The Boston City Council has approved the creation of a city planning department to replace many of the functions of the Boston Planning and Development Agency, in a contentious vote that some members derided as rushed and undemocratic.
The approval on Wednesday night marks a win for Mayor Michelle Wu, though it does not accomplish all of the changes she sought to an agency she vowed during her campaign to abolish. That victory, however, drew strong protest from city councilors on Wu’s left and right. The proposal passed 8 to 3, with two councilors voting present.
The ordinance clears the way for current BPDA employees to be transferred to the new department, which will play many of the same roles as the BPDA does now, including shepherding development projects through city review. The BPDA board will still act as the city’s planning board and approve or reject development projects.
The ordinance is set to take effect in July, the beginning of the city’s fiscal year. The measure calls on the BPDA to transfer revenue, including from rents collected on BPDA property, to the city to fund the new department’s operations. BPDA property may also be transferred to the city.
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