Boston Zoning Decisions: March 2026

In March 2026, Boston held 25 public meetings covering zoning matters. 43 zoning decisions had a recorded outcome this month: 43 approved (100% approval rate). Activity was up 29% compared to February (374 activity items across 11 meetings).

Zoning Decisions This Month

Mixed-use development at 445-449 Cambridge Street

Approved.

Approved 200-unit mixed-use residential project by Excorpity Capital with 29 affordable units (17% of leasable area), 8 artist units, 66 parking spaces, and retail space. Building is 6-7 stories, approximately 150,000 square feet. Requires variances for multifamily use in community commercial/industrial zones, height (70 feet vs 35 feet allowed), FAR (4.7), and open space.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Six-unit residential at 12 Maple Street

Approved.

Approved change of occupancy from single-family to six-unit dwelling on 16,000 square foot lot in West Roxbury. Two units in existing structure, four in rear addition, with 10 parking spaces. Requires relief for use, height, stories, FAR (0.5 vs 0.4 required), side yard setback, and open space.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

33-unit affordable housing at 190 Bowdoin Street

Approved.

Approved 33-unit all-affordable rental housing project by Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (VNAID) in Dorchester. All units at 60% AMI or less, two-thirds family-sized units. Four stories, 36,000 square feet on 18,600 square foot lot. Eight surface parking spaces, passive house design. Requires use variance for multifamily and dimensional variances.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

10-unit development at 11 Elko Street

Approved.

Approved 10-unit condominium development in Brighton's Sparhawk neighborhood overlay district. Existing two-family to be preserved with rear addition connected by breezeway. 10,571 square feet on 10,000 square foot lot. Requires use variance, FAR (1.21 vs 0.6), and height (39 feet/4 stories vs 35 feet/3 stories).

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Three-family new construction at 2195-2199 Dorchester Avenue

Approved.

Approved subdivision of lot and construction of new three-family residential building with two parking spaces at corner of Dorchester Avenue and Saint Gregory Street. Three units totaling approximately 4,000 square feet. Requires relief for FAR (1.5 vs 1.3), open space, side yard, and parking.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

33-unit mixed-use at 555 Talbot Avenue

Approved.

Approved six-story mixed-use building with 33 residential rental units and 3,700 square feet ground-floor restaurant space near Ashmont Station by 555 Talbot Avenue LLC/Mark Little. Six units (18%) affordable at 60% AMI. No parking, 46 bike spaces. Requires use variance for restaurant and dimensional variances for FAR (4.3 vs 1), height (70 feet/6 stories vs 40 feet/3 stories), setbacks, and open space.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Live entertainment at 428-434 Massachusetts Avenue

Approved.

Approved conditional use permit for live entertainment at SRV restaurant in South End. Restaurant has operated for 10 years and seeks to eliminate need for one-day entertainment licenses for approximately 30-35 events annually, mostly weddings.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Office-to-Residential Conversion at 280-300 Washington Street

Approved.

Approved scoping determination waiving further review for conversion of 11-story office building (Old South Building, constructed 1902-1904) into 255 residential rental units with 52 affordable units (20% of total). Project by 249 Washington Street Owner LLC includes 22 compact studios, 105 studios, 19 compact one-bedrooms, and 32 two-bedrooms. Approved PILOT agreement providing average 75% tax abatement for 29 years.

See the vote tally and conditions for this decision →

Showing the 8 most significant of 43 recorded zoning decisions. See all Boston meetings →

Zoning Changes

• Community Commercial (first 100 feet) / Industrial (remainder) → Multifamily residential with retail (variance) at 445-449 Cambridge Street, Allston (Excorpity Capital)
• 3F-5000 (three-family residential) → Multifamily residential (variance for 33 units), 18,600 square feet acres at 190 Bowdoin Street, Dorchester (Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (VNAID))
• MFRLS (Multifamily Residential Local Services) → Mixed-use with restaurant (use variance), 9,000 square feet acres at 555 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester (555 Talbot Avenue LLC / Mark Little)
• 2F-5000 (two-family residential) → Multifamily residential (10 units, use variance), 10,000 square feet acres at 11 Elko Street, Brighton (Saba Development)
• LI (Local Industrial) → Two-family residential (use variance), 4,250 square feet acres at 175 Heath Street, Mission Hill (Same Development)
• Various downtown zones → Plan Downtown zoning (approved October 2025) at Plan Downtown area (Boston Planning and Development Agency)
• EDR-3 (2-unit dwelling) → EDR-3 (6-unit residential), 5,000 sq ft (50x100 ft lot) acres at 60 Byron Street, East Boston (Petitioner (represented by Richard Linns))
• 3F-4000 (3-family) → 3F-4000 (5-family), Over 8,700 sq ft acres at 10 Harold Park, Roxbury (Applicant (represented by attorney Madakal))

Top Keywords This Month

• zoning: 114 instances
• residential: 85 instances
• commercial: 41 instances
• setback: 29 instances
• variance: 12 instances

What to Watch

• Commercial mentions were up 141% from February.
• Setback came up 93% more often than February.

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