Boston ZBA Approves 12-Unit Dorchester Building With Affordable Housing Requirement

BOSTON — May 19, 2026 — Boston ZBA clears a dozen variance cases at its May 19 session, led by a contentious 12-unit Dorchester Avenue proposal. The board approved a four-story mixed-use building at 2038 Dorchester Avenue — scaled back from an original 24-unit design — on a 6-0 vote with three provisos: Boston Planning Department design review for site planning and setbacks, BPD authority to set or eliminate parking in favor of open space, and a housing agreement locking in two affordable units out of 12. Thomas Maestros, a registered architect and 39-year Lower Mills resident testifying for the Lower Mills Civic Association, opposed the project, arguing the underlying zoning permits only three units and that the proposed 0.25 parking ratio falls below even Ashmont Station's transit-oriented development standard. Separately, the board unanimously approved a cannabis dispensary name change at 19 to 21 Milk Street, replacing John Moriarty with Curaleaf Massachusetts Inc. on an existing conditional-use permit that dates to 2016, after the Boston Cannabis Board voted March 25 to approve the license and the city executed a host community agreement on May 11. One project, 42 East Street, was deferred to July 14 after board members and BPD planners identified a discrepancy between plans presented at the hearing and BPDA-stamped approved drawings from 2024.