
The North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association hosted a discussion on zoning variances, led by Attorney Victor Brogna who is also serving as NEWRA’s Vice-President and co-chair of the Zoning, Licensing & Construction Committee (ZLC).
The tenor of the discussion was that Boston’s Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) is loose in granting variances given the requirements of the zoning code. Unlike other cities, economic hardship is not a reason for granting a variance in Boston.
NEWRA’s other co-chair of the ZLC Committee, David Kubiak, questioned the legality of most variances granted by city’s zoning board. Bob Venuti, a former ZBA member from decades ago, noted that few buildings in Boston meet the zoning code which tends to drive many variances.
The following document was handed out at the meeting with a Q&A on Zoning Variances. (Click the image to enlarge or open this pdf file.)