On September 15th, almost 70 people attended Boston Planning Department's (BPD) virtual meeting to learn about and discuss the proposed plans of its new Neighborhood Zoning Initiative.

The night before, there was an in-person LANA (Longfellow Area Neighborhood Assoc.) meeting. Two city councilors and a state representative were present. While no representatives of the Planning Department were in attendance at the LANA meeting, a virtual meeting with the Planning Board is scheduled for Nov. 9th. Since October 31st is the closing date for public comments, extending this deadline until after the Zoom meeting on Nov. 9th would make sense. More residents could comment on the draft of the Planning Board’s zoning plan.

In the meantime, we in our neighborhood have been doing our best to make sense of the technical language of the planning documents offered by Planning Board on their website. We have some important concerns and questions regarding the extensive draft zoning changes outlined in the July 17th, 2026 draft.

For example, the “conditional use permits” of that draft’s Section 20-3 allow for more building units than originally emphasized in Section 20-2, Table A for RD-2, 3, 4, and 6. Titled “For New Building(s) Exceeding The Maximum Units Allowed by Table A,” Section 20-3 states that, for any of the 4 RD zones, up to but “no more than 16 total units” will be allowed.

These potential changes present a very large jump in housing unit density. (Table A’s original permissions allowed for only 3-6 units depending on the RD zone.) Such a major increase in units could seriously decrease property line setbacks and open space. Fortunately, any potential increase toward the sixteen-unit allowance does call for “public notice” and a hearing subject to the Board of Appeals as per Article 6. However, Article 6 is not listed anywhere on the Board’s July 17, 2026 zoning plan. Looking ahead, how public will the notice be beyond the small number of 70 people who attended the recent Zoom meeting? Many people in Roslindale are possibly not aware of any of these very large zoning changes being written, and the deadline for public comments is coming soon.

Section 20-3 does offer general language on the Board’s intent to review proposals. “Increasing accessibility and affordability in the immediate vicinity, as well as compatibility with the surrounding area,” are all meant to be considered. The intent to review must be applauded, but will involvement of the Roslindale community in those reviews look like past measures? Since the rezoning of Squares + Streets, we in our neighborhood are still struggling to gain clarity on all three issues highlighted: accessibility, affordability, and compatibility. What details for community involvement regarding such important questions can the Planning Board offer? Perhaps there is still time to find out before October 31st.

Sincerely,

Paul Scavotto

Roslindale

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