Government & development in Boston

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Last 14 days

• City lists Creighton Street condo for affordable sale. Boston listed a condominium at 21 Creighton Street, Unit #12, for sale through its MetroList affordable housing program, priced at $485,972 and open to buyers at or below 80% of the area median income.Boston News
• Election office issues reminders ahead of Nov. 3 vote. Boston's Election Department issued reminders for voters ahead of the Tuesday, November 3 state election, according to the city's website.City of Boston
• DOJ to send election monitors to Boston, Lowell. The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send federal election observers to polling places in Boston and Lowell for the November 3 election, El Planeta reported.El Planeta
• Question 8 becomes costliest ballot fight this cycle. Spending against Ballot Question 8, which would eliminate the state's recreational marijuana industry, has made it the most expensive ballot question this cycle, surpassing Question 3, El Planeta reported.El Planeta
• Lawsuit targets ICE's handling of detainee locations. Boston Irish reports that Rian has joined a lawsuit seeking to stop U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from concealing the locations of people it detains.Boston Irish
• Disability board reviews SNAP cuts and stalled elevator. Boston's Disability Commission Advisory Board reviewed new federal SNAP work requirements expanding to older adults and parents, and took up the case of a Seaport pedestrian route where a developer's promised elevator was never built.Boston News
• PIC weighs Charlestown duct bank for battery project. Boston's Public Improvement Commission considered a Charlestown duct bank route tied to a 700-megawatt Everett battery project that a company vice president said could power roughly half a million homes, alongside a Longwood cancer hospital proposal citing regional bed shortages.Boston News
• City lists affordable rental on Massachusetts Ave. The City of Boston posted a listing for unit #72 at the 1648-1654 Massachusetts Ave development, a rental priced at $2,321 a month for households at or below 50 percent of area median income.Boston News
• Zoning reforms aim to ease restaurant openings. Mayor Michelle Wu announced zoning reforms intended to make it easier to open and run a restaurant in Boston, part of the city's push to streamline permitting for small businesses.City of Boston
• State plans to contact residents with unclaimed funds. The Massachusetts state treasury plans to begin directly contacting residents, including those in Boston, who have unclaimed property on file, Boston.com reported.Boston.com
• Obituary notices for the week of Oct. 19-25. One Boston resident, Carlota Russell, 83, was remembered this week; services were held at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Dorchester on Oct. 26 after visitation Oct. 25, arranged by McHoul Family Funeral Home.Boston News
• Mayor Wu names new chair of Licensing Board. Mayor Michelle Wu appointed Ava Callender Concepcion to chair the Boston Licensing Board, the city announced Tuesday.City of Boston
• Obituary notices for week of Oct. 19-25. Boston News' weekly obituary review found one Boston resident's notice this week: Carlota Russell, 83, who died Oct. 19, with services handled by a Dorchester funeral home and visitation held Oct. 25.Boston News
• City reports record year for street lighting. Mayor Michelle Wu's office announced Boston completed a record number of street lighting upgrades citywide this year.City of Boston
• Question 7 sets statewide housing construction minimums. A Nov. 3 ballot question would let single-family homes be built by right on any lot of 5,000 square feet served by municipal utilities, Patch reports.Patch
• Council eyes new approach to city's rat problem. A Patch roundup says Boston officials are weighing new strategies to curb the city's long-running rat problem, though specific policy changes were not detailed.Boston Patch
• City opens comment period on housing funds report. The city has opened a public comment period on its Program Year 2025 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, which assesses how federal housing and community development funds were spent.City of Boston
• Health commission seeks bids for rapid HIV treatment. The Boston Public Health Commission opened a request for proposals for its Rapid Start Program, aimed at speeding antiretroviral therapy for people newly diagnosed with HIV.Boston.gov
• City opens comment period on housing performance report. The city opened a public comment period on its PY25 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, which covers how Boston's Housing department spent federal funds during the past program year.City of Boston
• Council considers list of city's worst landlords. The Boston City Council is weighing a proposal to publish a public list naming the city's worst landlords, Boston Patch reports.Boston Patch
• City names six recipients of clean air grants. Mayor Michelle Wu and the Environment Department named six recipients of the 2026 Community Clean Air Grant Program, which will share $1,028,871 over two years for community air-quality projects.Boston Sun
• New affordable units posted at four Boston addresses. Boston's Metrolist posted new income-restricted listings this week, including a one-bedroom at 1 Paddock Lane renting for $2,100 and units at 6 Lamartine Street, 104 Norwell Street and 147 Rangeway Road.City of Boston
• City launches Coastmix climate tech initiative. The City of Boston announced it launched Coastmix, a new initiative pairing emerging technology with environmental work, according to Boston.gov.City of Boston
• City posts affordable housing opening at Harvard Street. Boston.gov posted a new affordable housing opportunity for apartments at 77 and 94 Harvard Street, inviting residents to apply through the city's housing listing.City of Boston
• VA Boston Healthcare receives funding for facility upgrades. VA Boston Healthcare System received new funding for Non-Recurring Maintenance projects in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026, continuing infrastructure improvements at its facilities.VA Boston Healthcare System
• Orange Line speed limit rises to 55 mph. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says Orange Line trains can now travel up to 55 miles per hour between Assembly and North Station, speeding up that stretch of track, according to NBC Boston.NBC Boston
• City names six Community Clean Air Grant selectees. The City of Boston announced six selectees for its 2026 Community Clean Air Grant Program, the city said.City of Boston
• Boston presses ahead on Blue Hill Avenue bus lanes. Despite neighborhood criticism, city and MBTA officials are continuing a center bus lane project on Blue Hill Avenue, saying it will ease traffic and let buses run more often, El Planeta reports.El Planeta
• Council backs tenant right of first refusal bill. The Boston City Council adopted a resolution supporting state legislation, H.1544/S.998, that would give tenants first opportunity to buy their building when an owner sells, the Sun reports.The Boston Sun
• Route 55 bus hours to expand starting Dec. 13. As part of MBTA winter service changes, Route 55 buses will run daily from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting Sunday, Dec. 13, at roughly today's frequency, the Sun reports.The Boston Sun
• City offers paid poll worker jobs for election. Boston election officials are recruiting paid poll workers ahead of the Nov. 3 State Election, offering residents a chance at election-day work, according to Patch.Boston Patch

Coming up

• Fri, Oct 30: South End liaison holds office hours. The city's South End neighborhood liaison holds regular office hours for residents with questions or concerns.City of Boston
• Fri, Oct 30: Housing authority, arts office hold joint meeting. The Boston Housing Authority and the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture hold a joint remote meeting.City of Boston
• Fri, Oct 30: Early voting for Nov. 3 election runs through Oct. 30. Early voting for the Nov. 3 state election continues through Oct. 30, with the city offering multiple dates and locations for residents to cast ballots early.City of Boston
• Fri, Oct 30, 10:00 a.m.: Hyde Park liaison holds office hours. The city's Hyde Park neighborhood liaison holds regular office hours for residents with questions or concerns.City of Boston
• Fri, Oct 30, 10:30 a.m.: Mattapan liaison holds office hours. The city's Mattapan neighborhood liaison holds regular office hours for residents with questions or concerns.City of Boston
• Tue, Nov 3: State election set for Tuesday. Massachusetts holds its state election Tuesday, November 3, with Boston's Election Department and federal monitors active at polling sites.City of Boston
• Tue, Nov 3: Massachusetts voters head to polls Nov 3. Voters go to the polls Nov. 3 for the Massachusetts state election, with the city continuing to process early and mail ballots beforehand.City of Boston

Updated daily from the Boston morning brief.