A classic tempest in a teapot calmed down on July 16 when the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) Board voted unanimously to approve the affordability memo for 3326 Washington Street in Jamaica Plain.

Developer Marc Kaplan bought the fully approved 43-unit apartment house project exactly two years ago at auction, but found the financing difficult; to make the costs work, he filed to change the 5-year-old affordability agreement in October 2025 – https://gvimes.link/3326washaff

As reported by The Bulletin, this caused enormous distress in the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council (JPNC), abetted in large part by non-council members.

Kaplan came literally within minutes of getting a BPDA board vote on Jan. 13, 2026, until a hasty call from Mayor’s Office of Housing Chief Sheila Dillon asked to cancel that agenda item.

The Boston Planning Department, which normally does not require public meetings on change notices, held two on May 18 and June 8 to review Kaplan’s revised affordability agreement: nine units, two at 30 percent area median income (AMI), two at 50%, two at 70%, and three reserved for voucher holders.

The JPNC wrote a letter of opposition on June 9 and met on June 16 in part to strategize; they feared Kaplan would go to the July BPDA Board.

George Lee, who is not part of the neighborhood council, summed up his view.

“The developer is rushing to get to the July board. It’s most difficult. The financial model is fuzzy,” he added (without verification).

Council member Gert Thorn was blunt.

“The developers are either sleazy or dumb,” he said. “The developers bought this knowing what they had. Unload your property. Go somewhere else.”

The comment letters were fairly even; 21 in support, 23 in favor; the longest letters were from the quartet of dissidents who peppered the six months of meetings: Helen Matthews, Lisa Thompson, Benjie Mauer and Maria Christina Blanco.

Opposition comments seemed to be organized, many were form letters; the main argument being the developer was trying to make more money.

In a rare rebuttal letter, Jeffrey Drago, the attorney for Kaplan responded to the JPNC letter which he said had “factual inaccuracies based on outdated information.”

It is incorrect, Drago wrote, that the “project is proposing a buy-out of affordable units. There are six affordable units on site and three for voucher holders.”

“The request for more public meetings,” Drago wrote, “overlooks the fact that public meetings have already been held” on May 18 and June 8.

At the July 16 BPDA board meeting, councilor Ben Weber testified, “I’m in support of this. I supported the delay to get additional negotiations.”

“The developer was unable to build after he bought it in 2024,” Weber said. “He wanted to buy out three and offer four Section 8 voucher holders.”

“Now it’s 46 units.”

“Nine of the units are onsite affordable apartments at 30%, 50% and 70% AMI,” he said.

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The board approved memo also included the original commitment of $5,000 to Historic Boston for a National Register Nomination of the Green Street Corridor.

Planning Department senior project manager Camille Platt DeCosta opened her remarks by saying, “this process has been going on seven years now. Previously approved November 2020.”

“It’s a new build; the lot is empty.”

“Forty-six rental units with nine IDP units,” DeCosta said.

BPDA Planner I Andrew Plumb put 3326 Washington into zoning background.

“It’s in context with Plan JP/Rox,” he said, “which provides for inclusive growth and new zoning density, but it was never adapted.”

“This is consistent with the goals of Plan JP/Rox,” Plumb said.

BPDA chair Priscilla Rojas apparently had not been following 3326 over the past six months and asked, “What’s driving the design change? Looking at the design slide, it looks different.”

Project designer Gregory Spaulding – who has been architect of record since 2020 – explained that the balconies were removed, “to bring the cost down, it was a matter of construction costs.”

BPDA board member Kate Bennett had been following 3326 over the last six months.

“I know there was a real push for more affordability – housing advocates, the mayor’s office of housing. You pushed back as far as you could go,” Bennett said. “You got better results. I appreciate that.”

The Jamaica Plain Housing Committtee met on July 21 and the chair Purple Reign agreed with Bennett.

“We didn’t get what we wanted, but to me the win was we got some changes,” she said summing up the BPDA vote.

“The silver lining is we all worked together. Marc Kaplan was willing to meet with us.”