Boston Zoning Board of Appeal Hearing – May 5, 2026
Boston Zoning Board of Appeal Hearing – May 5, 2026
The Boston Zoning Board of Appeal held a virtual hearing on May 5, 2026, from 9:30 AM to approximately 1:30 PM, hearing 13 regular appeals and one interpretation case. The board approved 12 cases, often with provisos for design review, housing agreements, or accessibility, and deferred one occupancy interpretation case. The meeting included public testimony from the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, civic associations, abutters, and elected officials.
Consent Calendar
- 13 extension requests were read into the record and granted unanimously by the board.
Discussion Items
133–135 North Washington Street (North End) – Proposed six home‑ownership condominiums on an odd‑shaped parcel. Relief sought for G‑COD, parking (none provided), FAR (5.1 vs. 3.0), height, open space, rear yard, and side yard. The applicant reduced units from 13 to 6 after neighborhood input, eliminated parking, and increased rear setbacks. 29 letters of support; North End/Waterfront Neighborhood Council voted unanimous support; North End/Waterfront Residents Association vote 10‑to‑5 in support. The board approved with a proviso that no livable space be below the design flood elevation.
139 West Canton Street (South End) – Renovation of a single‑family rowhouse with a new rear deck and roof deck. Relief for rear yard extension and G‑COD. The Ellis Neighborhood Association did not require a meeting; Montgomery Park supportive. Approved unanimously.
149 Newbury Street (Back Bay) – Change of occupancy for a medical spa on the third floor. No concerns raised; Back Bay Association in non‑opposition. Approved.
154–170 Commonwealth Avenue (Back Bay) – Tenant build‑out for a private fitness club in the Vendome Building. Conditional use for private club. Trustees of the building supported; Back Bay Association in support; Councillor Durkin supported. Approved unanimously.
94 West Cedar Street (Beacon Hill) – Three‑story addition to convert a two‑story commercial/residential building to a five‑story, six‑unit residential building. Violations in FAR (4.0 vs. 2.0), side/rear yard, open space, and parking. Beacon Hill Civic Association opposed due to FAR increase; Councillor Dirkin deferred to board. Abutter Andrew Henson spoke in support; no other opposition. Approved unanimously.
69–71 A Street (South Boston, Article 80) – Conversion of vacant office floors (2nd–4th) to 24 residential units for CIEE exchange program participants. Relief for lot area, open space, and parking (17 spaces provided). CIEE paid $1 million to Inclusionary Development Fund in lieu of on‑site affordable units. BPDA Board approved the notice of project change. West Broadway Neighborhood Association supported; Councillor Flynn supported. Approved unanimously.
87 Heath Street (Mission Hill) – New 14‑unit multifamily building on a subdivided lot. Straddles two zoning districts; conditional use needed; excess height (59 ft vs. 40 ft) and FAR (2.98 vs. 2.0); parking reduced to 7 spaces. Planning department recommended approval. Community Alliance of Mission Hill supported; abutters raised concerns about parking, curb cut, rodents, and affordability. Approved with provisos for design review (open space, buffering, rear yard) and a housing agreement.
94–96 St. Mark’s Road (Dorchester) – Legalize an existing third‑floor unit and extend curb cut for two off‑street parking spaces. St. Mark’s Area Civic Association voted 9‑0 in support; abutters supportive. Approved with proviso to redesign parking layout and preserve trees.
2–8 Dyer Street (Roxbury) – Four‑unit townhouse with ground‑floor parking (2 spaces). Relief for parking and front yard setback. Redefining Our Community organization opposed; no abutters attended the initial meeting. Approved with proviso that no relief be granted for the front yard, requiring at least a 5‑foot setback on Dyer Street.
4 Adams Street (Hyde Park, Mayor’s Office of Housing) – New three‑unit building on a 6,001 sq ft lot (requires 8,000 sq ft for “other use”). Relief for lot size, FAR (0.27 vs. 0.5), height, side/rear yard, and parking (3 spaces). Hyde Park Neighborhood Association opposed, citing electrical capacity and parking. MOH and ONS supported. Approved with proviso to work with planning on accessibility.
1900–1904 River Street (Hyde Park) – Add one story to two existing buildings, increasing from 8 to 12 units each. Relief for FAR, height, parking (one‑to‑one ratio). Abutters expressed concerns about trash, rodents, parking, and tenant displacement. Applicant committed to no displacement and temporary relocation. Hyde Park Neighborhood Association opposed. Approved with provisos for housing agreement and design review of parking.
342–390 Orange Street (West Roxbury) – Change occupancy to allow body art (permanent makeup) in an existing hair salon. West Roxbury Neighborhood Council supported. No public comments. Approved.
1740 Hyde Park Avenue (Hyde Park, Article 80) – New 42‑unit residential building with 19 garage spaces. Two board members recused. Reedville Watch opposed due to parking ratio. BPDA approved the project in September 2025. Approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- 12 regular appeals approved, most with provisos addressing design review, housing agreements, flood elevation, accessibility, or parking.
- One case (interpretation of occupancy for 87 West 7th Street, South Boston) was deferred to allow the building commissioner to issue a revised determination after newly discovered 1981 permit records. The board voted 6‑1 to defer to a future date (May 19, June 2, or June 16, 2026).
- Commissioners, applicants, and the board will confer before the next hearing to resolve conflicting occupancy records.
Meeting Transcript
Boston zoning board of appeal hearing from May fifth, twenty twenty-six is now in session. This hearing is being conducted in accordance with the applicable provisions of the open meeting law, including the updated provisions enacted by the legislature this year. The new law allows the board to continue its practice of holding virtual hearings through June twenty twenty-seven. This hearing of the board is being held remotely via the Zoom webinar event platform and is also being live streamed. In order to ensure this hearing of the board is open to the public. Members of the public may access this hearing through telephone and video conferencing. The information for connecting to the hearing is listed on today's hearing agenda, which is posted on the public notices page of the city's website, Boston.gov. Members of the public will enter the virtual hearing as attendees, which means you're not seeing yourself and you will be muted throughout unless administratively unmuted when asked to comment. Board members, applicants, and their attorneys or representatives will participate in the hearing panels, and they will appear alongside the presentation materials when speaking. If you wish to comment on an appeal, please click the raise hand button along the bottom of your screen in the zoom up. Then your hand should go down. When the host sees your hand, you will receive a request to unmute yourself. Select yes, then you should be able to talk. If you are connected to the hearing by telephone, please press star nine and to raise and lower your hand. You must press star six to unmute yourself after you receive the request from the host. Those called upon to comment will be asked to state their name and address first and then provide their comment. In the interest of time and to ensure that you have enough time to do so, please raise your hand as soon as Mr. Stembridge reads the address into the record. Do not raise your hand before the relevant address is called, or the meeting hosts will not know to call on you at the appropriate time. We ask that you keep your comments brief and all public testimony will be limited to 90 seconds per speaker. Okay, Mr. Stembridge. Morning, Madam Chair, fellow board members present. Good morning, Mr. Valencia. Good morning, Madam Chef present. Good morning. Mr. Lang. Good morning, Madam Chair present. Good morning. Ms. Wewe. Good morning, Madam Chair Present. Good morning. Ms. Turner. Good morning, Madam Chair Present. Good morning. And Mr. Brunell. Good morning, Madam Chair. Present. Good morning. I'll turn it back over to you, Mr. Stembridge. Thank you, Madam Chair. We will begin with the extensions scheduled for 9 30 a.m. today. I'll read all the and all the extensions in one after the other.
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