Planjprox summary proposed changes 12.8.16
- 1. PLAN JP/ROX - SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHANGES As of December 8, 2016 The document summarizes proposed changes to the October 2016 version of the PLAN document as of December 8. We continue to consider additional strategies and recommendations to better meet the vision and goals of the community and City. Each section includes a high level summary and, as appropriate, a list of proposed changes. 1. Zoning, Area Heights, and Urban Design 2. Housing and Affordability 3. Jobs and Businesses 4. Transportation 5. Process ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Zoning, Area Heights, and Urban Design Early in the planning process, the community identified new affordable housing and housing as a top priority for addressing the housing and displacement crisis. The proposed density bonus height recommendations have been carefully reviewed throughout the study area including field visits to all of the density bonus areas. Height recommendations reflect the community vision to protect existing residential properties and while encouraging new housing, affordable housing and growth. The current recommendations reflect numerous height reductions across the Study Area. Beyond height reductions, each site has unique site conditions that strict dimensional requirements cannot fully anticipate. Building setbacks and step-back limits are the primary tools for addressing transitions between parcels and buildings. Unique site conditions including changes in grade, encroaching existing buildings / infrastructure, etc., are best addressed in the community and design review process for each project to ensure that each projects fits in the neighborhood vision and transitions well to the existing neighborhood fabric. The BPDA continues to receive comments from JP/ROX residents and stakeholders requesting increases and decreases in the proposed heights, setback, and step-back limits. The revised draft will reduce the projected growth of the district by nearly 1,000 units from the September draft. There is a paramount concern that further reductions in the allowed building heights will 1
- 2. PLAN: JP/ROX Summary of Proposed Changes - 12/8/16 not only reduce the amount of new and affordable housing units in a given project but also jeopardize the feasibility of entire projects.The goal of the urban design and zoning recommendations is to provide parameters for development but also build in flexibility for developers and the community to create a creative/innovative design while providing needed uses in the community. A. Zoning i. Green Street base zoning Change from 3F-4000 to LC - This zoning boundary change will be clarified: Three parcels (#190-198) that front Green Street have been moved from the 3F-4000 zoning subdistrict to the proposed Local Convenience (LC) zoning subdistrict in support of the vision for a more active and pedestrian-friendly connector to the Green Street T station. Housing would be a conditional use on the ground floor, but allowed on the upper floors in the LC zoning subdistrict. B. Density Bonus Area Heights i. Density Bonus Area Heights Limits - The allowable heights will be reduced to ensure that there are no Density Bonus Areas with a 65' height allowance abutting 1F, 2F, and 3F residential subdistricts as follows (See annotated map at the end of this document): ○ 125 Amory St parcel - along the Atherton St edge from Amory to the SW Corridor. ○ 3326 - 3336 and 3346 Washington St parcels - both parcels. ○ 3368 - 3380 Washington St parcels - at the rear of the parcels ii. Ground Floor Commercial Heights - The guidelines will be revised to restrict added ground floor commercial heights only to areas where ground floor commercial is allowed. B. Urban Design Guidelines i. Sidewalks and Setbacks - The guidelines will be clarified to emphasize the preferred sidewalk widths outlined in City’s Complete Street Guidelines and, where existing sidewalks are constrained, to require the building be setback to allow for wider sidewalks as follows: ○ Neighborhood Main St - 16’-6” ○ Neighborhood Connector - 15’-6” ○ Neighborhood Residential - 11’-6” ii. Building Setbacks by Area Condition - The guidelines will be clarified to note that as part of the community zoning meetings and process the appropriate area conditions will be determined for the current Local Industrial and Industrial Development Area zoning subdistricts. This will ensure that the three Building Setback conditions proposed in the PLAN (residential, local retail / commercial, and neighborhood retail / active commercial) are predetermined. 2
- 3. PLAN: JP/ROX Summary of Proposed Changes - 12/8/16 iii. Building Setbacks at Transitional Areas - The guidelines will be revised to address zoning subdistrict transitional areas where the abutting uses are residential by requiring a minimum of 10’ for side yards and 20’ for rear yards that adjoin a 1F, 2F, or 3F residential subdistrict. The increased Setback is specific to the adjoining edge(s). iv. Additional Step-back for Residential Abutting Buildings - The guidelines will be revised to include a lower First Step-back to the 4th floor level at zoning subdistrict transitional areas where the abutting uses are 1F, 2F or 3F residential subdistrict. 2. Housing A. Overall Affordability Housing affordability and preventing displacement of long term residents remain cornerstone priorities of Plan JP/Rox. The goal of this plan is to protect the character and the people of the neighborhood through thoughtful managed growth. This growth must include significant private and public sector investment in income restricted affordable housing. The October draft of the plan included 1,215 units of affordable housing including 747 publicly subsidized units which would require a public investment of over $270 million to create (from Federal, State and Local government financing). In that proposal, 30% to 39% of new housing would have been income restricted affordable. In response to local advocacy, the City and the BPDA have looked to increase housing affordability options whenever possible while also balancing concerns about density. The revised draft will reduce the projected growth of the district by nearly 1,000 units from the September draft. To further prioritize housing affordability, the City and the BPDA propose an increase of 162 new publicly subsidized income restricted affordable housing units and an increase in the density bonus for private development to 30%. This will bring the total estimated public cost for affordable housing creation to $318 million (from all sources). This scenario will ensure that 40% of all new units in newly planned areas will be income restricted and represents the City and the BPDA’s best efforts to create compromise between the many factors and interested parties in this plan. i. Private Development Set-Aside ○ Density bonus increased to 30% ○ A model project at 2.0 FAR in a 1.0 FAR base zoning is a blended affordability of 21.5% (13% on the base plus 30% on the remainder) ○ For all private development in the scenario, affordability will be approximately 18% (this number is lower because some projects will not exceed the base FAR) ○ We are continuing to evaluate and balance the different options. 3
- 4. PLAN: JP/ROX Summary of Proposed Changes - 12/8/16 ii. DND-funded and/or non-profit projects ○ Separated out Arborway Yards with a clear commitment to ensure that at least 50% of units at this site are income restricted affordable. The density at Arborway Yards has also been reduced to 539 total units. ○ Identified sites held by non-profits that were previously listed in development scenarios and could be used ○ Removed Elizabeth Stone/Egleston C Development Scenario because it is outside of the Study Area boundary. (This site as well as other nearby sites are good locations for publicly subsidized housing not included in this plan.) ○ Increased the number of units requiring public subsidy from 747 to 909 ○ Identified a goal of creating 200 units through acquisition, land banking, or other means ○ Increased the projected number of affordable housing units at 125 Amory Street based on the last proposal by the BHA and non-profits. We will continue to work with TCB on increasing the number of income restricted units at Jackson Square as well (although no firm numbers yet). ○ Land Banking financing program will launch this winter to enable non-profits to competitive in purchasing underutilized land for future development iii. Depth of Affordability ○ Density Bonus units will be at an average of 50% AMI (approximately $1,000 max rent for a two bedroom) with some units at lower AMI’s and some at higher. ○ DND will prioritize funding to projects that reach 50% AMI (instead of the 60% AMI limit required for tax credit financing) ○ DND will prioritize funding to projects that exceed DND’s requirement to set-aside 10% of the units for formerly homeless individuals. iv. Voucher Policy ○ If supported by advocates and non-profits, DND’s Office of Housing Stability in coordination with other agencies could hold a “housing surge” one-stop shop event for voucher holders in order to help them access housing lotteries in the area. ○ A voucher preference in housing housing lotteries has been determined to be a violation of federal Fair Housing Law by City of Boston’s Office of Fair Housing. B. Resident Stabilization Community stabilization for existing residents and businesses is a key aspect of PLAN: JP/ROX. Beyond increasing the supply of affordable housing and commercial units, DND, OHS, and BPDA are proposing different programs and initiatives, including displacement risk data collection, more solid goals for market-rate acquisition, and an annual check in on implementation. 4
- 5. PLAN: JP/ROX Summary of Proposed Changes - 12/8/16 i. Community Stabilization Plan - The following is proposed to be added to the plan: “The intent of PLAN JP/ROX is to serve as a first draft community stabilization plan for the corridor. To be successful, community stabilization efforts must be iterative and evolve through consistent community dialogue. However the need for action is clear and broadly support across community groups in the neighborhood. The goal of such stabilization actions should be to preserve all at risk tenancies in the corridor, so that everyone who has chosen to make this neighborhood their home in the past can continue to do so in the future. Resources should be prioritize first to serve the estimated 381 renter households at elevated risk of displacement, and then to lower risk households.” ii. City-wide Displacement Policy Goals - The following is proposed to be added to the plan: “Many of the housing, economic, and racial justice issues raised throughout PLAN JP/ROX are broader issues that extend beyond the boundaries of this planning study. Therefore, the City of Boston commits to working with community advocates to advance citywide policies to combat displacement, advance racial diversity, and promote equitable economic growth. The work to advance these policies is being lead by the City’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity, the Office of Housing Stability, and the Imagine Boston 2030 Plan. The coordinated work of these organizations, along with community participation and feedback, will result in detailed written plans to advance these goals citywide.” iii. Identifying residents at risk of displacement - The following is proposed to be added to the plan: “PLAN: JP/ROX identifies households at risk in broad categories based on census and other de-identified data sources in order to make recommendations. As PLAN JP/ROX moves from the planning stage into implementation, it is important to adopt a people-centered approach to addressing need and preventing displacement. The implementation of this plan will go beyond de-identified census data and will require strong one-on-one relationships to the actual people at risk and in need. Fortunately, this community is served by a number of strong non-profits with long histories of successfully advocating on behalf of their neighbors. These organizations, in partnership with the City’s new Office of Housing Stability, can provide the outreach necessary to identify these households and provide the individualized case management necessary to help the remain stably housed. From there, the Office of Housing Stability is committed to advancing policies that will create the databases necessary to take proactive action and measure displacement in real time. This will include a focus on eviction data and leading indicators of potential displacement.” Because different offices and departments work with small businesses and artists, small business displacement risk assessment is discussed in its respective section, but the plan will make reference to the importance of stabilizing these different groups. 5
- 6. PLAN: JP/ROX Summary of Proposed Changes - 12/8/16 iv. Property tax relief for low-income homeowners and seniors - The following is proposed to be added to the plan: “The Boston Home Center and the City’s Assessing Department will provide outreach to homeowners and seniors in the area on to help them take advantage of existing property tax relief programs and tools to help them afford the cost of maintaining their homes. In addition, the Boston Home Center will prioritize identifying new strategies to lower the cost of ongoing homeownership for low and moderate income Bostonians with a particular focus on senior homeowners.” v. Acquisition of market-rate properties for affordable housing - The City certainly commits to working with neighborhood organizations to identifying market rate properties to convert to affordable housing. JPNDC and Urban Edge have both recently approached us with opportunities and we have provided City Life with data to help with the identification of properties. We welcome more participation in this, and can add language in the Plan if needed. In response to requests from JPNDC and Urban Edge, DND will commit to prioritizing acquisitions in this area. DND will also consider acquisitions that exceed the current per-unit subsidy limits on a case-by-case basis. The next draft of plan JP/Rox will include a goal for the number of units to be created by public sector investment. This goal will be reached through acquisitions and increased density of affordable housing at non-profit owned locations. C. Preserving and Creating Artist Live-Work There are several dedicated artist live/work developments in the study area including Amory Foundry Studios and Cornwall Studios. Additionally many artists currently rent live or work space in existing commercial and industrial buildings in the Local Industrial zoning subdistricts. The City will seek opportunities to expand the supply of both market rate and affordable artist live / work space in this area through updated zoning and the ArtistSpace program. i. Local Industrial Uses Because much of the Local Industrial base zoning is not changing, artist work and live/work spaces will continue to be allowed outright. For the proposed zoning change on Green Street (from LI to LC), updated use tables will ensure that artist work spaces will be allowed on the ground floor to activate the streetscape. Live/work spaces will remain allowed on the upper floors. For LI subdistricts, the BPDA will investigate zoning strategies that encourage artist live and/or work spaces for artists at the ground floor level. Finally, new models of shared work, fabrication, and studio spaces can help emerging artists find affordable space and be part of a creative community. The BPDA will investigate strategies to encourage new “maker/fabrication space.” The BPDA and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture are 6
- 7. PLAN: JP/ROX Summary of Proposed Changes - 12/8/16 coordinating on these ideas, and they will be shared in the zoning phase of PLAN: JP/ROX. ii. ArtistSpace Affordable Artist Units In order to ensure that only artists occupy artist spaces, the BPDA has, in the past, overseen an artist certification process that opens up opportunities for qualified artists to rent and/or purchase affordable artist live-work space. In the summer of 2016 the certification process was moved to the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. Income-restricted ArtistSpace units reserved for certified artists will also count towards a project’s affordability commitment. The BPDA continues to work with developers to create more artist housing, and monitors compliance of artist housing that has an income restriction. 3. Jobs and Businesses A. Access to Quality Permanent Jobs. Job Access - The plan will be updated to reflect the newly proposed Boston Residents Job Policy (BRJP) employment standards of employing at least 51% residents, 40% people of color, and 12% women (currently 50% / 25% / 10%). These employment standards apply to construction projects on City sponsored, privately funded and federally mandated development projects within City limits. The proposed new employment standard increases the percentage of Boston residents and workers of color and women on each development site, and applies the same standards to apprentices. The proposed updated policy still requires approval by the City Council and BPDA Board. B. Small Business Stabilization The Office of Economic Development (OED) is in ongoing conversations with small business owners and advocacy groups to find ways to support neighborhood businesses. The OED is recommending a series of meetings with community groups, small business owners, landlords, and developers to identify strategies and technical assistance to strengthen area small businesses. The Boston Main Streets Program (BMS) supports a city-wide network of 20 Main Streets Organizations that use a comprehensive revitalization approach to create, build, and sustain healthy commercial districts. Egleston Square Main Street (ESMS) has and will continue to work to retain and expand area businesses, improve business facades and the streetscape, and promote the business district. Their goal is to ensure that Egleston Square will continue to be an enjoyable community in which to live, work, visit, dine, and shop. 7
- 8. PLAN: JP/ROX Summary of Proposed Changes - 12/8/16 4. Transportation A. Mobility Action Plan The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) is working on a capital budget request for a mobility action plan (MAP) for the upcoming fiscal year. If approved, the funding would become available after July 1, 2017. The MAP would create a series of recommendations and an action plan for implementation and would include a robust community process. Topics the MAP for the Washington Street and Columbus Avenue corridor might study include traffic flow, intersection design, multi-modal improvements, pedestrian and bicycle improvements, potential bus lanes, street design, and neighborhood parking. B. Short Term Signal timing at Egleston Square will be reevaluated in a process in 2018, based on a rotating docket of neighborhood intersections. EPS (audible intersection crossing signal) at Columbus Ave near Weld Ave is also planned to be designed and implemented. BTD is working on an internal draft design for the implementation of a marked crosswalk at Beethoven and Washington. The soonest this could be implemented would be spring 2017, as crosswalk material cannot be installed in the winter. 5. Process Periodic Implementation Check-in - The BPDA commits to communicating on an annual basis with the JP/ROX community to review progress of the plan and assess new development and implementation action items as they align with the goals of the Plan. 8
- 9. PLAN: JP/ROX Summary of Proposed Changes - 12/8/16 Density Bonus Area Height Changes - Graphic (Page 139 Map Change) 125 Amory St parcel - along the Atherton St As of October 2016 Proposed Lower DBA allowed height to 55’ 3368 - 3380 Washington St parcels - at the rear of the parcels As of October 2016 Proposed Lower DBA allowed height to 55’ 9