AN UPDATE ON BOSTON’S ZERO NET CARBON ZONING
March 18, 2024

In 2022, A Better City was engaged with the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) on a Zero Net Carbon (ZNC) Zoning Initiative for new construction. Since the end of 2022, the discussion has been dormant while other building policies have been finalized, including:

  • The updated Stretch Energy Code for all Green Communities that came into effect for commercial buildings in July 2023.
  • The Specialized Stretch Energy Code, which municipalities can opt-in to, has an effective date at the discretion of the municipality adopting it. For Boston, the Specialized Code came into effect in January 2024.
  • BERDO 2.0 regulations and policies for existing buildings over 20,000sf or 15 or more residential units, were finalized in December 2023 with the first compliance period in 2025.

 

In early 2024, the BPDA re-started the ZNC Zoning discussion. A Better City held a meeting with its members and the BPDA on February 21, 2024, to understand what updates had been made to proposed ZNC Zoning since 2022. In this meeting, the BPDA were requesting feedback on 3 key updates under consideration:

  • The implications of requiring net zero emissions once an Article 80 building becomes a BERDO-covered building (buildings ≥ 20,000 SF and/or ≥15 units).
  • The strengthening of embodied carbon reporting within ZNC Zoning regulations.
  • The streamlining of the green building review process to minimize redundancies with citywide environmental policies, zoning, and the MA Stretch Energy Code.

 

As a result of the feedback received at the meeting on February 21st and comments from A Better City members that followed, A Better City submitted preliminary comments to the BPDA for consideration as they draft ZNC Zoning regulations, expected by the end of March . . .

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Celebrating Advancement of the Silver Line Extension
March 15, 2024

On March 8, the MBTA and MassDOT released the final report of the Silver Line Extension Alternatives Analysis, in preparation since 2021, that recommended extending the SL3 bus route from Chelsea through Everett to Sullivan Square in Charlestown. Why is this recommendation significant? Because it advances one more segment of the Urban Ring concept beyond the 2018 opening of the SL3 “Silverline Gateway” route from the Blue Line in East Boston along a dedicated right of way in Chelsea, providing improved access for a community underserved by transit. The proposed SLX route will add even more transit access along dedicated rights of way to a growing Everett community, linking between the Blue Line and Orange Line, with potential future connections to the Green Line at Lechmere and the Red Line at Kendall Square with its major employment center.

These potential links are still under study and operations will require additions to the Silver Line fleet, but all of these segments are part of the Urban Ring concept, most recently labeled the “Northern Tier” in a 2009 Notice of Project Change, which was suspended by EOTC, MassDOT’s predecessor at that time, due to lack of funding.

The Urban Ring concept, which is now being implemented segment by segment, has its origins in the “Circumferential Transit” route first advanced by the Boston Transportation Planning Review study of 1972 (thank you Jack Wofford, Director of BTPR) as a substitute for the Inner Belt highway project.

Circumferential Transit was blessed with a shorter name when it was recast as the New Urban Ring by the Boston Society of Architects in 1993 (thank you David Lee, immediate Past President of the BSA at the time), and the concept was further advanced by the MBTA in 1996 in a Major Investment Study (thank you project manager Peter Calcaterra). The concept was carried forward over the years by a series of Citizens Advisory Committees to . . .

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I-90 Allston Multimodal Project Funding Award is Massive Win for Massachusetts
March 13, 2024

We are thrilled to share that on Monday March 11th the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Boston received the news that they have won $335.4 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program to advance the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project! You can see the press release, as well as recent coverage in the

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MBTA Safety, Service, and Staffing - Snapshot January 2024
February 21, 2024

Safe and reliable public transit service is essential to the economic vitality of the region—and to reaching our climate, equity, and mobility goals. To meet the current and future needs of our riders and our economy, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) must address major safety, service, and staffing challenges. As the MTBA works to address these challenges, it is imperative to track key performance metrics and data trends. As such, this short report aims to provide a periodic, user-friendly snapshot of these metrics, using publicly available data. Please contact Caitlin Allen-Connelly, Senior Advisor on Transportation, with questions or feedback. Read full MORE

DPU’s Historic Ruling on the Commonwealth’s Future for Natural Gas (Docket 20-80)
February 21, 2024

Since fall 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has considered arguments within Docket 20-80, otherwise known as the “Future of Natural Gas” investigation, to consider the future of the natural gas industry in Massachusetts. The investigation into Docket 20-80 was intended to encourage strategies for a clean energy future that achieves net zero emissions by 2050, while also ensuring the provision of safe, reliable, and cost-effective services to Massachusetts ratepayers. With Docket 20-80 framed as an investigation rather than adjudication, the Order is intended to be impartial and to provide forward-looking policy recommendations. The DPU released Order 20-80 on December 6th, 2023, after extensive stakeholder feedback in hearings, technical sessions, and public comment periods.

Many are calling DPU’s Order 20-80 one of the most transformative climate decisions in the agency’s history. The order will no longer allow cost recovery for gas infrastructure in Massachusetts, without proof of non-gas alternatives being considered, nor will they allow the expansion of natural gas. The new regulatory strategy signals DPU’s interest in helping the State achieve emissions reduction targets required through decarbonization, electrification, and adoption of pilot programs for new technologies—all while minimizing additional costs to ratepayers (note: the DPU will also be investigating solutions to energy burdens borne by low- and moderate-income ratepayers and environmental justice populations in a separate proceeding under DPU Docket 24-15).

Gas distribution companies are now required to file Climate Compliance Plans every 5 years, beginning in 2025, to demonstrate . . .

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STATEMENT ON MBTA POWER CABLE FAILURE
February 15, 2024

KATE DINEEN, PRESIDENT & CEO, A BETTER CITY

“While the cause of the power failure is still under investigation, this morning's incident reaffirms the urgent need to ensure that the MBTA has adequate resources to address the system's nearly $25 billion state of good repair backlog. According to the MBTA, approximately 76% of its power assets were out of a state of good repair as of July 1, 2021. The MBTA has suffered from decades of underinvestment and is in need of near-term capital and operating funds, new procurement tools, and a longer-term financing plan to get the system back on track. We appreciate General Manager Eng's transparency, as well as his decision to suspend fare collection across all subway lines during this evening's . . .

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Event Recap: BERDO 2.0 Regulations and Next Steps
February 08, 2024

On Monday, February 5th A Better City hosted a meeting with the City of Boston’s BERDO 2.0 team to hear about the newly finalized BERDO 2.0 regulations and polices, and the next steps for implementation. During the course of the 90 minute event, the following slides were presented by the BERDO team of Hannah Payne, Director of Carbon Neutrality, Dima Moujahed, Carbon Neutrality Project Manager, and Diana Vasquez, BERDO Review Board Manager. These covered a general BERDO overview including the emissions standard and compliance dates, followed by details on the calculation of emissions, options for reducing emissions, flexibility measures (including Blended Emissions, Building Portfolios, Individual Compliance Schedules and Hardship Compliance Plans), fines and enforcement, flexibility measure . . .

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The Time Is Now: I-90 Allston Multimodal Project
February 06, 2024

The I-90 Allston Multimodal Project will reconnect the Allston community and deliver transformational transportation options, unprecedented development opportunities, and critical environmental benefits for Boston, Worcester, and beyond. I'm thrilled to share this short video explaining the project scope, benefits, and urgency. With generous support from the Barr Foundation and in partnership with Denterlein and Good Life Productions, A Better City produced a short educational video explaining the project scope, benefits, and urgency. 

 

 

Thank you to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Governor Maura Healey, State Representative Mike Moran, Mayor Michelle Wu, Chief of Planning and Director of the Boston Planning and Development Agency Arthur Jemison, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Timothy Murray, Conservation Law Foundation President Bradley Campbell, and I-90 Allston Task Force and People's Pike Member Jessica Robertson for their participation and leadership. This educational video was made possible by generous support from the Barr Foundation and partnership with Denterlein and Good Life Productions.

In terms of next steps, the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, Greater Boston business community, and Allston community stakeholders have united in support of this project and in support of an application for federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program. A decision on that federal funding application is expected in the coming weeks.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Tom Ryan with questions or comments about this once-in-a-generation . . .

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A Better City Hosts Third Extreme Heat Working Group with EEA Assistant Secretary of Resilience: Mia Mansfield & Boston Tree Alliance/Mass Audubon's: Amara Chittenden
January 18, 2024

In December 2023, A Better City hosted our third meeting of the Extreme Heat Working Group, an informal coalition of ABC members, member representatives, and staff exploring opportunities for the business community to support heat resilience initiatives in Boston. With about 35 members in the Working Group across a range of sectors and expertise, members are exploring opportunities to support short-term heat relief and emergency response efforts, as well as longer-term community heat resilience interventions that enable cooler neighborhoods, commutes, and business districts.

Presentation #1:ResilientMass: Assistant Secretary for Resilience Mia Mansfield, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs (EEA)

At our December meeting Mia Mansfield, gave a presentation on the October 2023 release of the ResilientMass Plan (Plan), which is a federally mandated update to the 2018 State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP). Of note, the impacts of rising temperatures in Massachusetts could mean 23-29 high heat days over 95 degrees per year to be expected by 2050, with annual temperature increases of 5.9-7.9 degrees. Asst. Sec. Mansfield said there are 80 actions included in the Plan to address extreme temperatures, including plans to: develop a Heat Flag warning system in the next 5+ years with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); develop outreach materials for climate change and health with the Department of Public Health (DPH); provide municipal and local health climate equity training and technical support with DPH; identify and assess opportunities to promote cooling in residential buildings with HHS; and develop a framework for statewide resilience progress tracking within EEA. The State also intends to expand its successful Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program to fund more extreme heat and urban forestry initiatives. For more . . .

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Final BERDO Regulations, Key Takeaways, and Next Steps
January 17, 2024

Over the past two year, A Better City has leveraged the expertise of many A Better City members to help inform the City of Boston’s Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO 2.0) regulatory process, culminating in the adoption of final regulations and polices on December 20, 2023. Developed in phases, the final Phase 3 of BERDO 2.0 regulations began in March 2023 and worked through the complex topics of Building Portfolios, Individual Compliance Schedules, Hardship Compliance Plans, the Equitable Emissions Investment Fund, Fines and Enforcement, and Compliance with Emissions Standards. Previous blogposts provide summaries of A Better City’s work on BERDO 2.0 from the Ordinance’s signing on October 6, 2021, to the beginning stages of Phase 3 regulations, and include: