Which Boston neighborhoods have the highest ZBA denial rates?
Among Boston neighborhoods with a substantial ZBA caseload, the North End (18.9% denied) and South Boston (17.3%) have the highest denial rates, while the South End (4.5%), West Roxbury (6.9%) and Charlestown (8.0%) are the most permissive.
Denial rates vary widely by neighborhood. The North End and South Boston record the toughest outcomes and the most contested cases; the South End, West Roxbury and Charlestown approve at the highest rates among neighborhoods with a meaningful caseload. Citywide denial averages about 12.3%. Neighborhoods above that line are not facing a different board — Boston has a single Zoning Board of Appeal that hears every appeal in the city — but a different mix of relief types, zoning districts, and organized abutter opposition.
Neighborhood is only one slice of the record. The parcel's ward, zoning district, lot size, and abutter makeup each have their own recorded pattern, and Verdwise reports them separately alongside the comparable cases they come from. It does not score or rank a parcel's chances.