Boston's Zoning Board Called Out for Conflicts of Interest

Milton J. Valencia and Tim Logan report on potential conflicts of interest on the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal.

A recent approval of a six-unit condo development on a small lot in the Dorchester neighborhood "illustrates the incestuous mechanics of a permitting system that is now enmeshed in an influence-peddling scandal, and highlights how the zoning board seems almost destined for potential conflicts of interest by the very way it is organized," according to Valencia and Logan.

"The composition of the Boston panel — under state law more than half of the board’s seats are held by people from the real estate and building industries — is unusual among US cities," according to the article. "And their twin allegiances come in conflict enough that recusals by board members are a regular occurrence."

So the six-unit condo development failed its first time at the board, but a consultant for the project was subsequently appointed to a seat on the board before the project was approved despite neighborhood opposition. The consultant, Craig Galvin, recused himself from the vote. "When the units hit the market, Galvin’s firm, Galvin Group, was the listing agent; the house sold in December for $750,000, according to deed records, and the two condos are each listed at $759,000."

The implication of conflicts of interest comes at time when the board is under scrutiny for the aforementioned influence-peddling scandal. "The board is under investigation by federal prosecutors, who have secured a guilty plea from a City Hall employee for accepting a bribe to influence a zoning vote on a project. A top aide to the mayor who ran the agency that reviewed permits has taken an unpaid leave, and the Walsh administration has launched an internal review of the board’s procedures."

In a related article published the same day, Logan reports on the effort by one city councilmember to reform the board's requirements for representation from the real estate and development industry.