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!
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!
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.
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.”
Join WalkUP Roslindale and Rozzidents for More Rozzidents for a virtual community meeting to discuss the recently released draft zoning map for Roslindale Square. Zoning decisions help shape the future of our neighborhood—affecting new development, community amenities, housing affordability, and the risk of displacement.
We’ve assembled a panel of experts, including city planners, housing advocates, and local officials, to provide insights on the zoning map, its upside potential for the community, and strategies to address community concerns. The conversation will cover how the proposed changes could shape future housing patterns and what policies can ensure new development benefits all residents.
Today, we sent in our comment letter on the Roslindale Squares + Streets Small Area Plan.
If you haven’t sent in your comments yet, you can still take a few minutes to do so by using the tools and resources from our prior post. But please hurry because the deadline is TODAY (1/31/25)!
Make sure to submit your comments by January 31 on the Small Area Plan for the Roslindale Squares+Streets initiative!
For a more in-depth pro-housing take on the Plan, check out Nate Stell’s what I like and what I dislike.
The Small Area Plan sets a vision for new public investment and housing development in our neighborhood center. It recommends location, scale, and design standards for future development on our main streets, and it identifies priority improvements to public spaces, intersections, and transportation infrastructure. The Small Area Plan’s land use framework will inform the Planning Department’s zoning recommendations anticipated to be released in February 2025. The plan and the zoning recommendations are the culmination of Roslindale’s Squares+Streets process that began in January 2024.
Virtual Office Hours (register in advance)
Thursday, January 28 | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Thursday, January 29 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Roslindale Square Squares + Streets Plan Closeout Meeting (virtual)
Thursday, February 6 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Today, we sent in our comment letter on the proposed zoning amendments from the Squares + Streets initiative. Given the significant impact on our core issue of housing, we collaborated with Rozzidents for More Rozzidents and Abundant Housing Massachusetts on the comment letter. The full letter is reproduced below.
As some of our readers may have heard, the City’s Planning Department are now projecting the following milestone dates on the Squares + Streets Roslindale Square small area planning process based on current progress:
Here’s a helpful timeline graphic that was provided with the revised schedule:
This week, we sent an open letter to the Boston Planning Department (formerly known as BPDA) in support of certain pro-housing and transportation aspects of Squares + Streets. Our full letter is reproduced below and is also available as a PDF.
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WalkUP Roslindale’s intent with this occasional series is to take a few minutes to have a chat with folks with whom we’re involved and/or aligned and hear more specifically from them about their perspectives, how they’ve come to participate in the Squares & Streets process, what they think about it, and where they hope it takes this part of our neighborhood.
Interview with Elvira Mora, AHMA Boston Organizer and WalkUP Roslindale Board member
NOTE: This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
WalkUP Roslindale (WUR): Tell us about AHMA. What should we know about it?
Elvira Mora (EM): Absolutely. All right, so AHMA, also known as Abundant Housing Massachusetts, was founded in 2020, so in the heart of the pandemic. And there were just a couple of people that were very pro-housing, got together, and decided that this should be a thing. And four years later, here we are, ramping up. We had our first lobby day earlier this year. We’ve been making strides statewide with the bond bill advocacy. And now that we have me as full-time Boston organizer, I can really dedicate my time to different initiatives in Boston, which is definitely important just as we go along with the different timelines of the city’s planning efforts. Bottom line, we are an organization that focuses on the policy, on how we can help mitigate the housing crisis that we have in our state. We believe that supply is definitely a part of the conversation, a part of the solution. And I feel like not enough people know the context behind that or the why behind that. So I feel like our mission right now is to sort of not just talk about it, but talk about it in a way that is community oriented, right? So talking about the need for market rate housing, you can say, oh, well, everything’s expensive here in the city already or in the state, really. So why do we need more market rate housing? Well, it’s because there needs to be a variety of different housing options, right? For folks that have different income levels, for folks that might need different housing options, like moving into… an apartment or a duplex or a condo or even buying that single family home, right? And even pushing the idea of living in an ADU or having that be obtainable. Different housing structures and just in a lens of community is what we do at AHMA. And yeah, I think we are just getting started and four years in, we have a small but mighty team. So I think we’re off to a really good start there.
WUR: Following on that, how did you get involved with AHMA? What was your path?
EM: So I’ll start with my own housing story of living and growing up in a triple decker and fortunately still residing in one in Roslindale, no less. I was born and raised here and I have been a public servant in different capacities. Whether it’s political organizing or actually serving at City Hall for a limited amount of time, I’ve always had this calling back to housing and really how to help people at the most policy-focused point possible where actual change is achievable, where we’re actually interacting with lawmakers and other community advocates that do push the needle on certain things – like WalkUP did for getting those bus lanes to and from the square. And I feel like just small ideas can really sprout and become big ideas and become action. And that’s kind of my driving point behind getting involved with AHMA. It’s just that housing has always been really important to me. My family was lucky to be able to purchase a triple decker property in ‘95. Too many families now don’t have the opportunity to buy anything without substantial help of some sort, whether it’s government subsidies or city initiatives for a first home buyers class or something of that nature. So I feel like there’s just a lot more disparity now. And I’m fortunate that my parents were able to have, you know, the opportunity to buy a property and make it into a home. And I feel like that should be just the norm for everybody across the state, especially because I love the city of Boston. I love the state that we’re in. And I just feel like everyone deserves a home. And that’s really the mission of AHMA as well. Everyone deserves a home.
WUR: And how long have you been in your position?
EM: I want to say nine months now. It will be a year in November.
WUR: And then this may be a quick one, but how is your organization structured? So you guys are a nonprofit, I assume, or what’s the situation?
EM: Yes, we’re a 501(c)(4). So we don’t take PAC money or anything or endorse any candidates, but we do help with initiatives and even ballot questions so that we’re just basically advocating for the policy points that would help housing in the state. For me as the Boston organizer, I’ve kind of structured it neighborhood by neighborhood to start us off with before we can meld into something bigger. Right now, I’m focusing on the small area plans that are part of the Squares & Streets initiative as well as the situation in Allston/Brighton since I know that they have a lot going on with the Harvard property at Allston Yards. So I just want to kind of get ahead of all of those initiatives and sort of see where we’re at. I know that there’s a lot of organizers in the area that are in separate cohorts and separate silos, so I’d love to bridge them together and really just take this city-wide. From Hyde Park to East Boston, I want there to be some coverage of pro housing advocates in the area because they are out there – there just needs to be somebody to tap into and sort of get to know them, meet them where they’re at, and see if they can become part of our coalition. That’s very much ongoing.
WUR: That’s great to hear and a really important mission. Next question: What’s AHMA’s overall view of Squares & Streets? And then in Roslindale in particular.
EM: Generally, we love the idea of Squares & Streets. We applaud the mayor and her administration for putting this together, both the initiative and the skeleton work. We do think that it does not go far enough in terms of housing. I know that there’s different missions through Square & Streets, which is not just housing, but also in terms of transportation, in terms of small business, arts and culture, right? So I feel like the housing component could be pushed for a little bit more. We could upzone more in some areas. I know upzoning is a very scary term for some people, but it seems like it would be wasteful not to advocate for upzoning, especially when there’s first story businesses or first story homes that have the possibility to house more neighbors. And in Roslindale, I feel like we’re ready to meet that moment. At least, from what I’m seeing, there is support for this. And it seems that people are generally more on the grain of wanting something to change. And, you know, there were a lot of folks at the recent Ideas reception in Roslindale, and I feel like people are asking the right questions and seeing how they can get more involved and really just comparing it to their own daily experiences, right? We all take the commuter rail, we all take the bus, we all take the subway at some point. So I think… by just having those conversations and meeting people where there are, it really serves a purpose. Roslindale is doing really good in that regard, because there are already strong supporters, not just WalkUP Roslindale, but also Rozzidents for More Rozzidents.
WUR: Is there a particular aspect of the process and proposals so far you would pick and say, you know, this struck me as particularly interesting or a good thing or bad thing or whatever, any aspect of it that’s kind of hit you?
EM: Yeah, so it actually hasn’t been the housing front. It’s actually been part of the arts and culture bubble. Revamping Birch Plaza, which has been something that many Roslindale residents have been pushing for because it just feels undone when you go there. It used to be a street that people could drive on and now it’s not. And honestly, it’s benefited a lot of folks being able to sit down there, being able to have a space that is truly pedestrian friendly, and that they won’t have to fear about cars being in that area. So I just love that there is a focus to revamp it, you know, add planters and add all the things to beautify that area. And I love that that was included in this plan as well, just because it shows folks that, you know, city hall is really listening to them.
WUR: Agreed. And then last one on Squares & Streets: What would be a successful outcome for the small area plan in Roslindale?
EM: I would really love to see a little bit more upzoning especially across the square and we should be even taking it up a notch and upzoning to S-0 in the residential areas that are nearby just so that they could serve more homes for more folks. I feel like our main street is already so beautiful and compact and emblematic of a 15-minute neighborhood from a home in that area. Like for me on Belgrade, I’m able to walk 15 minutes to the square and it’s great. So why not have that be possible for as many people as possible to live there and actually have that experience? And then I’d also love to see, from AHMA’s organizing point, that more residents affiliate with us as we join forces with WalkUP Roslindale and Rozzidents for More Rozzidents. I feel like there can be more than one pro-housing organization in this space and that multiple groups can coexist and help push the needle more on what we feel we need here in Roslindale.
WUR: Completely agree. There’s plenty of room in this space for folks to get out there and welcome anybody who wants to contribute to the effort. And I think your point about the 15-minute neighborhood is right on point. There’s definitely an opportunity to make what is generally a well laid out, walkable neighborhood even better. And totally with you, obviously, on the notion that the more people we can let live that way, by building housing for them in those locations, we’re all better off. And then the last question is more free form. Is there anything you would want anybody who’s reading this to know about Elvira Mora, what she’s up to or what she’s done or wants to do?
EM: Sure. So for all those newbies out there, I am born and raised here in the city of Boston, in Roslindale. I do have an idea of what I’m talking about. For folks that like to have that notion that if a new neighbor moves in and they haven’t been here for the entirety of their lives, that their opinions don’t matter? That’s not true. As long as they’re a neighbor in a certain neighborhood, then they belong there, first off. And second, they have the same voice as anybody else. And it shouldn’t be diminished because of how many years they’ve been here. So I am proud, but I’m also fortunate to be born and raised in the city of Boston and in Roslindale specifically. I think, honestly, it’s my favorite neighborhood. I would not want to move anywhere else. And a little bit more about me. I’m a first-gen Ecuadorian-American, bisexual woman. So I cross a lot of different categories. And I just want… more neighbors in my neighborhood. I want more people to have homes. I want an abundance of homes. Everyone should have a home. Everyone should have a place to live. And that’s my mission with AHMA and that has been my mission before AHMA. I’m glad to have this as the place to call home career-wise and that is awesome.