Boston ZBA Approves Five-Unit East Boston Building Over BPDA Objection

BOSTON -- June 4, 2024, Boston's Zoning Board of Appeal approved a five-unit condominium project at 66 Palmer Street in East Boston on a 5-1 vote, overriding a denial-without-prejudice recommendation from the BPDA. Attorney Richard Lentz argued the project was filed before the city's revised Article 53 East Boston zoning took effect in April 2024 and that the five-unit plan with five parking spaces was a deliberate reduction from the six units theoretically permitted under the new framework. BPDA planner Jeff Hampton countered that "the one building with five units is not something that we support." The board's motion, put forward by member Ms. Barraza, required removal of one parking space per Boston Transportation Department guidance and mandatory BPDA exterior design review; board member Ms. Wewell voted no, saying the project "should comply with the East Boston zoning." The board also voted 6-0 to refer an open meeting law complaint involving a Mission Hill project, alleged to have been processed under one address but presented to the ZBA under another, to ISD legal counsel for a draft response due at the June 25 hearing.