Guides/Boston ZBA

Who is on the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal?

The Boston Zoning Board of Appeal is chaired by Sherry Dong and includes members such as Norm Stembridge, Giovanny Valencia, Hansy Better Barraza, Alan Langham, and David Collins, appointed by the Mayor.

Current tracked members
10
Chair
Sherry Dong
Appointing authority
Mayor of Boston

The Boston ZBA is a mayor-appointed board that rules on zoning variances, conditional-use permits, and appeals. Members serve fixed terms and often continue as holdovers past a term's expiry. Verdwise tracks the current roster and how often each member has been observed sitting on hearings.

Panel makeup is part of the public record: the same appeal is heard by whichever members sit that day. Verdwise's Intelligence section shows the current roster and each member's observed hearing attendance. It does not publish approval rates or voting scores for individual members: they are named public officials, and scoring them would be a read on how a future panel might rule rather than a fact in the record.

Source: Verdwise — built on 11,593 unique Boston ZBA cases (2013–2026) from public City of Boston records. Statistical intelligence, not legal advice. Updated 2026-09-01.