Boston City Council Committee on Planning Development and Transportation.

Today is August 4th, and the exact time is 1212 p.m.

In accordance with Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, modifying certain requirements of open meeting law and relieving public bodies of certain requirements, including the requirement that public bodies can conduct its meetings in a public place that is openly open and physically accessible to the public.

The city council will be conducting this hearing virtually via Zoom.

This hearing is being recorded, it is being live streamed at Boston.gov backslash city dash council dash TV and broadcast on expenditure channel eight, RCN Channel 82, Files Channel 964.

Written comments may be sent to the committee email at CCC.plan DEV at Boston.gov and will be made part of the record and available to all counselors.

A public testimony will be taken at the end of this hearing.

Individuals will be called on in the order in which they have signed up and will have two minutes to testify.

If you wish to sign up for public testimony and have not done so, please email our Central Staff liaison, Shane Pack at Shane SHANE dot PAC at Boston.gov for the Zoom link, and your name will be added to the list.

Today's hearing is on Docket 1316, message in order for the confirmation of the appointment of Lisa Jock as a member of the Boston Planning Development Agency board for a term expiring August 15, 2029.

This matter was sponsored by Mayor Roose Administration and referred to the committee on July 8, 2024.

Today I am joined by my colleagues in order of arrival, Councillor Egg Flynn, Councillor Aaron Murphy.

So I really apologize and uh and want to thank my staff for their help getting my computer up and going.

I'm honored to have the opportunity to share this discussion on an important position.

I'm with such a distinguished candidate.

This position is one of four members of the BPA board appointed by Mayor Wu and confirmed by the city council.

Well, the fifth member is appointed by the governor.

In addition to that work, you've also spent years engaged in civic life and in our communities serving on boards, focused on development planning and historic preservation, including the CPA Preservation Committee, Historic Boston Inc., Citizens Housing and Planning Association, and the Boston Landmarks Commission.

It is clear that you are exceptionally well prepared to approach development decisions with a focus on supporting housing production and meeting the needs of residents today and in the future and preserving the historic resources that make our neighborhood so special.

Obviously, you're more than qualified for this position, but I'm really excited to hear from my colleagues and your any questions that my colleagues may have.

And I have a number of questions for you today as well.

But with that, um I'd like for uh Felicia, I'd love for you to introduce yourself, um, and then we will um get into questions on anything else.

And then um Secretary Fulhemus, if you'd like to give an opening statement as well, that would be great.

Awesome.

Yeah, Felicia, would you like to go first?

Wonderful, yes.

Thank you.

Thank you, uh, Counselor Chair Dorkin.

Um I think as the chair has mentioned, my name is Felicia Jacques, and I I've been a resident of Boston since 1995.

Um I'm very pleased and honored to be before you as a nominee to the BPDA, and I'm grateful for the mayor's submission and the councillor's ex uh council's acceptance.

My interest in affordable housing, economic develop and economic development has been informed by the fiscal responsibility and the high design, which spans decades from my work uh beginning in San Antonio, Texas, to New York City and to land in Boston, uh, as I said, in 1995.

And the city is beloved in my heart and in all of the work that I do.

My resume reflects my experience in developing thousands of affordable units with attendant commercial space throughout the state.

Uh earlier in commit my career, uh several thousand have been in Boston and more recently um outside of outside of Boston, uh in all corners of the state of Massachusetts.

My interest in joining the BPDA allows me the opportunity to be at the nexus of development planning, design, financial feasibility, and community process.

All of these components are necessary to continue to contribute to the built environment in this historic yet always evolving city.

I look forward to working with the BPDA and board members along with the mayor and the and the city council as we tackle this generation of work to secure Boston's future and housing community climate resiliency, all the while maintaining the economic engine it is known for.

Thank you to the mayor and to the counselors for the continued opportunity to uh hold a commission seat both on the BLC and the neighborhood uh commission, the South End Landmarks District.

Thank you to Councillor Dorkman, Councillor Flynn, and Councillor Murphy for your leadership on the CPA committee, as my tenure's chair of CPA has allowed us to fund work nearing 100 million dollars in every neighborhood in the city within the with the council's approval.

Thank you again for this opportunity, and um I welcome your questions.

Thank you.

Um, any opening statements from Councillor Flynn or Murphy.

Um thank you, Madam Chair.

I I had the opportunity to work with um the nominee um in and I know she would be a tremendous asset to the board, an outstanding selection.

Well qualified, exceptional experience.

And and Felicia, you mentioned the community preservation act.

I think it's it's one of the most important programs in city government.

And it's really a a way to bring residents together through the CPA program.

But they I just wanted to highlight an outstanding person that I've worked with for many years there.

Um her team does exceptional work, but I know Felicia that you've been an important supporter as well of CPA, but I don't necessarily have anything more to say other than the fact that I know Felicia will do a tremendous job, and I'm looking forward to supporting her.

Thank you so much, Councillor Flynn.

Counselor Murphy.

Yes, thank you.

Um thank you, Teresa, for being here.

But more importantly, Felicia, thank you for putting yourself out there and your resume says a lot, and you already you know show up for the community and do great work.

So don't need to keep you any longer, but just saying, you know, thank you, wanted to make sure I was on to hear you, you know, what you had to say, read your resume, and know that you'll be a wonderful addition.

So looking forward to working alongside you as soon as we get to vote, and hopefully, which I'm pretty sure we will so um you know pass this vote this week coming up.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

And we've been joined by counselor Van Weber.