On the message and order, referred on May 19, 2021, Docket #0685, Regarding a Text Amendment to the Boston Zoning Code with respect to parking minimums for affordable housing, the committee submitted a report recommending the order ought to pass in a new draft. The report was accepted; the order was passed in a new draft.
Docket number 0685. The Committee on Government Operations, to which is referred on May 19th, 2021. Docket number 0685. In order regarding a text amendment to the Boston Zoning Code with respect to parking minimums for affordable housing submits, a report recommending. The order ought to pass in a new direction. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I now would like to record. Recognize. Councilor Edwards, the chair of the Committee on Government Ops. Councilor Edwards, you have the floor. Thank you very much. Again, this is a stock. It is about making sure that we are building appropriately and avoiding frivolous lawsuits as we're trying to house some of our most vulnerable populations. This is not about getting rid of parking. This is about making sure that if we are going to be increasing the affordability in this case, up to 60% of the units having to be at 100% or less that there should be an exchange not just with developers, but also with the neighborhoods. We don't want people to be subjugated or to be prevented from being housed because one person doesn't want those kinds of people in their neighborhood. That's what prompted our colleagues today to push this forward. We believe in affordable housing. We believe in building, and we don't think that we should have. This parking requirement currently is written as an excuse for those who don't want those kinds of people in their neighborhoods. This is a very well crafted ordinance that essentially would only apply to 46 projects in the last two and a half years, and only nine of them actually even needed a variance for parking. Again, the appropriate amount of parking can be built with this ordinance. It is just simply removing it as an opportunity for someone to sue to block a building from being built. I'm excited to support this. And I can tell you, I was one of the first early skeptics about it because parking is a huge issue, especially in East Boston. Majority of these projects that are 60% or more aren't being built right now in Boston. So it wouldn't actually impact a lot of folks in the neighborhoods I represent. But it is as much as there's that wonderful project that comes along that's 100% affordable that is going to house our seniors, house our families and make it a place, a neighborhood, be vibrant and thrive even further. I want to make sure I remove any excuse from those who don't want those people in their neighborhood, including suing over the fact that there isn't enough parking. And that's what this is doing. I want to congratulate the sponsors for this ordinance. I want to thank Councilor Bob, Councilor O'Malley. And I believe this councilor now Councilor Boston Councilor O'Malley, for your leadership. And I will now turn it over to those sponsors. But I do recommend that we move forward, that we build forward for families and we make sure that parking isn't the only thing we're focused on, but housing people. Thank you. Thank you. Councilor Edwards, the chair now recognizes. The lead sponsor, Councilor Bar Council. But you have the floor. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Thank you so much to Councilor Edwards for her work leading us through the government operations process with this and to my colleague, President O'Malley on it, as well as Councilor Edwards said, this is it's a targeted measure and it's really meant to prevent us from losing and delaying critically needed affordable housing for seniors, supportive housing, etc., on the basis of of these parking minimums in the zoning code. And we have seen a number of lawsuits that have gone that are based on the variances being granted for these projects. And parking is is one of the key components of that. Often I have to say that I was very moved. We there was a protest in Councilor O'Malley's district on September 18th, and we heard from a lot of the folks at Mass Senior Action there. And the number of them came to the hearing and also testified this month. And, you know, when you really put a face to the unit that you're not getting, when we talk about those 38 units at the JP project and you really realize that this is an it's not a theoretical debate. And and I think that, you know, this we we still have to send to the zoning commission. But I think that it would it would reflect a really important update to help us get more of those units through. And I think this is a body that agrees that we need more units like that all over the city as fast as possible. So I, uh, I'm very grateful to the chair for her recommendation today, and I would urge colleagues to join me and President O'Malley in supporting this measure. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Thank you very much, Councilor Bach. The chair now recognizes the co-sponsor. Councilor O'Malley. Councilor O'Malley, you now have a. Oh, stop. We. Can I have the floor? Thank you very much, Madam Chair. And thank you, of course, to the chair of the Government Operations Committee, Councilor Edwards, and my dear colleague and co-sponsor Councilor. Very simply, there's a old expression many of us know for me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice. Shame on me. I'm not going to let us be fool twice on this. And we actually had two very concrete examples of this weaponization of parking minimums to prevent needed affordable housing in my district, directly across the street from one another, Pine Street, and had a project that was for formerly unhoused individuals. Right across the street, the JPM, DC, one of the premier neighbor development corporations had a heated senior affordable housing. All want both 100% affordable. They went through a robust community process. And I want to be clear, because I think some skeptics may say, well, the community process is sacrosanct. Of course it is. And as a district councilor, I know that better than most, and you know that better than most. Both of these projects had a robust community process where the community came together, hammered out issues around parking, around gentrification, around affordability, around height, around shadows, around environmental ism. You run the gamut. And both projects were almost 100% supported by every neighborhood group, every civic association. That's no small feat in Jamaica Plain, particularly, ladies and gentlemen, both of these were as positive and as supported a projects that I've seen, and both have been held up by the same individual under the guise of parking. And what we're seeking to do here is to have a simple but impactful change to the zoning code that will no longer allow parking minimum minimums to derail otherwise incredibly supported projects. This this text amendment does not change the fact that we do need parking people have cars. This does not change the fact that anything can be built without any community process or any opportunity for folks to weigh in. But what it simply does is it allows a fix of a real problem which is holding up affordable housing units right now. Thank you to the co-sponsor for her great work today, the chair of the committee for her leadership and again to the individuals who came and who testified and who offered their perspective. That was the most compelling reason why we should vote for this. So thank you for allowing me to speak on this and look forward to urge you all to please vote on the affirmative present. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Councilor O'Malley. The chair now recognizes the District five Councilor Councilor Arroyo. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to the sponsors for this ordinance. We in District five had a project. It predates my tenure by just a little bit that was a 100% affordable that was actually killed due to parking concerns prior to getting approval. And we know as district councilors that parking can often be a five letter word depending on who you're speaking to. But we also know in this city we are facing record levels of displacement, the cost of survival and living, and is making it from today to tomorrow in the city rises every day. The cost of living in the city and buying homes or property has drastically increased. If you look at what it cost my parents to move into Hyde Park in 1981 to what it would cost and has cost my siblings to try and continue to live in Hyde Park today. It's it's night and day. And so I see this as dealing with climate change being the other imminent crisis, the crisis of the day, which is affordable housing in the city of Boston. And anything we can do and I and I strictly mean this, I see it as our obligation to do anything we can do to lessen the burden on developers and on communities to welcome and to have affordable housing in their neighborhoods. I will always argue that having that housing for an individual and we heard moving and gripping testimony during the hearing for this makes a world of difference. And if the tradeoff is a parking space so that somebody can leave a shelter, somebody can have a place to call home, somebody can lay down roots in our neighborhoods and be valuable members to us. I would take that a million times to one, and so I hope that this passes. I hope that we as a body put our strength behind this unanimously. But I am thankful that this hit the ground. And I welcome more more ordinances like this that make it easier for affordable housing to be built into existing city. Boston. So thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the makers, Councilor O'Malley and Councilor, but. Thank you, Councilor Arroyo. Anyone else looking to speak on this matter? Councilor Edwards, chair of the Committee on Government Operations, seeks acceptance of the committee report and passage of docket number 0685 in a new draft. All those in favor say I'd add. Any opposed? The ayes have it matter has passed. Thank you, Councilor Siby George, for taking over the podium. Madam Clerk, we are now moving along to when you please re docket 0958. Sorry if that's. Drug it's 0958. The Committee on Strong Women, Families and Communities to which is referred in September 15th, 2021, docket number 0958. Message In order authorizing City of Boston to accept and extend in the amount of $100,000 in the forms of a grant for the No Kid Hungry award by sheer strength to be administered by the Office of