Massachusetts Vision Zero Coalition

Brandy Brooks

Transportation, housing and climate [and economic opportunities] are interdependent equity-based issues with respect to district-level access, distribution and administration of city services. Therefore, any approach to address these issues should not only synthesize in constituent needs but advance those needs in concert with government agencies and other council members.

Marisa Luse

Developing housing near transportation hubs helps tremendously; reducing emissions by making alternative modes of transportation like rail, bicycle and walking more feasible for residents. This will help with climate change while also connecting the relationship of transportation to housing. If elected I would work with advocates, experts, and residents on making decisions on the future developments in the district and city. I would work with the City’s Environment Chief to ensure that resident voice is centered and needs prioritized.

Lorraine Payne Wheeler

Building housing close to transit reduces the need for parking, which lowers the cost of construction of housing. With long-time residents struggling to pay high rental costs across Boston and buying a home an elusive goal, reducing the costs of housing is extremely important. As City Councilor, I can support housing near transit as well as reducing parking minimums wherever feasible. Climate resilience can be boosted by advocating for housing that is multifamily and located near transportation, since transportation is a major source of climate pollution.

Brandy Brooks

As a city councilor, I would prioritize dedicated bus lanes and confirm my commitment to pursuing the goals and objectives outlined in The Better Bus Project. Prospective policy ordinances would ensure that operations, network enhancements, modernizations and accessibility features are sustained, data-informed and reduce costs.

Marisa Luse

I would work with the Boston Transportation Department around traffic studies and design. Working with the Boston Police Department around traffic enforcement. I will create space to listen to residents' experiences about service frequency, and quality of service. I will also elevate those concerns and advocate with other elected officials, committees, etc.

Lorraine Payne Wheeler

Bus service can be accelerated by constructing lanes that give the bus priority. In Roxbury, riders would prefer light rail as promised when the elevated train was eliminated.

Brandy Brooks

When the FMCB sunsets in July, a new governing board should be convened and since residents of Boston have a disproportionate need for public transportation, the City of Boston should have a seat on the board. Additionally, with the current and projected expansions and ballooning budget needs, the MBTA Advisory board should also be a part of the new governance structure because they represent the 175 communities that contribute to MBTA operations budget.

Marisa Luse

Yes, I am in support of a new governance board. I feel it is critical that the City of Boston has a voting seat on the governance board because public transportation is vital to the working class of Boston. According to a study done by the state, Boston holds the largest public transportation system in the country with over a million people taking some form of public transportation. With such a large number of people using the MBTA, I believe that there should be a dedicated board to handle all transportation affairs. I will gather support from the residents, transportation officials, and community advocates to develop a public engagement strategy for improved MBTA services, projects and programs and to implement the proposed recommendations.

Lorraine Payne Wheeler

Yes I support Boston having a seat on a governance board because Boston has so many riders and miles of subway.

Brandy Brooks

Any short or long term community will involve working with residents in the district, relevant city agencies, in particular the Boston Transportation Department and other city councilors to make certain Boston 2030 is implemented and sustained.

Lorraine Payne Wheeler

To implement the 26 priority Better Bike Corridors, the City's budget must include funding for bike infrastructure. Some of the projects like the Massachusetts Ave. bike lanes and a protected bike lane on a section of Warren St. in Nubian Square are already underway.

Brandy Brooks

There is no one size fits all solution to this question. Transportation policy has to be balanced and created in the context of community needs. For better or worse, Boston has neighborhoods with existing automobile ownership. Therefore, there has to be an equitable balance between public safety, neighborhood interests, and environmental concerns on a case by case basis. That in turn means this all has to be subject to a truly accountable public process.

Marisa Luse

I am always going to take measures to make sure that I keep District 7 safe. While there are oppositions to narrowing the roadway and removing parking, I think we shouldn’t ignore the parking dilemma in Boston. Many people cannot afford to live in Boston due to the rise in cost of living. Residents of Boston have been forced to make the hard decision to move to the outskirts of Boston due to not being able to afford to live in the city. While many have moved out of the District, many still commute into the city for work. I want to make Boston safer by decreasing the amount of pedestrian deaths and accidents, but also create plans to provide adequate parking for those who must drive. Those who must drive pay taxes for the use of the roads and that generates revenue for the city and helps with the upkeep of the roads. I support the opportunity to include the voices of all residents to know what the community needs are. I would advocate and support advanced safety projects that are invested in transportation and infrastructure needs of the community landscape based on public input, approved research and sound proposed plans

Lorraine Payne Wheeler

Safety of pedestrians and bike riders are a priority. However, in some sections of Boston where working people live, a car is a connection to higher paying jobs and dependable transportation. When there is active opposition, there is a need for discussion to understand the concerns of all of the stakeholders involved. We can't let one side dominate the discussion or refuse reasonable solutions.

Brandy Brooks

First, the term affordable should be defined within the city median income as opposed to the regional or area median income. Second, the premise of this questions seems to be based on market costs of construction. There are means to construct housing without dealing with a for profit developer which reduces the cost of the units and construction costs. Affordable and income-restriction housing development could be reimagined development so that development is not exclusively conducted by for profit developers. In turn, this could decrease some of the bond and expiring use issues while working with the trade unions and neighborhood development corporations to build quality housing at below market costs. developments at less than average market costs (e.g., Back of the Hill Apartments which were part of the South Huntington Avenue Corridor).

Marisa Luse

I would support a new 12 unit building with 50% affordable units. The cost of living in Boston is rising at such a great speed that those who have lived in Boston can no longer afford to live there. As the city increases in population, taxes increase. Increasing affordable housing will help single parents struggling and help those who make below the average median salary which is $46,925 in the city of Boston. Increasing the IDP percentage means that more people can stay where they call home.

Lorraine Payne Wheeler

Yes in some cases yes. It would depend on the zoning of the lot and other factors like proximity to public transportation. In general more housing is needed in the region so a larger 60 unit project can be accommodated in many places.

Brandy Brooks

Arduous timelines and unnecessary costs can be reduced by ensuring that the permitting process involves better coordination, is more accountable to the community and is transparent from beginning to end. First, efforts to improve coordination could involve more clearly defining each agency’s role in the permitting process and establishing better cross-agency information sharing and collaboration practices. Second, developers, contracts and other interested stakeholders need to be more accountable when projects exceed the budget or deadlines are missed. Third, the entire permitting process should be more transparent on the steps required and expectations of specific development projects and making sure this information is disseminated to community members. By streamlining the approval and permitting processing timelines and costs would not only be expedited but more importantly public throughout all phases of the process.

Marisa Luse

I would reduce timelines by first talking with community members to hear their concerns and views, especially around topics like increased traffic, noise, late night activities and chemical hazards that may be associated with construction. Addressing these concerns go a long way towards having a good community relationship. To help streamline the process, the city should initiate a comprehensive review of all the steps in the development approval process to identify the factors that most significantly suppress new residential construction. With a clearer view of the obstacles, I will be able to assess where costs can be reduced or eliminated. I would be in favor of cutting costs of permits for construction for buildings that will accommodate low income/moderate income families. Another tactic would be creating a one-stop permitting shop that brings together in one place representatives from all agencies and departments involved in the permitting process.

Lorraine Payne Wheeler

I would support projects with lower costs like building with modular components that reduce the cost of construction. I would also review parking minimums and their impact on costs and consider density bonuses.

Brandy Brooks

While there are several policies that I would support to prevent displacement, including rent control, rent control was abolished by state referendum so it would require state legislation to overturn. With respect to displacement measures, municipal options are limited and would require state legislative input or initiative petitions.

Marisa Luse

I would continue to support financial literacy workshops for homeowners, and support policies that protect the rights of tenants. I would continue to support financial workshops for homeowners so that we can increase pathways to homeownership for low-income families, working and middle class families and young adults. I will continue to push for tenant rights’ forums with groups like CityLife/Vida Urbana, who have tremendously helped with preventing displacement.

Lorraine Payne Wheeler

Providing struggling renters with a subsidy for the high cost of leasing an apartment in Boston. When the City of Boston provides funding to an affordable housing project, there should be a preference for those renters who already live in the community and are in jeopardy of losing their housing.

Brandy Brooks

As a city councilor, it is of utmost importance that I represent the will of the community. Ultimately, it is my business to point out the tradeoffs but not to disempower community sentiments or work to push policies that are adverse to what constituents want.

Marisa Luse

I think development, designs and priorities should be part of the community engagement process. One way to help the community understand what developers are proposing to achieve is through participatory design, transparency and education. Residents should have the opportunity to co-develop the communities that they live, work and play in. Also, the need to look for ways to be more environmentally friendly with construction and space should be conveyed to the community. What may have been acceptable in the past may not be feasible presently or for the future.

Lorraine Payne Wheeler

There are many ideas about the proper tradeoff between parking minimums and their impact on construction costs. In District 7, there already exists locations like Ink Block or Nubian Square where new construction is intentionally dense with many more housing units including microunits, condominiums and rental housing. These projects did not face community opposition because the developer balanced these priorities. However, we would be making a mistake in planning if every lot is required to accommodate overly dense housing. I would support the BPDA or a successor organization create better plans to identify places where dense housing can be accommodated.