The Boston Globe‘s Jon Chesto reports that “a key victory in the battle between with City Hall” over the urban wild has been won. The April 18th article states:
An affiliate of Dallas-based apartment developer Willow Bridge and the property’s owner, the Jubilee Christian Church, had sued the Boston Planning & Development Agency, essentially accusing the city agency of leaving their 204-unit project in bureaucratic limbo by requesting changes that were not necessary to comply with the site’s existing zoning. They initially filed plans for a section of the 24-acre property — known locally as “Crane Ledge Woods” — with the city in 2021, and have since scaled back their ambitions from originally aiming to build 270 units on the site.
On April 10, Land Court judge Kevin Smith ruled that the BPDA cannot order such an aggressive redesign of a project if it complies with the city’s zoning code. Instead, the judge said the city agency and planning staff only have the authority to apply “reasonable and appropriate conditions” as part of approving such “as-of-right” projects.
“We’re excited and happy at the outcome,” said Andrew Ward, executive director of business at Jubilee. “It’s been a long journey.”
The project now heads back to the city’s planning staff for further review. Smith remanded the case to the BPDA, giving the agency 30 days after the developer submits full design documents for its revised project to determine what additional information is needed before the agency can complete its review and issue what’s known as an “adequacy determination,” a necessary step for obtaining a building permit. Those documents, per the Mintz law firm, were filed on Thursday…
Frank O’Brien, a member of the Crane Ledge Woods Coalition, said the ruling creates an opening for Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration to talk to the church and the developer about preserving the property.
“The site as an urban woodland should be acquired for public benefit purposes,” O’Brien said. “The court ruling creates a window to accomplish that.”
Photo: Crane Ledge Woods Coalition
