Boston, MA

Boston Zoning Commission chair to recuse himself from vote on contentious downtown skyscraper plan

Published

3 months ago

October 22, 2025

Boston Zoning Commission chair to recuse himself from vote on contentious downtown skyscraper plan

Boston Zoning Commission Chair Michael Nichols, who heads a downtown advocacy group, said he plans to recuse himself from Wednesday’s vote on a contentious zoning plan that would clear the way for more skyscrapers downtown.

Nichols, president of the Downtown Boston Alliance, said that although he was cleared by the state Ethics Commission to take part in the vote, he ultimately opted not to weigh in on the zoning changes proposed in PLAN: Downtown in his official capacity as chair of the Zoning Commission.

“I was able to get a state ethics opinion that held that I do not actually have any conflicts tomorrow that run afoul of state law, but I nonetheless don’t want it to be a distraction — so I’m opting not to participate,” Nichols told the Herald Tuesday.

Nichols said he sought the ethics opinion based on a potential conflict of interest he may have in voting on the downtown zoning plan due to his advocacy group’s work to “analyze the plan for so long.”

He is the chair and president of the Downtown Boston Alliance, which represents commercial property owners in the city’s core.

Nichols said he is also planning to turn the gavel over to Commission Vice Chair Jill Hatton for the duration of the meeting that pertains to the downtown zoning plan. Ahead of the vote, a public hearing will be held.

The Downtown Boston Alliance submitted a letter in support of the plan — and its proposed creation of new skyline districts that would allow for 500-700 foot towers in parts of the historic downtown — to the Zoning Commission last Friday. It was sent by DBA Chief of Staff Kelsey Pramik.

“The plan’s passage today is critical for completing the neighborhood’s needed transformation such that it can align with a ‘new normal’ that requires a broader mix of uses, a modernized and more predictable zoning code, and a housing-first agenda to welcome a new generation of residents,” the DBA letter states.

The Alliance sent a similar letter of support to the Boston Planning and Development Agency Board last month, ahead of the board’s 4-1 vote in favor of the zoning plan.

If approved by the Zoning Commission, the Wu administration’s downtown plan would go into effect.

The plan would clear the way for new buildings to tower up to 700 feet over the historic downtown.

It has been a source of contention for other stakeholders, particularly the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association, which has described the proposed changes as “destructive,” in that they would alter the character of the city’s core and turn it into Manhattan.

Critics have also flagged potential violations to the state’s shadow law, which was enacted in 1990 and restricts the creation of new shadows on the Boston Common and Public Garden at certain times of the day.

The Association supports additional towering in the Financial District east of Washington Street, where such heights have traditionally been allowed. It opposes new skyscrapers in the historic and increasingly residential Ladder Blocks and Park Plaza neighborhoods to the west of Washington Street and adjacent to the Boston Common.

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Boston, MA

Boston woman flummoxed after rat makes a home in stroller she left on porch

Published

5 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Local News

Boston Reddit did not mince words when it came to the best way of evicting this brazen stroller squatter.

A Boston woman is dealing with an unwelcome tenant on her front porch — a rat that has turned a baby stroller into a cozy winter hideaway.

The woman shared her ordeal Thursday on the r/Boston subreddit, explaining that she had left her stroller, complete with a muff, on her second-floor porch. When she checked on it later, she discovered a rat had moved in.

“I stupidly left our stroller with a muff out on the porch,” she wrote. “Today I found a big rat is nested in there. I can’t see clearly, but it seems it has chewed up the muff lining and is using the filling for a nest.”

The woman said she’s called a few pest control companies, but instead of offering immediate removal, they just tried to sell her a long-term bait boxing service.

“…Which is fine, but I urgently need someone to just safely remove the rat and the nest so I can clean or dispose of the stroller if needed,” she wrote, adding that she couldn’t secure a next-day appointment and felt Monday was too far away.

Turning to Reddit for advice, the woman asked whether she should attempt to remove the rat herself, saying she was worried about being bitten or contracting a disease. “Which professional can I call?” she asked.

Redditors reacted with a mix of humor and practical advice. The top comment began, “Sounds like it’s their porch now,” before offering an elaborate plan involving a bucket trap and joking that the rat could then “go on to be a Michelin star chef at a French restaurant,” a nod to the 2007 film “Ratatouille.”

Others suggested she evict the rat by vigorously shaking the stroller or whacking it with a broom, while many urged her to cut her losses entirely and throw the stroller out.

“I honestly wouldn’t ever use it for a small child after a rat had been cribbed up there,” one commenter wrote.

Pest control experts generally advise against handling rats without professional help. According to Terminix, rodents can become aggressive and scratch when threatened and may carry diseases such as hantavirus and leptospirosis.

“When it comes to getting rid of a rat’s nest in the house, DIY treatments won’t cut it,” the company warns on its website.

Boston has been grappling with heightened rat activity in recent years, prompting a citywide rodent action plan known as BRAP. City officials urge residents to “see something, squeak something!” and report rodent activity to 311. Officials said response teams are typically dispatched within one to two days.

Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.

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Boston, MA

Boston’s new city council president talks about election and upcoming term

Published

17 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Boston’s new city council president talks about election and upcoming term

The Boston City Council is setting out on a new two-year term with a new council president at the helm.

City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents District 9, won the gavel on a 7-6 contested vote, cobbling together her candidacy just hours before the council was set to vote.

“An opportunity presented itself and I took it,” Breadon said. “We’re in a very critical time, given politics, and I really feel that in this moment, we need to set steady leadership, and really to bring the council together.”

The process apparently including backroom conversations and late-night meetings as City Councilors Gabriella Coletta Zapata and Brian Worrell both pushed to become the next council president.

Breadon spoke on why support waned for her two colleagues.

“I think they had support that was moving,” said Breadon. “It was moving back and forward, it hadn’t solidified solidly in one place. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the moment.”

Political commentator Sue O’Connell talks about the last-minute maneuvering before the upset vote and what it says about Mayor Michelle Wu’s influence.

Some speculated that Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration was lobbying for a compromise candidate after Coletta Zapata dropped out of the race. Breadon disputes the mayor’s involvement.

“I would say not,” said Breadon. “I wasn’t in conversation with the mayor about any of this.”

Beyond the election, Breadon took a look ahead to how she will lead the body. Controversy has been known to crop up at City Hall, most recently when former District 7 Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges tied to a kickback scheme involving taxpayer dollars.

Breadon said it’s critical to stay calm and allow the facts to come out in those situations.

“I feel that it’s very important to be very deliberative in how we handle these things and not to sort of shoot from the hip and have a knee-jerk reaction to what’s happening,” said Breadon.

Tune in Sunday at 9:30 am for our extended @Issue Sitdown with Breadon, when we dig deeper into how her candidacy came together, the priorities she’ll pursue in the role and which colleagues she’ll place in key council positions.

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