Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Unified Planning Work Program Committee Meeting Minutes
January 29, 2026, Meeting
1:00 PM–2:00 PM, MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning and Zoom Video Conferencing Platform
Sam Taylor, Chair, representing Phillip Eng, Interim Secretary of Transportation and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
Materials
Materials for this meeting included the following:
· Draft FFY 2027 Studies for Discussion (PDF) (HTML)
1. Introductions
Please see attendance beginning on page 7.
2. Public Comments
There were none.
3. Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2027 UPWP Discrete Studies for Discussion—Olivia Saccocia, MPO Staff
O. Saccocia began the meeting by explaining how staff developed the list of five discrete studies that the committee planned to discuss. She stated that the UPWP process typically begins with a call for new studies that could potentially be incorporated into the MPO’s upcoming work plan. Staff incorporate many of these ideas into ongoing program work, and the remaining proposals are considered for funding as discrete studies. Over the past few years, the MPO has set aside approximately $150,000 for discrete studies, which typically funds one to three studies.
O. Saccocia stated that, through this process, the MPO has
collected a comprehensive list of discrete study ideas that have not yet been
funded. This year, staff looked at proposals that were submitted over the past
three years to develop the list of studies that the committee will discuss at
this meeting. O. Saccocia noted that two of these studies are new, however, as
they build upon discrete studies that have been funded in prior years.
M-18: Roadway Pricing Technical Evaluation Phase II ($75,000–$150,000)
O. Saccocia explained that the anticipated outcome of study M-18 will be an evaluation of trade-offs among roadway pricing strategies, with comparative equity and revenue findings to inform future policy discussions.
Caitlin Allen Connelly (Community Advisory Council) expressed support for this study and wants to see the MPO continue studying roadway pricing strategies. She also favored using a significant portion of the discrete study budget for this study.
Tom Bent (Inner Core Committee) stated that he believes this study has regional significance. Patrick Hoey (City of Boston) expressed how this study would help address congestion issues, especially in the inner core, and provide one potential solution to revenue concerns for the regional transportation network.
Len Diggins (Town of Arlington) expressed support for study M-18 but preferred not to use the entire $150,000 allocated for discrete studies on this project alone. He also suggested that MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning could potentially fund this work.
T. Bent also preferred to leave funds for additional studies. He also wondered how the scope of M-18 would change if it were funded at $75,000 versus $150,000.
L. Diggins brought up a concern that the study may only focus on Boston. Rose McCarron (MPO Staff) explained that this study takes a regional perspective by investigating how the regional transit capacity would need to change if a roadway pricing scheme was implemented.
L-2: Impact of Parking Supplies on Property Values ($40,000–$50,000)
O. Saccocia stated that the anticipated outcome of study L-2
will be evidence-based findings on how parking supply relates to residential
and commercial property values to inform parking policy decisions.
Jenn Martin (City of Newton) asked if the study will look at the sale price of an entire development or the sale price of units within a development. If the study will look at unit prices, J. Martin asked if staff plan to evaluate the impact of bundled or unbundled parking. R. McCarron explained that staff will explore the available data first to determine what metrics will be included in the study. R. McCarron stated that staff will likely start by analyzing sale prices for entire commercial properties.
T. Bent expressed support for study L-2 and believes it would provide data that could convince both developers and the finance community to invest in properties with less parking. P. Hoey agreed with T. Bent’s statement and explained that the study could also help cities create more affordable housing. P. Hoey stated that in Boston, housing developers often must pay significant amounts of money to excavate parking spaces, which leads to higher-priced housing.
L. Diggins stated that the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) could fully or partially fund this study. L. Diggins also stated study L-2 and study L-5 (Opportunities for the Boston Region MPO to Support Transit-Oriented Development) could build off one another. He suggested funding one first and exploring the other in the following year.
Steve Olanoff (Three Rivers Interlocal Council) expressed skepticism that developers or lenders would heed the results of this study.
Q-4: Representing the Experience of Limited Mobility Individuals Phase II ($30,000–$50,000)
O. Saccocia explained that the anticipated outcome of study Q-4 will be a library of variables and recommended metrics for the MPO to incorporate into its data analyses to better characterize travel impacts and system performance for people with limited mobility.
L. Diggins stated that he was very supportive of the first phase of this study last year. However, he suggested that the MPO waits to see the results of phase I before funding phase II. L. Diggins suggested that study Q-4 be considered for funding in the 2028 UPWP.
R. McCarron clarified that Phase I of Representing the Experience of Limited Mobility Individuals will be an exploration of metrics that could be incorporated into the MPO’s analyses to better represent the experience of individuals with limited mobility. The second phase will allow staff to apply what was learned in phase I. The study will specifically investigate how these metrics would be brought into the MPO’s work.
T. Bent expressed that he also wanted to see the results of phase I before moving forward with phase II. He mentioned that the scope or details of phase II may likely be changed based on the findings of phase I.
M-2: Transportation Network Company (TNC) Trip Patterns and Mobility Impacts in the Boston Region ($40,000–$50,000)
O. Saccocia stated that the anticipated outcome for study M-2 will be findings on whether TNC trips complement or compete with transit at specific locations, which will inform future regional mobility planning.
J. Martin expressed interest in this study. J. Martin stated that this study could provide valuable insights into TNC trip patterns in areas of the region where transit is not viable at certain times of day, in areas with limited commuter rail or bus service, and when transit is disrupted for maintenance work or weather events.
J. Martin also suggested that the MPO explore how Bluebikes trip patterns are affected by TNC usage. Rebecca Morgan (MPO Staff) shared that the MPO recently completed a study on Bluebikes and MBTA connections; however, the MPO could incorporate components of that analysis into study M-2 if it were to be funded.
S. Olanoff expressed support for this study because little is known currently about TNC trip patterns. He stated that the findings of this study would provide transportation stakeholders with the information needed to incorporate TNC trips into planning work. P. Hoey agreed with S. Olanoff and is also in favor of this study.
T. Bent also supports this study. He stated that he was interested in how TNC trips to transit hubs compare with Bluebikes trips to transit hubs. T. Bent also mentioned how this study would be helpful to inner core communities, as many are constructing road diets and find that lingering TNC or delivery vehicles cause congestion.
L. Diggins stated that he is interested in understanding how TNC trip patterns have changed over time but prefers to fund M-18 (Roadway Pricing Technical Evaluation Phase II) instead.
L-5: Opportunities for the MPO to Support TOD ($40,000-$50,000)
O. Saccocia explained that the anticipated outcome for study L-5 will be a set of recommendations for how the MPO’s work can support transit-oriented development and implementation of the MBTA Communities Act.
L. Diggins stated that he is very supportive of this proposal and believes the MPO is well positioned to study this. He expressed that the MPO could make an important impact to the region with this study.
Rachel Benson (SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee) also expressed support for this study and mentioned that it would be particularly helpful for communities in the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee subregion.
Travis Pollack (MAPC) stated that staff at MAPC have begun to research this topic and will collaborate with the MPO on work related to supporting transit-oriented development. Elena Ion (MPO Staff) mentioned that the MPO’s policy and multimodal design teams would be able to collaborate with MAPC on this work. E. Ion explained that there is information on which MBTA community districts are producing less housing than expected, and staff could investigate what barriers these communities are facing through this study. She also stated that staff have the information needed to analyze first- and last-mile connections through a targeted approach.
P. Hoey also expressed support for this study.
T. Bent asked if the MPO and MAPC have produced a study together using funds from both agencies. R. Morgan stated that the MPO and MAPC recently worked together on the North Suffolk Decarbonization study, which was funded by both agencies. She mentioned that it was a successful partnership, and staff would like to continue partnering where possible. R. Morgan stated that many of the discrete studies that were discussed today (L-2, M-2, L-5) could present opportunities for the MPO and MAPC to work together.
4. Members’ Items
R. Benson stated that interim Secretary of Transportation at MassDOT Phillip Eng mentioned that the agency is making efforts to accelerate project permitting at a recent conference. She asked if the MPO or MassDOT could share what the agencies are doing to help achieve this. Tegin Teich (Executive Director) explained that staff coordinate closely with MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning and the Highway Division around project readiness at the MPO level. However, T. Teich mentioned these agencies have not discussed this topic in detail in recent conversations. She stated that board members can also bring this up at full board meetings to express continued interest in understanding how project permitting is being accelerated.
T. Teich also mentioned that in the past, the MPO has invited MassDOT Highway Division staff to attend board meetings and discuss project readiness issues with members. She stated that the MPO could continue those conversations if board members are interested in the MPO doing so.
T. Bent asked if MPO and MAPC staff plan to meet before the next committee meeting to discuss collaboration. T. Bent expressed that it would be helpful to know if MAPC and the MPO could combine funding sources for some of these studies before the committee votes on which will be programmed next year. O. Saccocia mentioned that MPO and MAPC staff are planning to meet in February to discuss how the agencies can work together on these studies and will likely have an update for the committee by the next meeting.
5. Next Meeting
O. Saccocia shared that the committee will meet again on February 26, 2026. Shortly before that meeting, staff will share several discrete study funding scenarios, and at the meeting, the committee will vote to determine which studies will be funded in the next UPWP.
6. Adjourn
A motion to adjourn was made by the Inner Core Committee (Tom Bent) and seconded by the SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee (Rachel Benson). The motion carried.
Attendance
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Office of Transportation
Planning) |
Sam Taylor |
|
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
Travis Pollack |
|
Community Advisory Council |
Caitlin Allen-Connelly |
|
At-Large City (City of Newton) |
Jenn Martin |
|
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington) |
Lenard Diggins |
|
City of Boston (Boston Transportation
Department) |
Patrick Hoey |
|
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) |
Tom Bent |
|
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of
Norwood/Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce) |
Tom O’Rourke |
|
Three Rivers Interlocal Council Alternate
(Town of Westwood) |
Steve Olanoff |
|
Southwest Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Wrentham) |
Rachel Benson |
|
MBTA Advisory Board |
Isabella MacKinnon |
|
Other
Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Jennifer LaFlam |
Cape Ann Transportation Authority |
|
Derek Shooster |
MassDOT |
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
|
Carmen Baskauf |
|
Priyanka Chapekar |
|
Annette Demchur |
|
Jenn Emiko Concannon |
|
Hiral Gandhi |
|
Abby Cutrumbes Heerema |
|
Dave Hong |
|
Elena Ion |
|
Ethan Lapointe |
|
Bohui Liang |
|
Rose McCarron |
|
Rebecca Morgan |
|
Gina Perille |
|
Ibbu Quraishi |
|
Sean Rourke |
|
Olivia Saccocia |
|
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