Lawmakers Hear Zoning Board Renominations as Debate Over Bill to Suspend Zoning Continues

The House received gubernatorial renomination communications for two members of the Commonwealth Zoning Board on March 17, and members spent more than 45 minutes questioning the board’s chair about a draft bill that would suspend the zoning code and move zoning functions to the Department of Public Works.

Jean Ponteventi Regis, acting special assistant for administration in the Office of the Governor, introduced the governor’s communications and the nominations of Michael N. Evangelista for vice chair and Henry Hofschneider for chair of the Commonwealth Zoning Board. Regis said the governor and lieutenant governor asked the House for “expeditious approval.” No confirmation vote on the nominations was recorded in the transcript excerpt.

The matter drew immediate attention because Senators Corina Magoffna and Castro recently introduced Senate Bill 24-23, a proposal described by several speakers as a plan to suspend local zoning laws for five years and reorganize zoning under the Department of Public Works (DPW). Henry Hofschneider, the nominee and current chair of the Commonwealth Zoning Board, called the bill “offensive” and said he “disagree[s] with it entirely,” arguing that suspending the zoning code would leave no standards for land-use regulation and could permit incompatible uses next to homes, schools and hospitals.

“The bill kills everything for five years,” Hofschneider said, arguing zoning provides public-safety protections and predictable outcomes for residents. He urged lawmakers and members of the public to attend zoning board meetings and observe how the board and staff conduct public hearings.

Several lawmakers pressed Hofschneider on specific regulatory and enforcement issues. A member of the House (identified in the transcript as the floor leader, Joel C. Camacho) and Senator Magoffna said the change lawmakers are seeking is driven by constituent complaints about inconsistent permitting decisions and a regulation-regime that does not match business needs. Magoffna stressed the bill is a proposal and “will go through public hearings,” and that proponents introduced it because some local returning residents had been denied permits while similar businesses nearby were approved.

Representative Horden and other members described examples of perceived inconsistent enforcement: window advertising allowed at one business but denied at another, differing interpretations of sign and storefront rules, and instances where zoning staff requested detailed interior layouts that legislators said were excessive. Horden said the House and zoning staff have been meeting frequently and emphasized that the concerns reported to members are complaints from constituents, not whispered rumors.

Board members and staff described outreach efforts and limits of the board’s authority. Hofschneider and the board noted they have pursued public outreach—Hofschneider said the zoning office is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and has held multiple village meetings—and that some examination of regulations, rather than eradication of zoning, could address problems. Several lawmakers encouraged closer collaboration between zoning staff and agencies with professional engineering and building expertise, including DPW, the Department of Public Lands (formerly MPLA), and building-safety authorities.

Lawmakers and the nominees repeatedly contrasted the local zoning law itself with implementing regulations. Hofschneider said some local laws, including a blight-and-nuisance provision, already define thresholds of obvious blight and that other technical determinations about structural integrity are typically the purview of building, fire, or public-health authorities.

Earlier in the session the House adopted Journal number 24-01 for the first-day organizational session dated March 17, 2025, and later voted to dissolve into committee of the whole to receive the governor’s communications and hear the zoning board presentation. Both procedural motions were moved, seconded and adopted on voice votes; the transcript does not include roll-call tallies for those votes.

The session did not record a confirmation vote for the two nominees in the provided excerpt. Lawmakers said the bill proposing to suspend zoning will proceed through committee and public hearings, and several members invited the zoning board and the public to return for a May session devoted to zoning discussion and public input.

Members signaled two themes in the debate: some legislators want regulatory changes to reduce perceived permit delays and inconsistent decisions cited by constituents, while the nominees and other board supporters argued eliminating the board or suspending the code would remove public-safety and orderly-development protections.

Votes at a glance: the House adopted the session journal and voted to dissolve into committee of the whole; no confirmation votes on the zoning nominations were recorded in the excerpt.