At the event the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA), along with the Disability Housing Task Force (DHTF) were honored with a Mayoral proclamation that July 25th was BPDA & DHTF Accessibility Day. Tim Davis, Housing Policy Manager, accepted the proclamation and spoke on behalf of the BPDA.
Tim cited the work that is occurring across BPDA in improving accessibility in Boston including:
- Working with the Boston Transportation Department to implement the “Complete Streets” program, which creates a more accessible and friendly streetscape.
- The 2014 adoption and 2017 update of the Accessibility Guidelines and Accessibility Checklist, which have allowed the BPDA to examine the accessibility of new development projects undergoing review to encourage designs that exceed accessibility requirements.
- Recommending to the BPDA Board the adoption of a new policy, which will require that where developers are already required to create accessible units, that 15 percent of income restricted units in housing developments must be accessible.
- Strengthening relations between the BPDA’s Housing Compliance unit and the Disability Commission staff to identify places where more flexibility is needed on asset and income certification policies.
- Connecting the Disability Commission and Housing Compliance staff to review disability preference documentation, to ensure that the ADA units are paired with people who require units with accessibility features.
