Thanks to the Boston Bar Association (BBA) and Ian Urquhart at Nutter, McClennen & Fish, for recently coordinating a BBA member walkthrough of Stellata, which is the first-completed of 15 proposed new buildings at the Bunker...more
According to recent news coverage, about 30,000 housing units proposed for Boston are approved by the Boston Planning Department (BPD) yet unable to break ground due to market conditions. In response, the Wu administration,...more
Last week, the Boston Zoning Commission adopted Net Zero Carbon (NZC) zoning. As addressed in our 2021 and 2023 advisories, this completes a three-part decarbonization strategy, along with the Specialized Energy Code and the...more
As addressed in our prior advisory, Boston is reforming the impact review process in Article 80 of its zoning code. This process is analogous to “site plan review” outside of Boston, involving public review of a project’s...more
In June, Mayor Wu announced the extension of the City of Boston's Office to Residential Conversion Program with $15 million in additional funding from the state. The program, which formally launched in October of 2023, aims...more
Boston is continuing its commitment to planning-led rezoning with the recent release by the Boston Planning and Development Agency ("BPDA") of a draft zoning text amendment and zoning map to implement the PLAN: Downtown...more
Boston’s campaign of planning-led rezoning is proceeding with a recent vote by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) to petition the Zoning Commission for approval of new citywide form-based zoning templates for...more
Governor Maura Healey has called out housing as Massachusetts’ biggest challenge—both increasing the pace of production and lowering the cost of living. Given projections that the Commonwealth will absorb 610,000 new...more
The City of Boston is advancing three companion regulatory efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for medium-sized and large buildings. As addressed in our 2021 advisory, the Boston Emissions Reduction and Disclosure...more
2/16/2023
/ Air Pollution ,
Building Codes ,
Building Permits ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Construction Project ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
LEED Rules ,
Net Zero ,
Pollution Control ,
Real Estate Development
Furthering the aims of Boston’s 2019 Climate Action Plan, which identified large buildings as major carbon emitters, Boston City Council amended the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) to require all...more
11/10/2021
/ Air Pollution ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Net Zero ,
Real Estate Development ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Renewable Energy ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Working Groups
The Boston Planning and Development Agency (“BPDA”) has approved an amendment to the Boston Zoning Code that would require developers of large residential projects to create inclusive housing opportunities....more
We previously advised that the Walsh administration’s housing plan included an initiative to change Boston’s Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP). In December of 2015, after nearly a year of study and outreach, Mayor Walsh...more
The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) is considering 10-year extensions for 14 urban renewal plans, originally adopted in the 1960s and early 1970s, that cover approximately 10% of Boston’s land area. If the proposed...more
Under its newly-appointed director, Brian Golden, the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (BRA/EDIC) has released its 2014 Year in Review report entitled “Building the New Boston...more
The Walsh administration has released its eagerly-awaited housing plan, “Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030,” targeting the creation of 53,000 new housing units by Boston’s 400th year anniversary in the year 2030....more