OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Boston Zoning Board of Appeal Hearing - July 14, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, July 14, 2026
BodyBoston, Massachusetts
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:21:39

Transcript — Verbatim
5:00

Good morning, Madam Chair Present.

5:01

Good morning, Ms.

5:02

Wewell.

5:03

Good morning, Madam Chair President.

5:06

Good morning.

5:07

So just a note to uh applicants.

5:09

We are uh a six-member board today.

5:12

Uh and with that, I will turn it over to Mr.

5:14

Stembridge.

5:16

Thank you, Madam Chair.

5:18

We'll begin today's hearing with the approval of hearing minutes scheduled for 9 30 a.m.

5:26

These are the minutes from the June 16th hearings this year.

5:33

Uh I'll make a motion of approval for this map.

5:39

Oh no, sorry, second.

5:42

Uh Mr.

5:42

Stembridge.

5:45

Yes, ma'am.

5:47

Mr.

5:47

Langham.

5:48

Yes.

5:50

Ms.

5:50

Benabraza.

5:54

Yes.

5:56

Ms.

5:56

Turner.

6:00

Sorry, I didn't hear Miss Turner.

6:02

Yes.

6:02

Can you hear me?

6:03

Yes, thank you.

6:04

Mrs.

6:05

Wewell.

6:06

Yes.

6:08

Excellent.

6:08

And the uh chair votes yes.

6:10

The motion carries.

6:11

So I'm so sorry.

6:12

I was so excited to get us going.

6:13

I forgot to read the thing we're supposed to read at the beginning.

6:16

If uh if uh the pastor wants to rewind to that.

6:25

Thank you.

6:26

Sorry about that.

6:27

Good morning.

6:28

The City of Boston Zoning Board of Appeal hearing for July 14, 2026 is now in session.

6:34

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.

6:42

The new law allows the board to continue its practice of holding virtual hearings through June 2027.

6:46

This hearing of the board is being held remotely via the Zoom webinar event platform and is also being live streamed.

6:56

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.

7:03

The information for connecting to this hearing is listed on today's hearing agenda, which is posted on the public notices page of the city's website, Boston.gov.

7:12

Members of the public will enter the virtual hearing as attendees, which means you will not see yourself on the screen and you will be muted throughout unless administratively unmuted when asked to comment.

7:21

Or members, applicants, and their attorneys or representatives will participate in the hearing as panelists and they will appear alongside the presentation materials when speaking.

7:35

As with our in-person meetings, comments and support will be followed by comments in opposition.

7:39

The order of comments is as follows.

7:41

Elected officials, representatives of elected officials, and members of the public.

7:45

The chair may limit the number of people called upon to offer comment and the time for commenting as time constraints require.

7:51

For that reason, the board prefers to hear from members of the public who are most impacted by a project, that is those individuals who live closest to the project.

7:59

If you wish to comment on an appeal, please click the raise hand button along the bottom of your screen in the Zoom webinar platform.

8:06

Click it again and your hand should go down.

8:08

When the host sees your hand, you will receive a request to unmute yourself.

8:11

Select yes and you should be able to talk.

8:14

If you are connected to the hearing by telephone, please press star nine to raise and lower your hand.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Procedural██████████████████████████27%
Zoning Board of Appeals███████7%
Economic Development███████7%
Historic Preservation█████5%
Affordable Housing█████5%
Community Engagement██2%
Engineering And Infrastructure█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Boston Zoning Board of Appeal Hearing - July 14, 2026

The Boston Zoning Board of Appeal held a virtual hearing on July 14, 2026, starting at 9:30 AM, to consider 20+ appeals including extensions, conditional use permits, and variance requests. The board, initially six members (later five for some cases due to recusals), approved most cases with several deferrals and one denial. Key themes included housing production, roof deck restrictions, and community engagement.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: Approved minutes from the June 16, 2026 hearing (unanimous).
  • Extension Cases: Granted nine extension requests for cases including 8 Burn Street, 1662 North Beacon Street, and others (unanimous).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Eva Jones (Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services) deferred judgment on multiple cases (229 Harrison Ave, 610 Tremont St, 231 Princeton St, 3 Bruce St).
  • Siggy Johnson (ONS) reported community process outcomes for 62-64 Back St, 556 East Broadway, 59 East 8th St, 191 Main St, 63 Telegraph St, and 1819 Center St.
  • Jeremy Bembery (ONS) reported on 100 Magazine St, 3 Glines Ave, 1442-1444 Dorchester Ave, 105 Pleasant View St, 769 Columbia Rd, and 151 Lenox St.
  • Ashely (Councillor Flynn’s office) supported cases except 62-64 Back St (opposed roof deck policy).
  • Councillor Ann Murphy supported 229 Harrison Ave, 500 Boylston St, 556 East Broadway, 59 East 8th St, 610 Tremont St, 3 Glines Ave, 1442-1444 Dorchester Ave, 191 Main St, 128 G St, and 3 Bruce St.
  • Nick Carter (Planning Department) supported 100 Magazine St.
  • Liam Remus (Councillor Fitzgerald’s office) supported 100 Magazine St and 1442-1444 Dorchester Ave.
  • Mark DeLazio (Carpenters Union) supported 100 Magazine St, 1442-1444 Dorchester Ave, and 151 Lenox St.
  • Nick Armada (Landmarks Commission) supported 610 Tremont St, 3 Glines Ave, and 1442-1444 Dorchester Ave, noting preservation of historic structures.
  • Robert Moran (attorney for abutter) opposed 151 Lenox St, citing scale and incompatibility.
  • Christine Simonelli (Boston Groundwater Trust) submitted G-Card letters for 151 Lenox St.
  • Michael Kim (applicant architect) appealed ISD violations at 142 Hollywood St; Mark Joseph (ISD) argued space constituted a separate dwelling unit.

Discussion Items

  • 229 Harrison Avenue (BOA 1825908): Conversion of a two‑family to four‑family with roof work. Approved without building code relief (unanimous). Board requested detailed drawings.
  • 500 Boylston Street (BOA 1840986): New takeout restaurant (Just Salad) in former retail space. Approved (unanimous).
  • 62-64 Back Street (BOA 1833097): New roof deck on four‑story multifamily. Approved with proviso for BPD design review (unanimous). Councillor Flynn opposed due to South Boston roof deck policy.
  • 556 East Broadway (BOA 1834696): Conversion of three‑family to two‑family within existing structure. Approved (unanimous).
  • 59 East 8th Street (BOA 183824?): Expansion of single‑family including third‑floor dormer and side yard relief. Approved (unanimous).
  • 100 Magazine Street (BOA 185037): Article 80 – Suffolk University $30M renovation with 8‑foot fence, landscaping, and 48 canopy trees. Approved (unanimous).
  • 610-610A Tremont Street (BOA 1821667): Change from drugstore to Puerto Rican bakery/cafe (Le Chamia). Approved (unanimous).
  • 3 Glines Avenue (BOA 185600): New three‑unit residential building on vacant lot, no roof deck. Approved (unanimous).
  • 1442-1444 Dorchester Avenue (BOA 1848048 & companion): Historic restoration and 47‑unit residential addition (9 affordable). Approved (unanimous).
  • 105 Pleasant View Street (BOA 1835904): Conversion of single‑family to two‑family with second‑story addition. Approved (unanimous).
  • 17R Belvidere Road (BOA 183?): Rebuild garage in same footprint. Approved (unanimous). Note: Landmarks review required.
  • 231 Princeton Street (BOA 4869?): Addition of deck and enclosed basement. Approved (unanimous).
  • 191 Main Street (BOA 1704408): Temporary relocation of liquor store (Charlestown Liquors) while original site redevelops. Approved (unanimous).
  • 769 Columbia Road (BOA 185727): Renovation converting three‑family to six condominium units with rear addition, new parking. Approved with proviso for BPD review (unanimous).
  • 128 G Street (BOA 183479): Legalization of basement unit converting two‑family to three‑family. Approved (unanimous). Note: sprinkler required.
  • 63 Telegraph Street (BOA 1835485): Two‑family renovation with rear addition and roof changes. Approved (unanimous).
  • 151 Lenox Street (BOA 1857936): Article 80 – 38‑unit 100% affordable senior housing (7 stories). Initial motion to approve failed (4-1); deferred to August 25, 2026 after a member recusal led to a 4‑member board vote that did not carry.
  • 3 Bruce Street (BOA 1837040): Addition of basement living space to create duplex unit in two‑family. Approved (unanimous).
  • 142 Hollywood Street (Interpretation case BOA 185240): Applicant challenged ISD violations for a basement “man cave.” Board upheld ISD decision (denied interpretation) and recommended appeal to Building Code Commission.
  • 1819 Center Street (BOA 1839907): Addition of permanent makeup services to existing beauty salon. Approved (unanimous).
  • 42 East Street (BOA 1805913): Approval of three previously missing zoning violations for a project previously approved. Approved with proviso for BPD design review (unanimous).

Key Outcomes

  • Deferrals: 1H Washington Place deferred to August 11, 2026; 151 Lenox Street deferred to August 25, 2026 (after motion to approve failed).
  • Denial: Interpretation request at 142 Hollywood Street denied.
  • Approvals: 18 cases approved (some with provisos for BPD design review or Landmarks compliance).
  • Community Process: Most cases completed required ONS process, abutters meetings, and civic association reviews. Notable opposition only for 151 Lenox Street (abutter) and 62-64 Back Street (Councillor Flynn’s policy).
  • Affordable Housing: 151 Lenox Street will provide 38 units of 100% affordable senior housing (pending). 1442-1444 Dorchester Ave includes 9 affordable units (19%+ IDP).
  • Technical Issues: A brief delay occurred due to secretary audio/video problems; IT resolved.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning, Madam Chair Present. Good morning, Ms. Wewell. Good morning, Madam Chair President. Good morning. So just a note to uh applicants. We are uh a six-member board today. Uh and with that, I will turn it over to Mr. Stembridge. Thank you, Madam Chair. We'll begin today's hearing with the approval of hearing minutes scheduled for 9 30 a.m. These are the minutes from the June 16th hearings this year. Uh I'll make a motion of approval for this map. Oh no, sorry, second. Uh Mr. Stembridge. Yes, ma'am. Mr. Langham. Yes. Ms. Benabraza. Yes. Ms. Turner. Sorry, I didn't hear Miss Turner. Yes. Can you hear me? Yes, thank you. Mrs. Wewell. Yes. Excellent. And the uh chair votes yes. The motion carries. So I'm so sorry. I was so excited to get us going. I forgot to read the thing we're supposed to read at the beginning. If uh if uh the pastor wants to rewind to that. Thank you. Sorry about that. Good morning. The City of Boston Zoning Board of Appeal hearing for July 14, 2026 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 2027. 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 this 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 will not see yourself on the screen and you will be muted throughout unless administratively unmuted when asked to comment. Or members, applicants, and their attorneys or representatives will participate in the hearing as panelists and they will appear alongside the presentation materials when speaking.

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