THE BCDC DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS

Boston is unique in that it establishes a development review process that allows the city's bureaucracy to work actively with developers not only to minimize the environmental impacts of proposed projects, but also to produce designs that will reinforce the city's urban form and improve its public realm. This site is intended to familiarize project proponents with the city's development review process and the Boston Civic Design Commission (BCDC) role in that process. The BCDC's purpose, as stated in Article 28 of the Boston Zoning Code, is to provide a forum for the general public and the professional design community to participate in the shaping of the city's physical form and natural environment. Although the Commission has provided a forum for discussion of urban design issues, its primary function has been as design advisors, both to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and to project proponents. We believe that projects reviewed by the Commission have been improved by this review process and, more importantly, their impact on the streets and squares, the public domain of Boston, has been made more positive. As individual designers focus their attention on specific projects for their clients, it is our role to think of the city as a whole. Most proponents who have come before us agree that this broader perspective is helpful to achieving their project's goals. This website will focus on explaining the BCDC role in Boston's design review process and identifying the issues addressed in Commission reviews through its h istory. We believe that by clarifying the BCDC process and further defining our objectives and concerns, the public involvement can be more straightforward and productive, thereby improving that review process.

WHAT IS THE BCDC PROCESS?

BCDC review is an interactive process that provides the public and interested design professionals an open forum in which to comment on a proposed project or plan. Representatives of the Boston Society of Architects and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects regularly attend our public meetings and, along with other interested citizens, are invited to express their views along with those of the Commissioners. In effect, the BCDC process gives proponents a free design critique from some of the best designers in the country, whose only concern is to assure that new projects in Boston have a positive impact on the city's public realm.

Article 28 of the Boston Zoning Code sets the parameters and procedures for BCDC review. The BCDC process is initiated when the BRA notifies the Commission of the pending schematic design submission; since the adoption of Article 80 of the Boston Zoning Code, the BCDC review of a proposed project is coordinated with, and generally begins after, submission of a Project Notification Form (PNF) to the BRA. The information provided in the PNF is analyzed against the Article 28 review criteria by the BCDC staff and recommends, via a BCDC committee that substantiates the appropriateness of Commission review, to the full Commission on the need for BCDC review. If the BCDC votes not to review the project, Commission review is completed. If the vote is to review, a presentation of the project has usually been scheduled at the same monthly public meeting, to assure that (if sufficiently documented) the presentation will be timed as close to the PNF/schematic design submission as possible. The BCDC technically has 60 days from the initial presentation of the project at the BCDC's public meeting to complete its review; by request, this period can be extended an additional 30 days. Pragmatically, reviews are coordinated with the Article 80 process so that the Proponent can work with the Commission and the BCDC can reach a decision prior to any action of the BRA Board. The review is concluded with a vote by the Commission to recommend approval, the need for modification, the need for further review or the disapproval of the design. This recommendation is then submitted to the BRA Director and the BRA Board. In virtually all cases, the BCDC has been able to work with the proponent to modify designs and vote a recommendation for approval, occasionally with conditions. They have recommended disapproval or modification for only a handful of the projects and plans reviewed since the Commission's inception. If the BRA does not agree with the BCDC's recommendation, they must submit a written explanation describing the basis for the Authority's approval of the design.

WHAT DO WE REVIEW?

The question of what the BCDC reviews has two parts: what does the BCDC have the authority to review and what issues are dealt with in those reviews? The BCDC was established to advise the BRA on the design of projects and district plans proposed for the city. In general, these projects need relief from, or must comply with, regulations promulgated by the Boston Zoning Code. The BRA either administers the review directly, as is the case with Article 80, or advises the Zoning Board of Appeal on how projects seeking zoning relief conform to the general plan for the City. The BCDC reviews all BRA projects that meet the criteria set in Article 28. Under special circumstances, the BRA may also request BCDC review for projects that do not meet these criteria. In addition, the BCDC may review projects outside the BRA's authority at the Mayor's request. With regard to the content of the reviews, the BCDC's focus is the overall architectural and urban character of Boston and the physical features that distinguish it as a city: its public spaces, streets, squares and parks; its public realm. Because buildings become the backdrop for these spaces, the Commission is concerned with how new buildings are shaped and spaced, and their overall relationship to existing or new public spaces. The BCDC encourages new designs that are compatible in scale, materials, street level uses and spatial relationships, but not limited to any particular style. This is different from civic review commissions (in some other cities) that may tend to conduct a subjective evaluation of the aesthetics of proposed projects, focusing on issues such as the details of a building's façade; and that can be more intrusive on the design freedom of architects.

THE BCDC REVIEW CRITERIA includes

New or rehabilitated structures over 100,000 square feet (since Article 80 now contemplates Large Project Review for projects over 50,000 SF, the Commission, using the criterion below, may choose to elect review of significant projects within that range);

Projects of special significance or projects that, by the determination of the BCDC members, will have a special urban design significance in the City;

Civic projects involving changes to parks, civic or cultural centers or monuments; and,

District design guidelines to be adopted by the BRA. This includes PDAs, IMPs, and certain Planning documents generated to guide development in Boston's neighborhoods.

WHEN DO WE REVIEW?

BRA project review begins before the BCDC's appraisal and continues after it. The BCDC is presented a small but important window in the early stages of the BRA's process and typically folds neatly into the BRA's established procedures, requiring minimal additional time and expense to project proponents. Article 28 and Article 80 establish when, in the BRA's development review process, Commission review should commence. The BRA design review is divided into four stages: pre-schematic to schematic, design development, contract documents, and construction inspection. The BCDC's role focuses on the preschematic and/or schematic design stages, during the period when the BRA's review concentrates on use, massing, height and site design. This stage is coincident with Article 80 review's timeline. At this point, the project objectives can be communicated and modifications can still be made. The BCDC must act to render a decision before action by the BRA Board.

PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLE

For over six years, the BCDC has fulfilled its major objective of protecting and enhancing the public realm, defined by Article 28 as that aspect of the urban environment that is visible and accessible to the public, including both spaces and the building walls that frame them. The Commission believes it has had a positive influence on the many plans and projects that have been reviewed and hope that all who participate in its evolving process - the development proponents, their architects and the citizens at large - share its vision for improving this city and expanding on what has given Boston its vivid sense of place. Unlike many cities, Boston has a high percentage of residents that understand the importance the urban form has on the quality of life. The BCDC's goals are to increase proponents' awareness of urban design elements that create this form and their comfort level in coming to the Commission to make the BCDC review a truly constructive process. A critical element in achieving these goals is the creation of a body of decisions that explain the urban design principles the BCDC believes preserve the best qualities of Boston as it changes and expands in the future. Its vision of the city and the urban design principles that make Boston unique are neither secret nor mysterious. The BCDC wants to share that vision with others and stimulate discussion of and interest in it and the principles used on a regular basis to achieve the Commission's goals. These principles have been highlighted as a guide for project proponents.

The Design of Streets and Public Walkways.

In past reports, the BCDC has noted that the success of Boston's pedestrian environment comes from its well-defined streets (shaped by continuous, humanely scaled street walls), the small scale of its blocks (further refined by well-used public alleys and passageways), and active ground floor uses. The Commission continues to encourage buildings that define the streetwall and offer through-block pedestrian passageways. Another frequently discussed issue is the use of second-level pedestrian bridges and the negative impacts that removing inter-building pedestrian traffic has on the street life. The Commission discourages these bridges but has made exceptions for expansions of health care facilities where climate controlled connections are needed for transporting patients from one building to another. The BCDC has worked extensively with BRA staff to produce guidelines that set criteria for bridge design to minimize their impact on the public realm.

The Design of Public Space.

The Commission has the opportunity to review projects and open space plans that will make significant contributions to the city's open space system. The focus of these reviews deals with an array of open space design issues, including physical definition, visibility, accessibility, sunlight, special features and materials. Additional issues that have been discussed include: concerns about long term maintenance and management; how a project allows important open spaces to be connected; or, transitions to or extensions from an existing open space. Most important among design concerns has been how the physical design of open spaces - particularly the edge conditions and location - affect the usability of a proposed space. The Commission has also endorsed less traditional approaches to open space design, applauding innovative approaches and concepts.

The Design of Buildings.

The review of buildings by the BCDC has, for the most part, concentrated on the urban design impacts of a proposed project, such as a project's relationship to its context in scale, organization of mass, ground level treatment and type of materials. In the review of projects set in a strong contextual background, and likewise for those with little adjacent context, the Commission discussed the potential impacts of general building style on the public realm. In many instances, both the BCDC and BRA suggested that a contemporary architectural expression would make a more progressive statement regarding Boston's entry into the twenty-first century, while still reinforcing the city's more traditional attributes.

The Character of Boston.

The combination of 350 years of continuous development and change, as well as its unique shoreline and topographic features, give Boston its special character. The BCDC reviews strongly consider how a project recognizes traits distinctive to the City, such as an accommodation for the view of a distant landmark or the use of the city's historic street pattern and scale. The Commission also recognizes that the development of new districts can provide the opportunity to re-interpret our time-honored urban form in new and complementary ways. For this reason, it praised the innovative and dramatic designs of projects such as the ICA and Manulife buildings, the Children's Museum expansion, and Atelier 505.

 

LIST OF BCDC COMMISSIONERS

MS. DENEEN CROSBY, ASLA

MR. MICHAEL R. DAVIS, AIA, CO-VICE CHAIR

MS. LINDA EASTLEY, AICP

MR. DAVID HACIN, AIA

MS. ANDREA LEERS, FAIA

MR. DAVID MANFREDI, FAIA

MR. PAUL F. MCDONOUGH, ESQ, CO-VICE-CHAIR

MR. WILLIAM L.RAWN, FAIA

MR. DANIEL ST. CLAIR, AIA

MR. KIRK SYKES, AIA

MS. LYNN WOLFF, FASLA