There’s been light reporting on this so far in the broader media, but we can confirm that the Planning Department successfully moved the proposed Squares & Streets Zoning Map and Text Amendments through the approval recommendation stage with the BPDA Board at their meeting this past Thursday, April 10. The next and final step for the small area plan and zoning process will be the Boston Zoning Commission’s public hearing and vote on adopting the proposals as part of the city’s official zoning map and code. That is expected to occur in May, on a to-be-determined date. Many thanks to Planning Department staff (there are many, but special thanks to Abdul-Razak Zachariah, Kathleen Onufer, and Eileen Michaud) and everyone who has been involved. Stay tuned for more information on the BZC date as it becomes available!
Hyde Park Avenue Safety Walk – Saturday, April 12 1-3 PM
The Boston Better Streets Coalition has organized a Hyde Park Safety Walk tomorrow, Saturday April 12 from 1-3 PM, to help envision a safer Hyde Park Avenue. Meet at Forest Hills Station at 1pm. City Councilors, officials, and Boston transportation planners will be in attendance.
Squares + Streets Zoning Map – Roslindale Square – Closeout Meeting – 8 April 2025 @ 6 pm on ZOOM
Close on the heels of the end of the comment period yesterday, the Planning Department is hosting their scheduled closeout meeting on the zoning map and the revisions made thereto since its release in February. We encourage supporters to attend and thank the staff who have worked so hard over the last year to move the process from visioning to the small area plan and now the adoption of a new zoning map for the plan area. Information on the meeting and how to sign can be found HERE. Thanks!
Last Call for Comments on the S+S Zoning Map!
The deadline for comments on the Roslindale Squares+Streets Zoning Map has been extended to this Saturday, April 5th. We’ve just submitted our comment letter on the map, make sure to submit yours!
You may have submitted comments back in January or February for the Small Area Plan which was accepted by the BPDA, but the zoning updates are a separate process that follows the recommendations from the Small Area Plan. Make sure to comment on the Zoning Map as well.
Make a Public Comment on the Roslindale Squares + Streets Zoning Map by the Deadline on This Saturday, April 5th!
- Check out the Planning Department’s Zoning Map Guide (Español) (Kreyòl Ayisyen).
- Write and send a public comment in under 2 minutes with this handy tool (Español).
- Draw inspiration from these sample talking points (Español).
- Submit your comment here or by email to squaresandstreets@nullboston.gov.
- You can also use the City’s new interactive map-based comment form to identify and share thoughts about a specific area on the draft zoning map.
Highlights from The Rozzie Zoning Zoom!
Key highlights from The Rozzie Zoning Zoom are now available! You can also watch the full recording here.
Balancing Zoning Flexibility & Community Input
Roslindale Housing Growth Projection
New Zoning Makes it Easier to Build Affordable Housing
Housing Types For Different Life Stages
Community Interest in Upzoning
Addressing Displacement
Tax Revenue Impact of New Development
Removing Parking Minimums in Rozzie & Cambridge
Make a Public Comment on Squares + Streets Zoning by the March 31st Deadline!
- Write and send a public comment in under 2 minutes with this handy tool (Español)
- Draw inspiration from these sample talking points (Español)
- Submit your comment here or by email to squaresandstreets@nullboston.gov.
- You can also use the City’s new interactive map-based comment form to identify and share thoughts about a specific area on the draft zoning map.
Recording of The Rozzie Zoning Zoom!
Last night, over 70 people joined us live to listen to a rich and lively discussion with an expert panel of urban planners, local officials, and housing advocates and dive deep into the new Squares + Streets zoning for Roslindale – what will this mean for the community? How much new housing and public amenities should we expect? What will be the impact on affordability and displacement risk?
Video and audio versions of the recording are now available:
Audio only:
WalkUP Roslindale and Rozzidents for More Rozzidents extend our thanks to the excellent panelists who participated.
Resources discussed during the panel:
- Roslindale Squares+Streets Zoning Map
- Zoning Map Guide
- Squares+Streets Zoning Summary (descriptions of S0-S5 zones)
- Boston’s Anti-Displacement Action Plan
Public comment is open through March 31, and we want to show strong neighborhood support.
Here’s how to make your voice heard!
- Write and send a public comment in under 2 minutes with this handy tool (Español)
- Draw inspiration from these sample talking points (Español)
- Submit your comment here or by email to squaresandstreets@nullboston.gov.
- Voice your support at the public meeting on Tuesday, March 18 at 6PM. Showing up matters!
TONIGHT at 7pm – The Rozzie Zoning Zoom!
The City proposed new Squares + Streets zoning for Roslindale – what will this mean for the community? How much new housing and public amenities should we expect? What will be the impact on affordability and displacement risk? Join us for an expert panel of urban planners, local officials, and housing advocates tonight to find out!
The Rozzie Zoning Zoom!
Thursday March 13, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Tell the City What Street Safety Means to You by This Friday 3/7
UPDATE: View WalkUP Roslindale’s letter to the administration.
Mayor Wu’s administration has announced a sudden 30-day “Review” of safety and transit improvements that have been implemented in the past three years. This could signal a pivot away from multimodal infrastructure & safe streets (Boston Globe, Streetsblog Mass, Boston Better Streets). It is critical that we all tell the city how much we appreciate the improvements, and how we use this infrastructure every day and rely on it for our safety.
There are good people who work in the administration who probably want to keep the safety improvements they’ve helped build over the past three years, but the people they’re hearing from are those who want it dismantled; our officials need to hear from people who use and support it in order to justify keeping it, and they need to hear by this Friday, March 7th.
In your message, we suggest highlighting 1-2 specific improvements and how you use them and how they how they have affected your life. Here are maps of the City’s bus improvement projects, bike network, and road safety projects for reference.
We recommend emailing the mayor, BTD officials, and city councilors by clicking here.
Submit Your Public Comment on Rozzie Zoning in 2 Minutes!
Boston’s Planning Department released good zoning updates for Roslindale Square, like removing costly parking mandates, allowing buildings up to 7 stories in the commercial core, allowing buildings up to 7 stories in the commercial core, and identifying a potential site for a thoughtful mixed-use high-rise development.
Public comment is open through March 31, and we want to show strong neighborhood support. Here’s how to make your voice heard!
- Use this handy tool (Español) to write and send a public comment in under 2 minutes.
- Draw inspiration from these sample talking points (Español) and submit your comments here or by email to squaresandstreets@boston.
gov. - Voice your support at the Mar 18 public meeting at 6PM. Showing up matters!
Still want to learn more? Join The Rozzie Zoning Zoom on Mar 13 at 7PM for an expert discussion on how the new zoning could shape Roslindale’s housing, affordability, and walkability over the next 10+ years.
The “Paris-ification” of Cambridge – Go read this piece now!
As we continue to work our way through the Squares & Streets planning and zoning reform process here in Roslindale and look ahead specifically to the Rozzie Zoning Zoom on the 13th of March in which one of our panelists will be none other than Cambridge City Councilor Burhan Azeem, we simply cannot commend enough this piece by Susan Gittelman from B’nai B’rith Housing that recently appeared in Banker & Tradesman
Cambridge legalized multifamily housing citywide…
It’s a quick, but hopeful read about the compelling message that one of our principal, short-, medium-, and long-term goals must be to “build housing where people want to live.” That the Cambridge City Council voted 8 to 1 to support this fundamental a change in that city’s approach to how it zones for housing is indeed remarkable. In the end, the broader idea is to move toward that goal in the way that makes the most sense for every city, town, and neighborhood. As City Councilor Sumbul Siddiqui, co-chair of the council’s housing committee along with Councilor Azeem, notes in the article: “Cambridge has unique economic forces and a unique culture that will affect the details of how other communities might want to apply these concepts.”