Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Avella's BSA bills advance

From Bayside Patch:

The state Senate’s Cities Committee has passed two bills proposed by Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, that involve the city’s Boards of Standards and Appeals.

One bill would require that one of the members of the BSA, which regulates development of private property, must be a financial analyst with processional qualifications and at least 10 years experience in the field.

Currently, the city’s charter requires the board to have at least one member who is a planner, another who is a registered architect and at least one licensed professional engineer.

“Given the broad powers the BSA has in granting variances based on economic and financial hardship, it should also be obvious that there is an important need for one member of the BSA to be a financial analyst,” Avella said.

The second bill would require that the variance and special permit decisions made by the board must be decided by a two-thirds majority of quorum present and voting.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's add a third bill that demands that they not all be paid off by developers!

Go Tony - he and Paul G. - the good guys!

Anonymous said...

A better bill would be to take the final decision on variance away from BSA, and leave it up to the elected officials, such as the BP and/or Council. Since BSA is not elected by voters, it should be restricted to only technical aspects.

Anonymous said...

Yeah: take away the final decision - making authority! What really drives people nuts are the decision universally opposed, yet nonetheless approved by BSA.

Jerry Rotondi said...

You need to be represented by a lawyer to fight the BSA. It wasn't always that way.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.
An individual used to be able to do that on his own without hiring an expensive legal eagle.

This was another, of many, roadblocks that have been tossed in the cowpath to justice.

I'm for changing the stone inscription above the Supreme Court Building in D.C.

"The finest justice that money can buy".

Anonymous said...

BSA?
Don't you mean the board of the rubber stamp...where developers get what they want...by riding roughshod over communities?