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Description
Planning, Development & Transportation Hearing-Dockets #0104-Confirmation of the appointment of Alaa Mukahhal as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. #1283- Confirmation of the appointment of Raheem Shepard as a member of the Boston Planning and Development Board. #1285- Confirmation of the appointment of Priscilla Rojas as a member of the Boston Planning and Development Board.
A
A
Good
afternoon
everybody
for
the
record,
my
name
is
Frank
Baker
I'm
Boston
city
council
for
district
three
and
I'm,
the
chair
of
the
boss,
the
city
council
committee
on
Planning,
Development
and
transportation.
I
want
to
remind
everybody
that
this
is
a
public
hearing
being
recorded
and
broadcast
live
on
Xfinity
8,
RCN
82
in
FiOS,
964
and
streamed
on
www.austin.gov
City,
Dash
console
Dash
TV.
Please
silence
your
cell
phones.
That
includes
me,
and
you
want
so
console.
A
We
will
also
take
public
testimony
if
anybody
is
here,
you
can
sign
up.
There
should
be
a
sign
up
sheet
over
here
and
if
you
wish
to
testify
via
video
conference,
please
email,
Juan,
dot,
Lopez
boston.gov,
with
your
full
name
to
sign
up,
and
you
also
May
submit
written
testimony
testimony
by
emailing
CCC
dot
plan
Dev
at
boston.gov.
A
Today's
hearing
is
on
docket
numbers:
zero,
one,
zero,
four
one,
two
eight
three
and
one
two:
eight
five,
these
matters
responsive
by
the
mayor
and
transferred
to
the
committee
on
Planning,
Development
and
transportation
on
September
26th,
2022
and
August
7th
23
respectively
today,
I'm
joined
by
councilor
jerkin.
Congratulations
on
your
election
by
the
way
and
councilor
Flynn.
Does
anybody
have
a
opening
statement?
Council
Derek
and
you
were
here
first
I.
B
C
Thank
you,
Mr,
chair,
I'll,
be
very
brief.
I
had
the
opportunity
to
review
the
resumes
and
I
know
the
outstanding
work,
these
dedicated
professionals
that
were
already
doing
in
their
neighborhoods
in
the
in
this
city,
in
the
in
the
Commonwealth
and
looking
forward
to
supporting
the
tremendous
work
that
they're
doing
for
the
residents
of
Boston.
Thank
you,
Mr
chair,
thank.
A
A
As
a
member
of
the
zoning
board
of
appeals,
her
term
expiring,
May,
1st
2024
stock
at
1283,
is
a
message
in
order
for
confirming
the
appointment
of
Raheem
Shepard
as
a
member
of
the
Boston
Planning
and
Development
board
for
an
attorney
expiring,
August,
8th,
2028
and
Doc
at
1285.
A
message
in
order
for
the
confirmation
of
the
appointment
of.
Are
you
a
confirmation
or
re
you're
already
on.
A
E
You
sure
thank
you,
chair
Baker
council,
president
Flynn
and
councilor
Durkin,
I'm
Teresa,
Paul,
hemis
I'm,
the
executive
director,
Secretary
of
the
Boston
Planning
and
Development
agency.
The
Boston
Planning
and
Development
agency
is
doing
business
on
behalf
of
the
Boston
Redevelopment
Authority
and
the
economic
development
and
Industrial
Corporation.
E
The
boards
or
the
government
governing
bodies
of
of
the
agency
and
the
bra
board
serves
as
the
planning
board
for
the
city
of
Boston.
There
are
five
members
of
the
board.
Four
are
appointed
by
the
mayor
and
confirmed
by
the
city
council,
and
one
is
appointed
by
the
governor
chair.
I
need
to
ask
you
to
make
a
correction
to
the
order.
A
E
F
F
It
was
not
the
longest
tenure,
but
I
was
able
to
learn
a
lot
through
my
years
in
the
Carpenters
Union
I
was
able
to
attend
many
public
meetings
for
the
bpda
and
I,
see
how
it
operated
and
I
see
how
it
can
help
and
hurt
some
communities
on
how
we
go
about
things.
So
I
would
be
very
honored
and
proud
to
be
a
part
of
help
changing
the
city
of
Boston
in
good
ways
that
help
with
the
administration
of
the
mayor
and
also
the
neighborhoods
together.
F
A
A
A
Oh,
you
will
not
hold
two
seats,
so
you're
gonna,
so
you're
gonna
resign
from
that
one
though
yes,
okay,
council,
do
you
have
any
questions
for
Raheem?
Oh,
you
know
we'll
do
we'll
do
everybody
first
and
then,
and
then
questions
asked
okay,
yeah
Priscilla.
Would
you
like
to
go
in
in
Priscilla?
Are
you
the?
Are
you
the.
G
A
G
You
thank
you,
members
of
the
city
council,
esteemed
colleagues
and
fellow
Boston
residents
I.
Thank
you
for
Gathering
here
today
for
the
confirmation
hearing
of
these
proposed
appointments
to
bpda
and
the
Boston
zoning
Commission.
As
a
brief
introduction,
my
name
is
Priscilla
Gonzalez
Rojas
I
am
a
fifth
generation
Mexican-American
granddaughter
of
Migrant
Farm
Workers
and
the
first
in
my
family
to
attend
college.
14
years
ago,
I
arrived
in
Boston
from
Chicago
as
a
young
professional
eager
to
experience
my
husband's
hometown.
G
Now,
being
the
chair
of
the
vpda
is
a
role
that
should
not
be
taken
lightly
by
anyone.
Successful
urban
planning
requires
a
delicate
balance
between
economic
Prosperity,
environmental
sustainability
and
the
well-being
of
our
communities.
Boston
is
a
city
with
a
rich
history
and
a
promising
future
I'm
eager
to
continue
collaborating
with
residents,
stakeholders
and
experts
to
ensure
that
our
growth
is
thoughtful
and
considerate.
G
By
engaging
with
the
diverse
voices
of
our
city,
I
believe
we
can
create
plans
that
truly
reflect
the
needs
and
aspirations
of
our
neighborhoods.
I
am
also
committed
to
ensuring
that
our
development
projects
adhere
to
the
highest
standards
of
design,
accessibility
and
resilience,
making
Boston
the
model
that
it
is
for
urban
excellence.
G
As
we
move
forward
facing
the
challenges
of
urbanization,
climate
change
and
social
Equity,
we
must
continue
to
steer
the
course
with
a
steady
hand,
Innovation
and
an
open
heart
with
your
support.
I
am
confident
that
we
can
shape
Boston's
future
in
a
way
that
honors
its
past,
while
embracing
its
potential
so
I.
Thank
you
for
your
consideration
and
happy
to
answer
any
questions.
G
H
Great
thank
you.
My
name
is
I
have
been
a
resident
of
Boston
since
2015.
I'm
excited
and
honored
to
be
up
for
consideration
for
this
position.
I
am
a
transportation.
Planner
I
work
for
a
private
consulting
company
and
previously
I
was
a
transportation
planner
with
the
Boston
transportation
department.
I
think
I
bring
a
couple
of
things
to
this
position.
H
A
D
As
you
are
all
aware,
the
enabling
act
under
Section
8
allows
the
board
and
gives
them
authority
to
Grant
or
modify
any
decision
from
the
commissioner
for
inspectional
services
department
and
granting
any
zoning
relief
that
is
necessary.
Traditionally,
we
see
primarily
conditional
use
and
variances
as
the
typical
case
that
comes
through
for
appeals
pursuant
to
Section
8
of
the
enabling
act.
The
board
consists
of
seven
members
and
seven
alternative
members
that
are
nominated
by
the
mayor
and
appointed
by
City
councilor.
D
A
D
A
A
C
Flynn,
thank
you.
Mr
chair
and
I
go
swim
closely
to
all
of
the
presentations
from
from
these
respected
leaders
in
the
city.
I
have
no
questions
other
than
to
say
I'm,
proud
to
support
them.
I
I
know
the
work
they've
done
for
many
years,
helping
the
residents
of
Boston
and
we're
lucky
to
have
these
types
of
leaders
in
our
city,
making
sure
our
city
moves
forward.
Thank
you,
Mr,
chair,
okay,.
A
I'm
glad
to
see
a
transportation
expert
going
to
the
zoning
board,
so
that's
that's
good
news.
Priscilla
can
does
it
feel
like
less
projects
coming
through
what
it?
What
is
the
volume
like
these
days
after,
like
you,
were
there
before
pre-2020
pre-covered
and
then
also
through
Colvin?
So
what
does
it
feel
like
to
you?
Does
it
feel
like
it's
there's
less
projects
coming
through
or
is
it
as
busy
as
Emma?
What
are
your
thoughts.
G
I
think
I
mean
if
we
were
to
do
the
math.
You
know.
Perhaps
there's
there
is
less
project
or
I,
don't
know
yeah,
it's
pretty
much
the
same,
because
we're
still
at
like
about
30
plus
yeah,
so
I
think
we're
still.
You
know
we're
still
seeing
still
seeing
development
and
all
kinds
of
development
come
through
each
month
on
the
the
board
agenda.
G
A
From
the
time
first
sat
with
me,
we
talked
for
what
what
you
know
it
looked
like
to
to
you
know,
then
the
then
the
eight
years
so
and
it
it
isn't
necessarily
dot
block
but
I'm
saying
like
what
is
the
proper
way.
If
a
developer
makes
a
a
promise
or
a
you
know
it
back
to
being
more
more
creative
and
I
I
like
to
use
the
term
conscious
capitalism,
you
know.
So,
if
they're
going
to
make
investments
in
neighborhoods,
is
it
that
board
memo?
Are
we
able
to?
G
G
G
You
know
what
are
all
the
different
stakeholders
thinking
about
this
project
and
then
you
know
balancing
that
with
you
know
the
plans
that
we
have
the
zoning
that
we
have
and
yeah
I
think
the
staff
does
a
really
great
job
of
you
know,
being
thorough
and
I.
Think
eight
years
is
definitely
a
long
I.
That's
one
of
the
things
that
we're
we
have
initiative
to
work
on
is.
B
G
A
A
E
The
third
memo
is
the
document
that
the
board
approves
that
captures
everything
agreed
to
on
the
project,
so
it
talks
about
square
footage.
It
talks
about
mitigation,
it
talks
about
Community
benefits.
It
talks
talks
about
the
affordability
levels.
That
is
the
document
that
captures
everything
and,
if
we're
talking
about
large
projects,
the
board
memo
is
what
leads
to
the
cooperation
agreement,
which
is
the
actual
legal
document.
So.
E
The
quest
agreement
is,
is
a
document
that
is
signed
after
the
board
approves
the
project.
The
board
memo
authorizes
the
director
to
enter
into
a
cooperation
agreement
between
the
the
agency
and
the
developer,
and
that's
the
document
that
that
we
look
at
to
make
sure
that
everything
that's
been
agreed
to
in
the
project
is
completed
when
the
Project's
finished.
Okay,
okay,.
A
Does
the
board
and
sorry
Priscilla
you've
been
here,
you've
been
here
already,
but
hey
does
the
board
get?
Is
it
just
projects
that
you
guys
like
like
so,
for
instance,
for
me,
a
sticking
point,
something
that
I'd
love
to
see
the
bra
get
away
from
the
bpda
da
get
away
from
is
the
zoom
meetings?
Is
it
it's
very
difficult?
I
know
people
say
that
it,
it
adds
a
layer
of
you
know.
People
are
able
to
attend,
but
it
also
adds
that
impersonal.
A
A
G
Think
that's
something
that
I
discussed
right
now
with
within
the
city
and
and
at
the
agency.
So
you
know
from
a
board
member
perspective.
I
do
I
do
value
the
the
virtual
setting,
but
I
totally
understand
what
you're
saying
from
that
that
in-person
setting
as
well
so
I
think
we're
you
know
considering
all
of
those
and
and
trying
to
make
the
best
decision
that
that
we
can
there.
G
G
G
B
G
So
from
the
board
perspective,
I'm,
not
sure
if
we
have
to
if
that's
something
that
we
have
to
you
know,
vote
on
or
or
something,
but
we
do
have.
We
are
briefed
on
the
the
transformation
work
streams
pretty
regularly.
Definitely
we've
requested
up,
you
know,
updates
so
I
think
I
would
say
every
quarter
or
so
you
know
we're
getting
updates
on
how
that
is,
is
going.
B
Yeah
and
I
just
wanted
to
say
I'm.
Obviously,
it's
great
to
see
Rahim
in
the
setting.
Obviously
I
think
it's
really
important
that
there
be
a
union
voice
at
the
bpda
and
could
not
have
better
Partners
than
the
Carpenters
so
really
excited
about,
and
obviously
your
history
in
the
neighborhood
and
just
someone
who
sort
of
knows
exactly
what's
going
on
so
excited
for
your
leadership.