
my
colleague,
counselor
o'malley.
A
T
Just
say
I
agree
wholeheartedly
with
my
successors,
district
8
city,
councillor
and
and
before
we
close,
I
know
in
the
interest
of
time.
I'll
be
very
brief
here
is
that
I
think
molly
was
mentioning
this
earlier
in
response
to
one
of
councillor.
Mejia's
comments
is
that
we
need
to
also
be
thinking
about
the
entire
housing
ecosystem
and
what
affordable
means
you
know.
Counselor
bach
was
talking
about
deeply
affordable
subsidized
deed,
restricted
housing,
which
is
of
critical
need
in
the
city
of
boston
and
really
across
the
commonwealth.
T
But
another
important
piece
of
the
puzzle,
though,
is
allowing
you
know
smaller
developers,
even
even
for-profit
developers,
to
get
through
this
process
a
little
quicker
and
a
little
less
in
a
little
less
of
a
costly
manner,
because
a
lot
of
those
projects
that
they're
being
built
are
the
middle
income
housing
stock.
That
is
the
city
of
boston
needs.
You
know
if
we,
if
we
have
these
unpredictable
zoning
processes,
if
we
you
know,
require
folks
to
go
through
years,
long
permitting
and
then
be
subject
to
lawsuits,
it
just
dramatically
raises
the
cost.
T
So
when
we
think
about
this,
let's
think
about
the
big
all
affordable
projects
for
sure,
but
also
thinking
about
some
which
may
be
technically
market
rate,
but
are
the
types
of
housing
that
are
more
accessible
to
people
at
middle
and
lower
incomes
in
the
city
of
boston.
And
with
that,
I
really
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
join
you
all
today
to
share
some
of
my
thoughts
and
the
positions
of
housing
forward
massachusetts
and
look
forward
to
continuing
our
work
on
this
project
on
this
project
on
these
goals
and
being
helpful
in
any
way
that
we
can.
E
Thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you
everybody.
First
and
foremost,
thank
you
to
my
dear
colleague
and
friend
counselor
bach,
who
not
only
is
a
leader
and
gets
into
the
the
the
weed
so
to
speak,
of
of
great
important
details,
but
also
correctly
uses
words
like
arbitrage
when
talking
about
the
complexity.
That's
before
us.
It's
it's.
Why
there
are
big
shoes
left
to
fill
by
counselors
akum
counselor
blog,
but
you
are
filling
them
wonderfully.
So
thank
you
for
that
yeah.
E
Obviously
I
I
look
forward
to
continuing
the
partnership
with
with
with
counselor
bach
and
everyone
on
this
zoom
call
and
others
in
the
new
year
ahead.
It
will
be
so
just
just
among
countless
other
reasons
why
I
am
looking
forward
to
january.
20Th
of
2021
is
to
have
a
president
who
will
no
longer
use
housing,
among
other
things,
as
a
divisive
racist.
We
can't
even
say
dog,
whistle
anywhere
dog
bullhorn,
to
divide
people.
E
We
actually
have
a
president-elect
who
recognizes
the
the
need
and
the
dignity
for
housing
for
affordable
housing,
so
looking
forward
to
working
with
counselor
bach
as
it
as
it
relates
to
sort
of
looking
at
at
an
ordinance
looking
at
some
changes.
I
would
also
say
that
you
know
this
is
somewhat
of
a
larger
issue,
but
I
think
it's
relevant
to
what
we're
discussing
today
as
we
talk
about
sort
of
city
changes,
but
I'm
talking
about
boston
specifically
to
our
to
our
city
charters.
E
E
This
was
something
that
was
an
incredibly
arduous
long,
laborious
process,
but
I
stand
by
the
recommendations
wholeheartedly
and
we
have
used
it
with
some
success
to
shape
much
of
the
development
along
the
corridor
from
forest
hills
to
eggleston
square.
It's
been
sitting
before
the
zoning
commission
now
for
a
number
of
years.
I
understand
that.
E
Similarly,
you
know
there
are
other
zoning
commission
changes
that
this
body
and
that
I
helped
write
as
it
relates
to
as
it
relates
to
environmental
policy,
I'm
speaking
specifically
about
a
quarry
in
western
oxford,
which
sought
to
accept
rcs
level
two,
which
is
for
your
layman's
parlance,
dirty
dirt.
Environmentally,
you
know
detrimental
fill
and
it
was
never
prohibited
from
the
zoning
code,
not
because
it
was
seen
as
an
allowed
or
a
good
thing,
but
simply
because
it's
such
a
rare,
unique
thing.
E
E
Ladies
gentlemen,
it's
been
a
very
long
morning,
but
a
very
wonderful
morning.
We've
talked
about
a
lot
of
important
issues,
we've
learned
from
each
other
and
the
work
will
continue
and
I'm
just
incredibly
grateful
for
our
partners
in
government.
Our
partners
in
the
private
sector,
particular
housing
sector
who've
been
great
allies
in
this,
and
the
work
continues.
We're
gonna
get
this
done.
So
thank
you
all.
G
G
I
feel
in
many
ways
that
you
know
I'm
happy
to
be
in
this
position,
because
I'm
learning
a
lot
about
why
we
haven't
been
able
to
move
the
needle
in
so
many
different
spaces.
We
talk
about
affordable
housing
and
then
you
participate
in
hearings
like
this,
and
then
you
realize,
oh,
my
god.
We
can't
build
affordable
because
there's
500
layers
of
laws
that
prevent
us
from
moving
the
work,
and
I
think
that
this
is
what's
so
frustrating
for
a
lot
of
advocates
and
people
who
are
living.
G
The
realities
is
because
we
feel
we
get
a
lot
of
lip
service,
but
it's
not
really
lip
service.
What
it
is
is
just
as
very
little
often
times
we
lack
the
political
will
and
courage
to
move
beyond
these
conversations
and
say
you
know
what
the
buck
stops
here,
we're
going
to
do
x,
y
and
z,
and
we
should
not
have
countless
conversations
about
the
same
thing.
We
should
just
get
to
the
point
where
it's
like
counselor
bach,
go
ahead
and
write
that
ordinance.
Let's
get
that
working
session
up
and
running.
G
You
know
we're
gonna
have
to
do
something
about
the
situation
or
we're.
Gonna
have
to
start
hitting
our
own
pockets,
and
I
know
that's
crazy
talk,
but
I'm
just
telling
you
all
that
people
are
just
frustrated
out
in
these
streets,
and
so
I'm
really
excited
that.
You
all
are
here
and
and
we're
having
this
conversation.
But
we
need
to
move
beyond
these
dialogues
and
show
people
that
we're
ready
to
roll
up
our
sleeves
and
do
the
business
of
the
people.
D
Thank
you
so
much.
Madam
chair,
I
I
gave
my
closing
comments
at
the
top
and
so
just
really
grateful
to
everyone's
participation,
and
I
couldn't
second
counselor
more
strongly.
I
think
we,
the
the
things
that
are
in
our
power
that
are
just
operating
every
day,
to
slow
down
the
urgent
work
of
this
city
and
making
this
a
city
for
all
are
things
that
we
just
have
to
move
with
a
with
lots
of
speed
on.
So
I
think-
and
I
think
this
is
one
of
them
so
looking
forward
to
it
in
the
new
year.
A
Thank
you
and
thank
you
to
everyone
again,
especially
our
lead
sponsors,
counselor,
bach
and
counselor
o'malley
to
all
of
our
panelists
from
the
administration,
from
community
to
the
pleasure
of
seeing
colleagues
from
outside
the
city
and
our
our
former
colleagues.
Thank
you
everyone.
This
will
conclude
today's
hearing
on
docket
docket0941.
This
hearing
is
adjourned.