zoning board of appeal

Most Boston residents may not know much about, let alone have engaged with, the city’s Zoning Board of Appeal, which adjudicates hundreds of appeals by developers and ordinary residents for zoning variances — exceptions to Boston zoning rules — every year.

Mayor Michelle Wu announced appointments to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeal Monday, replacing 11 of the 14 current members of the body, which serves as one of the primary review processes for construction projects in the city.

The development process at 36 Temple St. in Mattapan could serve as a case study in how controversial real estate projects moved forward during the eight-year administration of former Mayor Martin Walsh.

On property disputes, Boston residents often find little support. Complaints can range from the inconvenience of a small strip of disputed land to encroachments that impact the use of one’s property.

Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards held a hearing July 6 on two ordinances that mainly bring zoning decision-making for marijuana businesses under the authority of the Boston Cannabis Board (BCB), which was created in 2019 to facilitate the licensing of these businesses and maintain equity during the process.

District 1 City Councilor Lydia Edwards is looking to boost the Boston Cannabis Commission’s role in approving new marijuana businesses by removing the Zoning Board of Appeal from the process.

A small army of developers is altering the fabric of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan in defiance of a zoning code that some argue was meant to protect abutters from the excesses of speculative real estate development. In case after case, developers are pushing past the previously set limits on building height and density.

The Zoning Board of Appeal gave the green light to a controversial development project in Mattapan last week over abutters’ objections.