AG Rules Zoning Board Broke Open Meeting Law in Approving Egleston Development

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA - The city's Zoning Board of Appeals found itself in hot water Friday after the Attorney General ruled it intentionally violated the Open Meeting Law when approving the new development at 3200 Washington St. 

According to the Attorney General's ruling, published by the Jamaica Plain News, the ZBA did not file notice for its September 15, 2015 meeting with the City Clerk's office, nor did it post an announcement on the City Hall bulletin board. It did post the notice for the meeting to the City of Boston website, though the Attorney General found that it was unclear when the announcement was posted. 

Moreover, the Attorney General found that a group called "Group Working for 100% in Egleston" had warned the ZBA twice of its impending Open Meeting violation - once prior to the meeting and once during. 

Under public notice laws, government boards must inform residents what topics will be addressed during a meeting; the September 15 meeting proved to be pivotal in approving the Washington Street project.

A $1,000 civil fine was levied against the board for the violation, and its members must undergo Open Meeting Law training.