With more housing needed in the City of Boston as a whole and continuing development in Roslindale Village, our Board of Directors recently came together to create a list of guiding principles for RVMS to use when evaluating new housing developments proposed within the Roslindale Village catchment area. This is not in response to any specific past, present, or future proposal, but rather an attempt to clarify and provide transparency as to when and how RVMS evaluates such proposals:
1. RVMS supports the development of new housing within the business district as essential to the health of the business district, in particular mixed income housing which promotes a diverse community.
2. RVMS supports meeting or exceeding affordable housing needs, acknowledging that Roslindale is below targets compared to other Boston neighborhoods.
3. RVMS encourages developers to support multimodal transportation infrastructure and improvements which serve the neighborhood as a whole.
4. RVMS supports designs which contribute to an active streetscape and vibrant pedestrian and commercial environment, as well as designs that incorporate durable materials.
5. RVMS generally supports a 3-4 story height for new construction or additions appropriate for the business district, with variations depending on specific site conditions.
6. RVMS supports parking plans that factor in location, effect on housing costs, encouragement of multimodal transportation options, and impacts on the commercial district on a site-specific basis.
This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of factors RVMS may consider when providing commentary or feedback on a proposal in Roslindale Village. RVMS reserves its sole discretion on when, if, and how to engage in any community or governmental process involving housing development. RVMS board members, staff, and/or volunteers may choose to comment in an individual capacity on proposals and participate in any such public processes, and do so in their individual capacities and not on behalf of RVMS unless otherwise noted.