Council committee hears proposal to allow housing by right in Bulfinch Triangle

Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkin, chair of the Council's Committee on Planning, Development, and Transportation, opened a Jan. 23 hearing on Docket 0189, a proposed text amendment to the Boston zoning code (Article 46, Section 9) that would reclassify residential uses in the Bulfinch Triangle from conditional to allowed.

The amendment, sponsored by Councilor Durkin and co-sponsored by Councilor Colette Zapata, aims to make it easier to convert office and other uses to housing in the Bulfinch Triangle by removing the requirement that proponents seek a conditional use permit for residential uses. "This amendment simplifies the process by designating residential uses as allowed within the district, removing layers of regulatory tape," Durkin said.

Why it matters: Durkin and planning staff said the change is intended to speed production of housing in a downtown-adjacent area that offers transit access and proximity to employment centers. Amy Chambers, director of planning, said the Planning Department supports the proposal as consistent with citywide housing goals. "With respect to the administration's goals for increasing housing ... bringing additional residents into the downtown districts, this is something that we are looking to support," Chambers said.

What would…