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Zoning Board of Appeal appointments

At a glance

  • What: Dockets No. 1515-1524 are Mayor Michelle Wu's ten nominations to the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal: five members (Dockets No. 1515-1519) and five alternates (Dockets No. 1520-1524). Seven are reappointments and three are new alternates. They were referred to the Planning, Development and Transportation Committee on August 5, 2026.
  • Where it stands: all ten nominees were confirmed by the full Council on October 21, 2026 after the committee reported them "ought to be confirmed." The committee had heard all ten on October 16, 2026 in a single hearing chaired by Councilor Durkan, with no public testimony. Shamaiah Turner was unable to attend and sent a letter because of a family emergency.
  • Themes: how to weigh projects already approved by the Boston Planning and Development Agency board, case-by-case review versus neighborhood equity, zoning reform to cut small cases, language access, and in-person hearings.

The nominees

Names, terms and dockets follow the official minutes of October 21, 2026.

  • Members: Giovanny Valencia (Docket No. 1515, term to May 1, 2027), Katie Whewell (No. 1516, to May 1, 2027), Alan E. Langham (No. 1517, to May 1, 2028), Sherry Dong (No. 1518, to May 1, 2029) and Shamaiah Turner (No. 1519, to May 1, 2029).
  • Alternates: Jeanne Pinado (No. 1520, reappointment, to May 1, 2027), David Collins (No. 1521, reappointment, to May 1, 2028), Carla M. Monteiro (No. 1522, new, to May 1, 2028), Patrick Walsh (No. 1523, new, to November 1, 2028) and William Masterson (No. 1524, new, to May 1, 2029).

Main points from the hearing

  • Giovanny Valencia said he has reviewed close to 4,000 cases in four years, about 1,000 a year.
  • Durkan said she prefers that opposition not be moved to the Zoning Board after the Planning and Development Agency board has approved a project, because city departments have already weighed in. Members said the Zoning Board's open hearings still surface community input, and one said he might vote against an approved project the neighborhood opposes.
  • Murphy raised small homeowner cases (additions, accessory dwelling units) and the loss of neighborhood association positions; members pointed to zoning reform, Squares and Streets and area plans as ways to make simple cases as-of-right.
  • Durkan noted a pending amendment before the committee to eliminate parking requirements for new residential development citywide, which she said would speed accessory dwelling units.
  • Flynn asked about mentoring, in-person hearings, language access (including live translation) and asthma and air quality; members said interpreters are arranged only when staff know of the need and that few cases have required one.
  • Durkan explained that alternates fill in when a quorum is short and that committee action within about two months is meant to avoid quorum problems.

Official minutes record

From the official minutes of the October 21, 2026 City Council meeting, which are the authority on motions and votes; the captions are less exact on tallies.

  • Councilor Durkan, for the Committee on Planning, Development, and Transportation, reported on ten dockets referred August 5, 2026. Each report recommended confirmation; each report was accepted and the appointment confirmed, with 13 yeas on every docket (all thirteen councilors): Nos. 1515 to 1524.
  • Members: Giovanny Valencia (No. 1515, term to May 1, 2027), Katie Whewell (No. 1516, to May 1, 2027), Alan E. Langham (No. 1517, to May 1, 2028), Sherry Dong (No. 1518, to May 1, 2029) and Shamaiah Turner (No. 1519, to May 1, 2029), all reappointments.
  • Alternates: Jeanne Pinado (No. 1520, reappointment, to May 1, 2027), David Collins (No. 1521, reappointment, to May 1, 2028), Carla M. Monteiro (No. 1522, new, to May 1, 2028), Patrick Walsh (No. 1523, new, to November 1, 2028) and William Masterson (No. 1524, new, to May 1, 2029).
  • Differences from the captions: the minutes give the full names above (the captions garbled several surnames) and record Nos. 1521 and 1522 as 13 yeas, where the captions heard 12.

Sources

Discussion time

About 112 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting Minutes
2026-10-21 - City Council 17
2026-10-16 - Planning, Development and Transportation Committee 95

Log

  • 2026-10-21 - City Council - Full Council took up the committee reports and confirmed all ten nominations by separate roll calls (all ten 13-0 per the minutes; the captions had heard 12 yeas on Nos. 1521 and 1522); Durkan, Murphy and Flynn spoke in support and Flynn urged colleagues to attend future nomination hearings. Official minutes: all ten dockets (Nos. 1515-1524) confirmed with 13 yeas each, including Nos. 1521 and 1522.
  • 2026-10-16 - Planning, Development and Transportation Committee - Hearing on all ten nominations: reappointed members and three new alternates introduced themselves, councilors asked about Planning and Development Agency approvals, zoning reform, language access and environmental health; no vote taken, chair to advance the nominations at the next meeting.
  • 2026-10-22 - Page created from a posted agenda; no meeting transcript processed yet.