Land Use & Development

In October 2023, A Better City was part of a focus group with a dozen architects, including Tamara Roy of Stantec and our Board, to discuss Squares and Streets and related Zoning Code reform effort that was presented at our Land Use and Development Advisory Committee meeting earlier in October. The purpose of the focus group session was to explain the Squares and Streets initiative, to further discuss the zoning reform work, and to gather comments and suggestions from architects who will be affected by zoning changes. This work represented a first step in a much larger Boston Zoning Code reform initiative described by Mayor Wu. In effect, the Squares and Streets work can serve as a pilot for the city-wide effort, following many of the same steps.

The emphasis of the work was on preparing a process that relies primarily upon as of right regulations to avoid the need for time consuming review by the ZBA as much as possible.

In looking at “squares” rather than entire neighborhoods, which has been the usual approach to planning in Boston, the emphasis is on centers of activity in the neighborhoods.

Analysis of some squares in Boston has suggested a typology of buildings, which have been labeled:

• Placemakers (landmark buildings that add a distinct character to the squares)
• Primary Corner
• Main Street Infill
• Neighborhood Infill (largely residential buildings off the major streets)

Currently, the Boston Zoning Code describes 250 uses. The aim is to group similar uses into a smaller number of categories that may differentiate between small and large uses and better define the uses. Obsolete use designations will be removed.

The first step was an inventory of uses to begin the process of simplifying the use table. There is a desire to avoid non-conformities of uses in districts that have been revised, and in the future have a single use table that applies to the whole city.

Small area plans have been developed or are in progress for Roslindale Square, Cleary Square. Fields Corner, and Codman Square. Eventually the planning process will extend to all major squares in the city.

In September 2024, members of A Better City received a preview of an Action Plan for Article 80 Modernization of the development review process. The Action Plan codified draft recommendations centered on three core changes:

• Effective engagement
• Consistent standards
• Coordinated review

A significant component of effective engagement is overhauling the IAG process, replacing it with Community Advisory Teams with a clarified role, training, and support to enable members to provide more relevant contributions to the project review process. The aim for consistent standards is to provide greater predictability and transparency for the review process with clear definitions and better understood mitigation of impacts and a menu of community benefit options for developers to choose. The aim of coordinated review is to assemble a team from all reviewing agencies and departments in a single process.

Members of A Better City engaged in vigorous discussions about the proposed changes to Article 80. Concerns were raised that the proposed process does not recognize the realities of the real estate development process in which it is important to keep moving ahead rather than revisit decisions that have already been made.

Additional comments suggested that the proposed changes to the process are moving in the right direction, but there needs to be political will to live with the timelines and an effort to expedite good projects. Formalizing the process and the effort to live within the rules is important.

In July 2025, A Better City members reviewed and generally supported the current approach for Early Actions that advance proposed changes to the Article 80 process that have received consensus support during previous reviews. These actions will be tested and evaluated during a one-year pilot program. The actions include internal changes to the review process, enhanced public engagement methods, and changes to the review process by the Boston Civic Design Commission. Long Term changes that will require further development include the establishment of Community Advisory Teams.

The PLAN: Downtown process began in 2018 but was interrupted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and was resumed in November 2022. The plan was adopted in December 2023. There was general support for the plan that identified five-character areas, each with key priorities focused on growth and preservation, mobility, open space and public realm, climate resilience and sustainable development.

The next step for planning was the preparation and adoption of new zoning regulations to support implementation of the plan.

A Better City staff participated in several public meetings on the proposed Downtown Zoning as it evolved over the early months of 2025.  Support of the Downtown Zoning was more difficult to attain than that for the overall plan. At the June 16, 2025 public meeting, A Better City made a statement in support of the current version of the zoning that allows increased height as a bonus incentive under restrictions of the state shadow law and FAA flight path restrictions. Sites greater than one acre in size that include a landmark structure are eligible to become a Planned Development Area with negotiated heights within the constraints and an opportunity for density bonuses in exchange for a significant amount of residential uses on site. In our comments, emphasis was placed on the importance of zoning to contribute to the vitality of the district.

In the summer of 2025, A Better City conducted a series of interviews with planners, policy makers, and developers to learn more about efforts in Boston to revitalize downtown that is still recovering from the effects of the COVID pandemic and the expansion of remote work. In parallel, we examined similar efforts in other cities to identify potential additional programs and actions that could be effectively implemented in Boston. We reported on the range of programs in Boston and beyond to summarize positive actions that will continue to make Downtown Boston an active and vital center of the region.

A Better City has been an active member of the Wharf District Council since it was established during the planning, design, and construction of the Central Artery Project on the doorstep of the district. Currently, the Council meets monthly to monitor activities in the area, with a focus on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, public safety activities, and other neighborhood events. The Council reviews all applications for licenses in the area and provides comments for the City’s review of these applications.

In recent years, property owners and members of the Council have focused on the effects of climate change and sea level rise on the Wharf District, the Financial District beyond, and the nearby transportation infrastructure, developing a plan for collective action a Climate Resilience Master Plan, a handbook to guide other communities that seek to undertake a similar process, and a brief video that describes the process and products of that work.