There will be much ground to over between now and the close of the comment period for Neighborhood Housing Zoning on October 31 – getting the mapping right will be a particularly involved exercise – but the expertise and sensitivity with which the Planning Department are going about this long, long, long overdue overhaul is commendable. This is an opportunity we will want to seize upon. The STORY MAP is excellent, you can very easily check the proposed zoning for your place, and individual feedback can be provided HERE.  Go let the city know what you think (we hope you’ll say you like it)!

The Boston Planning Department released the initial round of neighborhood housing zoning changes for portions of the residential areas of Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury. The initial public meeting for Roslindale will be virtual and is to be held tomorrow night, 27 July 2026, at 6 pm. You can register in advance for this session. There will also be an in-person engagement session starting at 5:30 pm at the Roslindale BPL branch starting at 5:30 pm on Thursday, 30 July 2026.

Briefly stated, we expect to broadly support these revisions to our neighborhood because of their potential to provide greater flexibility and potential to meet the ongoing housing affordability emergency in our city, region, and commonwealth. As the planning department’s landing page for the initiative summarizes:

Overview

The Neighborhood Housing Zoning Initiative proposes updates to Boston’s residential zoning rules to allow homeowners to more easily make changes to their properties. Most of the existing housing in our city was constructed before current zoning existed, so most of the homes we all live in would not be legal to build today. This means that homeowners trying to make small, sensible updates to properties like adding a porch or a wheelchair ramp, require special permission from the Zoning Board of Appeal.

New residential zoning will set clear, straightforward rules that better align with how our neighborhoods look today, making it easier for homeowners to renovate, put on additions, and adapt their properties over time.

This initiative is beginning in Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury. Later phases will reach other neighborhoods.

What will the updated zoning do?

The updated zoning will make it easier to:

• Add a porch or portico

• Finish and expand an attic with dormers to add more liveable space

• Build a detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in a rear yard

• Add more units within an existing building

• Reconfigure and expand rooms – like kitchens, home offices, or bedrooms – to suit homeowners’ needs

• Add a ramp to make a property more accessible

The draft zoning also creates clear, predictable rules. It establishes limits on building height and lot coverage, and introduces requirements for yard space so that the standards for any project are clear and the same for everyone on the block, rather than settled case-by-case with the Zoning Board of Appeal.

Residents will still need standard building permits, but far fewer projects will require zoning relief, saving time and money.

For those keeping score at home, one particularly exciting aspect of the new zoning is that it will very largely treat the existing built fabric of our neighborhood as conforming. Finally. I never thought I’d live to see the day when my own home, built in 1908 on a classic 4400 SF lot size common throughout the neighborhood, would be fully legal, but here we are!

We hear that there is planning underway for a city hall plaza memorial event later this coming week, but in the immediate term, tomorrow will be an opportunity for everyone who wants to gather to show their support and love for the Gag family and mourn and celebrate Louisa’s life. As noted above, the event will be held at 4 pm tomorrow in Adams Park in Roslindale Square.

Here’s the event announcement from Roslindale Village Main Street:  

Please join us this Sunday at 4pm at Adams Park as we come together to remember and honor Louisa Gag — a beloved Roslindale native and a cherished member of this community. Louisa was thoughtful, warm, and had a wonderful sense of humor. She touched so many lives — as a friend, a neighbor, and someone people simply loved being around. This gathering is a chance for all of us to be together, share memories, and support one another. We’re asking everyone to wear yellow as a symbol of pedestrian and bike safety. This event is held with the blessing of Louisa’s family. All who knew and loved her are welcome.

It has now been just over 24 hours since the indicated time of the incident report for the crash that took the life of Louisa Gag. As much as we want to disbelieve it, the painful reality of losing her far too soon and in this manner refuses to go away. Louisa was the daughter of Steve Gag, one of WalkUP Roslindale’s founding steering committee and board members, and Laura Gang. Steve and Laura have been beloved, long-standing pillars of our neighborhood in every sense and our hearts go out to them and their family. To say that this loss hits close to home for the people who have made up our organization for the last decade is an understatement.

Just about everyone on our board knew and appreciated Louisa in one way or another. For those of us who got to know her over an extended period of years and had the very good fortune of spending a bit of time with her, let it be said here that Louisa was the absolute best of us: smart, kind, capable, funny, and immensely patient. She had an abiding, relentless passion for making our city a better and safer place and she was incredibly effective at doing what needed to be done to make that happen. On a highly personal note, I will say that whenever I encountered someone who had met Louisa and spoke glowingly of her and her work, as everyone, without exception, did, I was fond of pausing and noting specifically how immensely proud all of us in Roslindale were of her and how she had turned out. She was simply amazing and we will miss her deeply.

As an organization, we will have more to say and do going forward in the wake of this immense tragedy to honor the friend we mourn and to carry forward the work she was about. But today we will just close by saying that we know her memory will be a blessing to us all. Rest in peace, Louisa.

NOTE: The most complete reporting thus far appeared yesterday in The Boston Globe: Boston transportation planner fatally struck by car near Roxbury Crossing, family says.

Posted at 8:25 am on Friday, 10 July 2026. – Matt Lawlor

The Mayor’s Office of Housing is hosting a Backyard ADU Showcase on City Hall Plaza, where you can step inside a full-scale model Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) and learn how these small homes can expand housing options across the city. Whether you’re hoping to make space for a loved one in your home, or create a rental opportunity in your own backyard, this is a chance to see what’s possible. 

🕛 Daily Info Sessions: Join every day at 12:00 PM (Tuesday–Friday) for a guided overview of how ADUs work in Boston and what it takes to build one.

🏡ADU Resource Fair: On Saturday (1:00–5:00 PM), there will be a resource fair with architects, builders, lenders, and housing organizations available to answer your questions.

📍 Location: Boston City Hall Plaza

 📅 Dates: Tuesday, 5/12 through Sunday, 5/17

No registration required—just stop by!

We hope for zoning changes to allow these detached ADUs to be built as-of-right in Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury through the Planning Department’s Neighborhood Housing zoning initiative.