Boston Mayor Michelle Wu nominated a new slate of members to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeal on Monday.
The plan is part of a bid to remake a key overseer of real estate development that's still dominated by appointees of her predecessor, current U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.
The board, known as the ZBA, can grant approvals to property owners and developers who want to build anything that falls outside the city’s zoning code, a frequent occurrence in Boston for projects both big and small.
The ZBA is made up of seven members who are appointed for three-year terms, as well as seven alternates who can fill in at meetings. All but one of the ZBA's members and alternates have expired terms but have continued to serve on the board.
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Wu said Monday that she is reappointing Jeanne Pinado of Jamaica Plain, Sherry Dong of Dorchester and Hansy Better Barraza of Roslindale. She also made 10 new appointments, including primary members Giovanni Valencia of West Roxbury, Norm Stembridge of Roxbury, Raheem Shepard of Hyde Park and Alan Langham of Dorchester and alternates Alaa Mukahaal of Mission Hill, Shavel'le Olivier of Mattapan, David Aiken of East Boston, Katie Whewell of the West End, Thea Massouh of Brighton and Dave Collins of Roslindale.
The one member with an active term, Kerry Logue of South Boston, will see her term expire on Nov. 1.
The nominees will now need to be confirmed by the City Council.
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In a press release, Wu said the appointees live across the city and "represent the diversity of Boston, including members who are multilingual, renters in income-restricted housing, homeowners, building trades members, first generation immigrants, and multigenerational Bostonians."
“This outstanding slate of community members will play a key role in Boston’s growth as we work to build more housing and address the regional affordability crisis, support equitable and resilient neighborhoods, and shift to planning-led development,” the mayor said in a statement. “These appointees represent the diversity, talent, and expertise of our communities that will connect Boston’s growth to addressing our greatest challenges.”
Wu said the new zoning board members will work closely with Chief of Planning Arthur Jemison to help advance her goal of "rebuilding trust with communities through planning-led development while advancing equity, affordability, and resilience across all functions of the City's development review process."
“I want to thank the prior members for their service to the city. These ZBA appointees have a variety of experiences in development and community advocacy work in Boston’s neighborhoods, and they represent the diversity of our City,” Jemison said. “The BPDA is focused on furthering planning and development work that addresses Boston's greatest challenges: resiliency, affordability, and equity. I am looking forward to a collaborative working relationship with the ZBA. Together, we can aim to reduce reliance on variances as the BPDA prioritizes planning-lead development."
