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Councilors reject transfer of parking-variance authority from zoning board to City Council
Summary
Revere Zoning Subcommittee voted not to recommend a proposed ordinance that would have moved authority over parking variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals to the full City Council after several councilors argued the ZBA should remain insulated from politics.
Revere City Councilor Kelly proposed an ordinance to remove the Zoning Board of Appealsauthority to grant parking variances and instead require parking reductions be approved by the elected City Council. The zoning subcommittee voted against recommending the change to the full council.
Kelly said relocating the authority to the City Council would place decisions about parking reductions with elected officials who "answer directly to the people." She said she was prompted by constituent complaints and a review that showed "51 parking variances granted over the last 4 years."
Several councilors pushed back. Councilor Argencio said the zoning board exists to make nonpolitical decisions and described his experience with the Zoning Board of Appeals as positive. "I feel as though we have a zoning board of appeals for a reason," Argencio said. Councilor Garrino Sawaya and Councilor Novoselski echoed that confidence, saying the appointment and oversight process already gives the council a way to hold the ZBA accountable.
Subcommittee members debated how many variance applications actually reached the ZBA during the four-year period referenced and whether the number of approvals alone justified shifting authority. Councilor Garrino Sawaya asked for the total number of applications versus the 51 approvals to better assess the scale of the issue.
After discussion, the subcommittee took a roll-call vote on whether to offer a favorable recommendation. All present voted no; the subcommittee recorded that it "has not received a favorable recommendation" and the proposed ordinance will not be advanced from this committee.
The item will remain on the subcommittee record; proponents may bring revised language or supplemental data back to the committee if they wish to pursue further action.
