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<br />NEWS BRIEFS <br /> <br />"BEANTOWN" BECOMING GREENTOWN <br />THROUGH ZONING <br /> <br /> <br />-adjacent properties were registered anywhere <br /> <br />would seem to suggest that commercial is an <br /> <br />appropriate designation. <br /> <br />Regulatory Process <br />In terms of underlying zoning, approval could <br />run into difficulty if it is unclear whether or not a <br />worker center is a permitted use. A use table <br />that enumerates them is unheard of, and cen- <br />ters do not easily fall under a more general cate- <br />gory such as institutional or commercial. Forthis. <br />reason, one worker center spent a considerable <br />amount oftime seeking advice to ensure that it <br />would not need a variance to occupy a commer. <br />cialsite~ Depending on the community, a worker <br />center is usually considered a nonprofit busi- <br />ness, in which case it is likely a permitted use in <br />commercial districts; in other cases it may qual- <br />ify as a public service facility, especially if it is <br />administered by the local govemment. <br />The specific requirements ofthe public <br />hearing and approvals process can likewise vary <br />depending on whether the site is owned pri- <br />vately or by a local govemment. In Montgomery <br />County, Maryland, all three worker centers are <br />iocated on county property', 50 they were <br />required to use a process for public use projects <br />known as "mandatory rererral." The process <br />included public notification and a planning <br />board hearing, but comments received from <br />board members ror public use projec-cS are non. <br />binding. Similarly, the approval process can <br />range from relatively lenient to stringent <br />depending on whether the worker center will <br />entail construction or significant rehabilitation <br />of improvements on the property. <br /> <br />COi\j(UjS~ON <br />As long as immigration issues loom large on <br />the national agenda, day labor will continue to <br />be a lightning rod for controversy. However, a <br /> <br />72 <br /> <br />properly sited anq administered worker center <br />represents a tool for'any planner looking to <br />improve conditioMs for day laborers and for <br />communities as ~ whole. With proper plan- <br />ning, the conceptp and strategies presented in <br />this article can help interested communities to <br />successfully site a worker center and control <br />its impacts in a way that balances the inter. <br />ests of all concerTied parties and reduces <br />unnecessary conflict. <br /> <br />"'Note: The use ofthe pronoun "he" in this <br />context should not be interpreted as reflecting <br />a chauvinistic attitude on the part of the <br />author, but rather as an acknowledgment of <br />the fact that the overwhelming majority of day <br />laborers are male. <br /> <br />Megan S. Lewis, AICP <br />In January 2007 Boston became the first city <br />to incorporate the U.s. Green Building Coun. <br />cil's Leadership in Energy and Environmental <br />Design CLEED) requirements into its zoning <br />ordinance. Following a public hearing that <br />month, the zoning commission approved <br />adding Article 37 to Boston's zoning code to <br />require LEED for New Construction and Major <br />Renovations (LEED-NC) certification for public <br />and private development projects of more <br />than 50,000 square reet. The Boston <br />Redevelopment Authority (BRA) is responsible <br />ror ensuring that projects comply with this <br />new amendment. <br />This is not the first step that Boston has <br />taken to incorporate green building into the city. <br />In June 2003 Mayor Thomas Menino formed the <br />Green Building Task Force, composed or public <br />and private partners, to help guide policy initia- <br />tives to "build a greener Boston." In November <br />2004 the task rorce issued its recommenda- <br />tions, induding a lc-pointaction plan outlining <br />key steps. This action plan called for the city to <br />amend Artide So ofthe zoning ordinance to <br />require LEED certification for large-scale proj- <br />ects. In addition, the task force recommended <br />requiring all city-owned new construction and <br /> <br /> <br />Corwin, jar:nes. 2006. "Da1{ Laborers: Improvftlgthe Qllla.\ityof Life for Labo:,ers, EnnployeiS, <br />and Neigh:bors:" The Police Chief, April. Available online at <br />http://potjcechiefrnagazi'ne,org. <br />FiDe, Janice. 2006. Worker Centers: Orga'f)jzin~ Commurdties at the Edge of the Dream. Ithaca, <br />N.Y.: Cornell University Press.p. 316. <br />Southwest Center for Econom.ic Integdty. 2004. "Bwkered and Street Corner Day Labor in N'ew <br />Mexico." Available online at www.ecoDomidntegrity..orgjpdfj <br />NM_D 2y-Labor_Data_Sum mary.pdf. <br />Tneodore, Nik, Abel Valenzuela, and Edwin Melendez. 2006. "La Esquina (The Comer): Day <br />Laborers 9n the Margins of New Yonk's Formal Econ.omy," Worki:ngUSA: The IOl:1mal of <br />Labor and Society, Vol. .9 NO.4: pp. 407-423- <br />1oma, Robin and Hill Esbenshade. 2001. "Day Laborer Hifiklg Sites: Constructive Appreaches <br />to Community Conflict." Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations. AvaHab.le <br />online at www:ncjrs.gov/pdffilesl/bja/1S9914.pdf. <br />Valenzuela, Abel. 2003' "Day Labor Work." Anrrua/ Review of 50 do logy, Vol. 29: pp. 307-333. <br />Available online at W'ww.sscnetuda.edu/1ssr/csup.fpubsjpapersfindex.php. <br />Valenzuela, Abel, Nik Theodore, Edwin Melendez, and Ana Luz Gonzalez. 2006. "On the <br />Corner: Day Labor in the United States." UCLA Center rorthe Study or Urban Poverty. <br />Available online at www.sscnet.uda.edujissrj:CSllP/pubsji'i'ldex.php. <br /> <br />ZONING?RACTiC:: 9.07 <br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 6 <br />