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The '''Boston Redevelopment Authority''' is a planning and development agency in Boston.
{{Short description|Municipal planning and development agency for Boston}}
{{Infobox government agency
{{planning-stub}}
|name = Boston Planning and Development Agency
|logo = File:BPDA Logo.png
|logo_caption = Logo as of 2019
|agency_type = [[Urban planning| Urban planning agency]]
|headquarters = [[Boston City Hall]] <br> 1 City Hall Square #9, <br> [[Boston, MA]]
|coordinates= {{coord|42|21|37.16|N|71|3|28.68|W|type:landmark_region:US|display=title}}
|formed = {{start date and age|1957}}
|chief1_position = Director
|chief1_name = James Arthur Jamison II
|website = {{url|http://www.bostonplans.org/}}
}}
The '''Boston Planning & Development Agency''' (BPDA), formerly the '''Boston Redevelopment Authority''' (BRA), is a [[Massachusetts]] public agency that serves as the municipal planning and development agency for [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], working on both housing and commercial developments.

As an agency concerned with [[urban planning]], the BPDA does not consider requests for [[Zoning in the United States|zoning]] variances from individual property owners. These are heard by the city's own Zoning Board of Appeals, a seven-person body appointed by the [[Mayor of Boston]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/isd/building/boa/pdfs/Zoning_Booklet.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2007-11-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071126223413/http://www.cityofboston.gov/isd/building/boa/pdfs/Zoning_Booklet.pdf |archive-date=2007-11-26 }}</ref>

Some consider the BPDA's roles as both real estate owner and developer, and approval authority over private development projects, to be a [[conflict of interest]].<ref>[https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/01/22/sale-halted-again-winthrop-square-garage/GcNdD4yQUHKf5O8h8J4UYP/story.html ''Boston Globe:'' Sale of Winthrop Square Garage halted after complaint]</ref>

==Projects==
One of the first projects the BRA took on was the demolition of the [[West End, Boston, Massachusetts|West End of Boston]], in an infamous [[urban renewal]] project that generated a considerable negative reaction locally and across the country. At the same time, nineteenth-century buildings around [[Scollay Square]] were demolished to make way for the new [[Government Center, Boston, Massachusetts|Government Center]].<ref name=Scolley>[http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~fup/password/downtown.html FUP|web<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209082521/http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~fup/password/downtown.html |date=December 9, 2006 }}</ref> Many consider the finished project (which includes [[Boston City Hall]]) an eyesore, and the surrounding large brick plaza as an uncomfortable place to be.<ref name=BadScolley>[http://www.celebrateboston.com/strange/government-center.htm Government Center Boston<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Another urban renewal project was the [[Prudential Tower]] development over the [[Boston and Albany Railroad]] right-of-way in [[Back Bay]]; as part of this project, [[Mechanics Hall (Boston, Massachusetts)|Mechanics Hall]] on [[Huntington Avenue]] was taken by the city using [[eminent domain]] and demolished in 1959.

The BRA also collaborated with the [[Massachusetts Turnpike Authority]] and Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy on various development projects such as the [[Rose Kennedy Greenway]], which was developed atop the [[Big Dig (Boston, Massachusetts)|Big Dig]]. The BRA owns real estate throughout the city and together with community participation through planning initiatives, issues Requests for Proposals as part of the land disposition process in order to achieve neighborhood-based community development goals. Another example of the BRA's work involves collaboration with the State Coastal Zone Management Department for waterfront planning and redevelopment of privately owned and MassPort-owned properties. An example of municipal harbor planning involves the "East Boston Municipal Harbor Plan" where properties of varied ownership along the waterfront are currently being developed<ref name=Eastie>[http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/Planning/PlanningInitsIndividual.asp?action=ViewInit&InitID=13 Planning Initiatives – Boston Redevelopment Authority<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001193936/http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/Planning/PlanningInitsIndividual.asp?action=ViewInit&InitID=13 |date=October 1, 2006 }}</ref> and [[Fort Point Channel]] development.

The BRA has also undertaken improvements on Columbia Road in [[Dorchester, Massachusetts|Dorchester]], a narrow stretch of [[Open space reserve|green space]] that [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] once envisioned as [[The Dorchesterway]], the final link in the [[Emerald Necklace]] park system.<ref name="dot">{{cite web |url=http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc/DisplayPlace.asp?id=11460 |title=Database of Greenspaces and Neighborhoods in the heart of Boston |access-date=2009-12-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524111935/http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/hotc/DisplayPlace.asp?id=11460 |archive-date=2011-05-24 }} Heart of the City Project, Center for Urban and Regional Policy, [[Harvard University]] and [[Northeastern University]]</ref>

==History==
Officially a "public body politic and corporate," the BRA was established by the [[Massachusetts General Court]] and the [[Boston City Council]] in 1957, superseding the authority of the [[Boston Housing Authority]]. Its primary goal is to work with Boston businesses and developers in order to provide direction for development in the city of Boston.

Its statutory authority was set forth in the [[Massachusetts General Laws]] [https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVII/Chapter121B chapter 121B, section 4], and amended by the Session Laws of 1960, chapter 652, section 12. The agency's redevelopment authority includes the jurisdiction to buy and sell [[real estate]], acquire real estate through [[eminent domain]], and grant tax concessions to encourage commercial and residential development.<ref name=BRA-About>[http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/about-us/bra-history BRA History]</ref>

On September 27, 2016, Boston Mayor [[Marty Walsh]] changed the name of the development agency from the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) to the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA). This change was part of a broader goal to make city government more transparent and to put a friendlier face to a bureaucratic agency that rules upon major construction in the city.<ref>{{cite news |last=Logan |first=Tim |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/09/27/introducing-new-bra-walsh-name-powerful-boston-agency/f1hZw4RgqGXzdxAYzvs3iL/story.html |title=Introducing the new BRA: Walsh to re-name powerful Boston agency |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=2016-09-27 |access-date=2016-09-27 }}</ref>

[[Michelle Wu]] promised during her successful mayoral campaign to abolish the BPDA. In February 2022, she asked the city council to terminate some of the agency's planning urban renewal districts.<ref>[https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/28/business/wu-says-shell-wind-down-bostons-urban-renewal-districts-heres-what-that-means/ Wu says she’ll wind down Boston’s urban renewal districts. Here’s what that means.]</ref>

==Directors of the BRA==
*Kane Simonian (1957–1960)
*[[Edward J. Logue]] (1960–1967)
*Francis X. Cuddy (1967–1968)
*[[Hale Champion]] (1968–1969)
*John D. Warner (1969–1971)
*Robert T. Kenney (1971–1977)
*Robert F. Walsh (1977–1978)
*Robert J. Ryan (1978–1984)
*Stephen Coyle (1984–1992)
*Paul L. Barrett (1992–1994)
*[[Marisa Lago]] (1994–1997)
*Thomas N. O’Brien (1997–1999)
*Mark Maloney (2000–2007)
*John F. Palmieri (2007–2011)
*[[Peter Meade]] (2011–2014)
*[[Brian P. Golden]] (2014–2022)
*James Arthur Jemison II (2022–present)
<ref name="BRA-About" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/ Boston Redevelopment Authority website]
* [http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/ Boston Planning and Development Agency website]
* [https://news.google.com/archivesearch?as_q=%22Boston+Redevelopment+Authority%22&num=100 Google news archive]. Articles related to the BRA
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/21863653@N07/2473913967/ Flickr]. Photo of Muhammad Ali-Salaam, Deputy Director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, 2008
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/shiftboston/4277331900/ Flickr]. Photo of Kairos Shen, Director of Planning, Boston Redevelopment Authority, 2010
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_photos/4621355303/ Flickr]. Photo of Clarence Jones, Chairman of Boston Redevelopment Authority, 2010


{{BostonMA}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Urban planning]]
[[Category:Urban planning in the United States]]
[[Category:Boston]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Boston]]
[[Category:Government of Boston]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1957]]
[[Category:1957 establishments in Massachusetts]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boston Planning and Development Agency}}

Latest revision as of 16:29, 1 May 2023

Boston Planning and Development Agency
Logo as of 2019
Agency overview
Formed1957; 67 years ago (1957)
Type Urban planning agency
HeadquartersBoston City Hall
1 City Hall Square #9,
Boston, MA
42°21′37.16″N 71°3′28.68″W / 42.3603222°N 71.0579667°W / 42.3603222; -71.0579667
Agency executive
  • James Arthur Jamison II, Director
Websitewww.bostonplans.org

The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), formerly the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), is a Massachusetts public agency that serves as the municipal planning and development agency for Boston, working on both housing and commercial developments.

As an agency concerned with urban planning, the BPDA does not consider requests for zoning variances from individual property owners. These are heard by the city's own Zoning Board of Appeals, a seven-person body appointed by the Mayor of Boston.[1]

Some consider the BPDA's roles as both real estate owner and developer, and approval authority over private development projects, to be a conflict of interest.[2]

Projects

[edit]

One of the first projects the BRA took on was the demolition of the West End of Boston, in an infamous urban renewal project that generated a considerable negative reaction locally and across the country. At the same time, nineteenth-century buildings around Scollay Square were demolished to make way for the new Government Center.[3] Many consider the finished project (which includes Boston City Hall) an eyesore, and the surrounding large brick plaza as an uncomfortable place to be.[4] Another urban renewal project was the Prudential Tower development over the Boston and Albany Railroad right-of-way in Back Bay; as part of this project, Mechanics Hall on Huntington Avenue was taken by the city using eminent domain and demolished in 1959.

The BRA also collaborated with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy on various development projects such as the Rose Kennedy Greenway, which was developed atop the Big Dig. The BRA owns real estate throughout the city and together with community participation through planning initiatives, issues Requests for Proposals as part of the land disposition process in order to achieve neighborhood-based community development goals. Another example of the BRA's work involves collaboration with the State Coastal Zone Management Department for waterfront planning and redevelopment of privately owned and MassPort-owned properties. An example of municipal harbor planning involves the "East Boston Municipal Harbor Plan" where properties of varied ownership along the waterfront are currently being developed[5] and Fort Point Channel development.

The BRA has also undertaken improvements on Columbia Road in Dorchester, a narrow stretch of green space that Frederick Law Olmsted once envisioned as The Dorchesterway, the final link in the Emerald Necklace park system.[6]

History

[edit]

Officially a "public body politic and corporate," the BRA was established by the Massachusetts General Court and the Boston City Council in 1957, superseding the authority of the Boston Housing Authority. Its primary goal is to work with Boston businesses and developers in order to provide direction for development in the city of Boston.

Its statutory authority was set forth in the Massachusetts General Laws chapter 121B, section 4, and amended by the Session Laws of 1960, chapter 652, section 12. The agency's redevelopment authority includes the jurisdiction to buy and sell real estate, acquire real estate through eminent domain, and grant tax concessions to encourage commercial and residential development.[7]

On September 27, 2016, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh changed the name of the development agency from the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) to the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA). This change was part of a broader goal to make city government more transparent and to put a friendlier face to a bureaucratic agency that rules upon major construction in the city.[8]

Michelle Wu promised during her successful mayoral campaign to abolish the BPDA. In February 2022, she asked the city council to terminate some of the agency's planning urban renewal districts.[9]

Directors of the BRA

[edit]
  • Kane Simonian (1957–1960)
  • Edward J. Logue (1960–1967)
  • Francis X. Cuddy (1967–1968)
  • Hale Champion (1968–1969)
  • John D. Warner (1969–1971)
  • Robert T. Kenney (1971–1977)
  • Robert F. Walsh (1977–1978)
  • Robert J. Ryan (1978–1984)
  • Stephen Coyle (1984–1992)
  • Paul L. Barrett (1992–1994)
  • Marisa Lago (1994–1997)
  • Thomas N. O’Brien (1997–1999)
  • Mark Maloney (2000–2007)
  • John F. Palmieri (2007–2011)
  • Peter Meade (2011–2014)
  • Brian P. Golden (2014–2022)
  • James Arthur Jemison II (2022–present)

[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2007-11-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ Boston Globe: Sale of Winthrop Square Garage halted after complaint
  3. ^ FUP|web Archived December 9, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Government Center Boston
  5. ^ Planning Initiatives – Boston Redevelopment Authority Archived October 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Database of Greenspaces and Neighborhoods in the heart of Boston". Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2009-12-16. Heart of the City Project, Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Harvard University and Northeastern University
  7. ^ a b BRA History
  8. ^ Logan, Tim (2016-09-27). "Introducing the new BRA: Walsh to re-name powerful Boston agency". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  9. ^ Wu says she’ll wind down Boston’s urban renewal districts. Here’s what that means.
[edit]
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