Boston Development Questions
Hi,

I am from NYC but have lived in Boston for 3 years in the past. I have been exploring different markets to see if there are any development opportunities out there. I thought back to my time in Boston and immediately though of a parcel of land that would be interesting to look into.

This parcel is on Harvard Avenue in Allston, MA - a location within the Boston Metro that is zoned for CC-1 (Community Commercial Subdistrict). Boston's Zoning Code defines CC-1 to provide "a diversified commercial environment serving larger markets." This seems pretty vague. Does anyone who have experience in this market know what the CC-1 actually means?

[Section 51-44 of Boston's Zoning Code](http://www.bostonplans.org/getattachment/219fb7a1-90ac-4f11-81dc-14ecd99bddda) also says:

"Establishment of Areas Within Which Planned Development Areas May be Permitted. Planned Development Area ("PDAs"), as described in Section 3-1A.a, are permitted within the Conservation Protection Subdistricts, the Western Avenue/Soldiers Field Road Community Commercial Subdistrict, the Allston Landing North Economic Development Area, the Allston Landing South Economic Development Area, and the Guest Street Local Industrial Subdistrict. PDAs are not permitted elsewhere in the Allston-Brighton Neighborhood District.  "

Is this explicitly saying that no redevelopment is allowed in the neighborhood except for those areas that already have redevelopment planned for?

&amp;#x200B;

Additionally, I have a few questions about the market to those who have experience in developing in Boston:

* How active are mid-size developers (i.e. developing 10-30 units rental apartments)?
* How difficult is it to get construction permits? Are expediters required?
* How does the local government view developers?
   * Are there unique politics going on?  (e.g. local government, labor unions, etc. )
* Are there common variables specific to this market that can commonly make or break a deal? (e.g. in NYC, high construction costs and high land costs are usual variables that force developers to demand higher prices that are sometimes impossible to achieve)
* I expect most buildings have their facade's landmarked by the city or state - Is there a database for the city that might help me find more info on the parcels? (e.g. NYC has Zoning and Land Use Map which gives you flooding details, landmark details, and anything associated with zoning -  [https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/about/](https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/about/) )

Would love to hear from you guys
[{"id": "ftjia3z", "text": "http://www.bostonplans.org/zoning\n\nThere you go. You need to actually look through their zoning ordinances and call them with any questions you may have. They may not be able to give you definitive answers, but you\u2019ll get an idea of what could potentially be a possibility.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ftjjcei", "text": "Harvard is developing 100s of acres in Allston. Do you already have control of the parcel?  If not, pricing might be crazy.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ftjxwvn", "text": "Hi, I currently live in Allston Brighton.\n\nThe Harvard Avenue Community Commercial Subdistrict includes a church, part of a school, some apartment buildings, with and without ground floor retail and some offices, both on the street and above ground floor retail. There are also some autobody shops. Most of the retail consists of small restaurants, but there is also the Brighton Music Hall and Great Scott, a bunch of used good stores, convenience stores and other stores. \n\nI believe what it means is that a new building would have to have some retail space on the ground floor. Two new apartment buildings are so designed. The only one that didn't was an apartment building on Harvard Terrace that burned down and was rebuilt as it was. \n\nThe planned development areas are nothing to be worried about. They're for large and institutional developers. The Guest Street PDA refers to several acres of land near the Pike that New Balance has redeveloped into offices, retail, housing and arena for the Bruins and Celtics to practice in. Plenty of development is happening outside of those areas. \n\nMid-size developments are common, to avoid triggering the inclusionary zoning requirements (the City of Boston is unique among cities to my knowledge in that that they don't compensate developers for building affordable housing with density bonuses). \n\nThe permit process in Boston is complicated. It can take about a year to go through the Boston Planning and Development Agency's process to get planning permission -- but then you still have to go through the process of getting any zoning variances, fire safety, construction, parking and all the other permits you need. Apart from a guy named Gary who only ever did small by-right projects, every developer I know has a lawyer on retainer for navigating the planning and permitting process. \n\nLocal government is somewhat divided. The mayor's office is generally more supportive of new development than the city councilors, however, thanks to the number of rentals and high turnover things tend to be easier in Allston than Brighton. There are a few people who oppose all new development, because there has been so much. There are people who just want affordable family homes and there are people concerned about traffic and parking. The state rep, Kevin Honan, has been at the forefront of zoning reform in MA for years. There is definitely a significant labor component to Boston politics. In Allston there's a lot of concern about artists being priced out of studios and apartments, as well as a lack of community space.\n\nHigh land and construction costs are definitely a thing in Boston.  \n\n\nAllston has very little [landmarked](https://www.boston.gov/departments/landmarks-commission). The only thing on Harvard Avenue is the Allston Depot (Pizzria Regina), what was designed by HH Richardson.", "replies": [{"id": "ftjzogr", "text": "Thanks for the insight. You hit every question I was curious about. \n\nThe area has been changing a lot since I lived there in 2014. It's fun to watch", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "ftm3ony", "text": "Off-topic, but I went to Boston a couple of months ago for the first time, and coming from new york - I thought the Boston harbor is beautiful and see a lot of future growth if it hasn't been priced in already.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]