Planning Board Recommends 60-Foot Height Cap for Overlay

Planning Board · Meeting of October 27, 2026

Revere's Planning Board voted 4-0 to recommend a Coolidge Street Smart Growth Overlay District to the City Council, capping new building heights at 60 feet. Revere Housing Authority Executive Director Dean Harris pitched the roughly 40-acre redevelopment, citing a potential $600,000 one-time payment and $3,000-per-unit incentives tied to Chapter 40R. A board member identified only as Frank pushed for firmer guarantees on building placement, saying his "main concern" was "the height of the building and the proximity to those buildings to the existing residential neighborhood." Resident and church member Travis Elpert testified in support, saying mixed-income housing "has an opportunity to give people of a lower income class opportunity." Members Hal Abrams, Hector Rivera, Chair Megan Simmons-Herrling and John Stamatopoulos voted yes; Craig Costanza, Leah Hoffman and Garret Sullivan were absent.

The item now heads to the City Council's zoning subcommittee.

In the full story:

• Roll Call and the RHA's Redevelopment Pitch
• Financial Incentives Under Chapter 40R
• The Height Debate: Master Plan Versus Guarantees
• Public Comment: A Direct Abutter's Support
• Infrastructure: Water, Sewer and the Cost of Density
• The Vote: Recommending a 60-Foot Cap to the City Council
• Housekeeping: Minutes From the North Shore Road Meeting
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,956 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of October 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.