By Michael Coughlin Jr.
Orient Heights residents can pencil in a win, as it was revealed at Monday’s Orient Heights Neighborhood Council (OHNC) meeting by City Councilor Gabriela Coletta and State Representative Adrian Madaro that the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) is set to make some changes in its zoning recommendations for the neighborhood.
The changes include that buildings in Orient Heights would be limited to two families – without an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit), limited to two and a half stories, and the maximum square footage on lots would be capped at 5,000 square feet.
Moreover, Coletta emphasized that there still needs to be clarifications from the BPDA regarding specifics about square footage per floor.
In addition to the projected changes mentioned by Coletta, she is exploring bringing about a demolition fee for developers to help preserve existing housing.
It should be noted that Coletta prefaced the information about the changes by saying, “I have not received a formal written correspondence from the BPDA about these changes, so what I am relaying to you has only been told to me over the phone.”
That being said, she described the changes as “a win on behalf of the community.”
These potential changes come off the heels of an eight-page letter penned by Coletta about three weeks ago addressed to Mayor Michelle Wu outlining priorities and demands from residents and a subsequent meeting with Mayor Wu last week.
Since the zoning recommendations were introduced by the BPDA last fall as part of PLAN: East Boston, those in Orient Heights have been adamantly against the recommendations holding at least two neighborhood meetings, one in November and another in March, communicating their displeasure.
Essentially, the displeasure boils down to the fact that residents felt that the recommendations would change the fabric of the neighborhood – for the worst.
Madaro outlined how the community’s voice has helped change the plans over time.
“When we started the conversation here, the city was ready to jam three by-right down our throats, and then they moved to two and an ADU; now we’re at two families, so that is a significant win,” said Madaro.
“What the city proposed was a max square footage cap at 7,400 which would have meant massive buildings on all lots across Orient Heights but particularly on the top of the hill … we’re now down to 5,000 square feet as the cap.”
While these changes can be seen as a win for the neighborhood, there were calls for smaller square footage per floor to limit the size of buildings and the need for more parking.
However, one of the most prominent conversations that stemmed from this news concerned the Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA).
Several residents indicated that these changes might all be for nothing if the ZBA does not do its job and enforce the zoning laws.
“Arthur Jemison can come here with his team, and they can work this proposal and that proposal – if the ZBA – you don’t do something to get those people out of there and change this whole damn thing, this is all for not,” said one resident.
“What in this plan is going to change the ZBA’s opinion or stop them? Because we can codify whatever we want, we can say don’t build any houses, but the ZBA wants to grant a variance; it’s too expensive for the neighbors to litigate it – I’m an attorney – I know,” said another resident.
Coletta explained that there is no guarantee that the ZBA would hold up potential zoning changes since it is an independent body. However, she spoke about the importance of getting the ZBA members on record to hold them accountable.
Overall, while these potential changes are good news for the residents of Orient Heights, Madaro probably put it best, “Clearly there is still – as the Councilor mentioned – some details to iron out some questions to answer. We do want to get things in writing, we want to see the final details,” he said.
“But this is a huge step in the right direction and major progress from where we were before, so thanks to you all.”