Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Community Advisory Council Meeting Minutes

June 8, 2026, Meeting Minutes

2:00 PM–3:30 PM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

Meeting Agenda

1.        Introductions

Michaela Grenier (Metropolitan Planning Organization [MPO] staff) called the meeting to order at 2:00 PM. Members and guests attending the meeting introduced themselves. (For attendance list, see page 6.)

2.        Chair’s Report—Caitlin Allen-Connelly, TransitMatters

C. Allen-Connelly (TransitMatters) shared that the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) was approved at the last MPO Board meeting. C. Allen-Connelly provided an overview of the meeting agenda, which focused on scenario planning for the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

3.        Public Comments

There were no public comments.

4.        Approval of Meeting Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes of the May 13, 2026, meeting was made by A Better City (Amir Wilson) and seconded by the Mystic River Watershed Association (Karl Alexander). The roll call vote for the minutes was approved by the following attendees:

Jason Palitsch (495/MetroWest Partnership)

Scott Mullen (A Better City)

Jesse Kanson-Benanav (Abundant Housing MA)

Jonah Chiarenza (Bike to the Sea)

Sara Han (City of Chelsea)

Jacynda Epenshade (Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation)

Maha Aslam (LivableStreets Alliance)

James Fuccione (MA Healthy Aging Collaborative)

Karl Alexander (Mystic River Watershed Association)

Sheila Buckland (Mystic Valley Elder Services)

Greg Federspiel (TownGreen)

Morgan Griffiths (Town of Natick)

Sophia Galimore (Watertown TMA)

 

 

 

Seth Gadbois (Conservation Law Foundation), Pete Wilson (T4MA), and Caitlin Allen-Connolly (TransitMatters) abstained from voting on the meeting minutes.

The minutes were approved.

5.        Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) Scenario Planning—Erin Maguire, MPO staff

E. Maguire and Marty Milkovits (MPO staff) introduced themselves. E. Maguire provided an overview of the LRTP and scenario planning. E. Maguire stated that approaches to scenario planning vary across regional planning agencies and that the Boston Region MPO will use exploratory scenario planning as a framework to compare alternative futures. E. Maguire described the Travel Demand Model, which is the primary tool the MPO is using to support the exploratory scenario planning process.

E. Maguire invited Advisory Council members to participate in a discussion that focused on forces or uncertainties that may have an impact on the future of the transportation system. E. Maguire stated that staff will take the list of forces and test them using the Travel Demand Model to evaluate potential impacts of different factors. MPO staff will then return to a future Advisory Council meeting to report on implications and results.

Advisory Council members participated in breakout group discussions, which were organized around types of potential future forces. The three different breakout groups were physical infrastructure forces, human health forces, and technology and unforeseen forces.

Discussion

There were six Advisory Council members in the physical infrastructure breakout group discussion. Members discussed the following driving forces:

·       prioritizing safety

·       housing development

·       climate challenges (i.e., Newport/Rockport line flood risks and flood risks of major state roads)

·       funding priorities for infrastructure investments

·       uncertainties around commuter rail functioning

·       market forces and societal forces (i.e., micromobility and electric vehicle use have been framed as individual choices with less societal support for infrastructure)

·       autonomous vehicles and their potential impact on roadways

There were six Advisory Council members in the human health breakout group discussion. Members discussed the following driving forces:

·       the implications of extreme heat and winter weather (including heat and shade impacts for active transportation, snow clearance, heat impacts on driver behavior and infrastructure performance)

·       increases in the proportion of the regional population that is older adults

·       psychological impacts of infrastructure

·       social isolation and social infrastructure (i.e., cuts to programs through Councils on Aging that help people access transportation)

·       housing and transit-oriented development

·       immigration policy

·       food access

·       access to health care amid closure and consolidation of health centers

·       funding cuts to municipal and nonprofit budgets

·       price volatility and affordability (i.e., cost of fuel and car repairs)

Advisory Council members in this group also expressed that the MPO should ensure that long-range plans have enough flexibility for the MPO and municipalities to adapt to changing conditions over time. Council members also requested that the MPO ensure that resource allocations prioritize communities that are most negatively affected by extreme weather and existing infrastructure gaps.

There were seven Advisory Council members in the technology and unforeseen forces breakout group discussion. Members discussed the following driving forces:

·       electric vehicles

·       autonomous vehicles and curb management

·       first- and last-mile solutions

·       increased use of micromobility devices and potential new regulations around use

·       congestion pricing

·       implications of changing commuting patterns

·       housing policies and changes in where people live

·       Artificial Intelligence’s impact on the job market

·       Automated enforcement

·       use of waterways (ferry system) or drones for delivery

·       generational differences in transportation preferences (i.e., car ownership is becoming more expensive, trend towards spending on micromobility devices instead)

·       changes to connectivity of transit system (including connections between transit and micromobility routes)

·       increases in traffic and GPS systems routing traffic to alternate routes

6.        Equity Metrics and Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden (DI/DB) Presentation—Betsy Harvey Herzfeld, MPO staff

B. Harvey Herzfeld provided an overview of the MPO’s Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden (DI/DB) analysis and equity metrics. The DI/DB analysis is a federally required analysis that explores whether federally funded transportation projects will cause a disparate impact or disproportionate burden for people of color and low-income populations. B. Harvey Herzfeld noted that during each LRTP development cycle, MPO staff update the metrics used to understand how projects in the LRTP might affect these populations.

B. Harvey Herzfeld stated that staff are seeking input from Advisory Council members about which metrics should be prioritized in the 2028 LRTP DI/DB analysis to better understand how different populations might be affected by MPO projects. B. Harvey Herzfeld noted that MPO staff will be sharing a survey with Advisory Council members and MPO board members to collect input.

7.        Members’ Items

Scott Mullen (A Better City) shared that A Better City continues to host its Guided Ride Series.

Galen Mook (MassBike) invited members to MassBike’s 5th Annual Kittie Knox Ride on Friday, June 19.

8.        Adjourn

Prior to adjournment, Rhonda Motley (Federal Highway Administration) encouraged MPO staff to be mindful of language used in certification documents.

A motion to adjourn was made by TownGreen (Greg Federspiel) and seconded by A Better City (Scott Mullen). The motion carried.

 

Attendees

Member Municipalities

Representatives and Alternates

Chelsea

Sara Han

Natick

Morgan Griffiths

 

Community Based Organizations

Attendees

495/MetroWest Partnership

Jason Palitsch

A Better City

Scott Mullen, Amir Wilson

Abundant Housing MA

Jesse Kanson-Benanav

Bike to the Sea

Jonah Chiarenza

Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp.

Jacynda Epenshade

Conservation Law Foundation

Seth Gadbois

LivableStreets Alliance

Maha Aslam

MA Healthy Aging Collaborative

James Fuccione

MassBike

Galen Mook, Alexis Hosea-Abbott

Mystic River Watershed Association

Karl Alexander

Mystic Valley Elder Services

Sheila Buckland

Transportation for Massachusetts

Pete Wilson

TownGreen

Greg Federspiel

TransitMatters

Caitlin Allen-Connelly

Watertown TMA

Sophia Galimore

 

Other Attendees

Affiliation

Tony Collins

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Mike Dion

BL Companies

Maria Foster

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Daniel Maurer

Town of Ashland

Rhonda Motley

Federal Highway Administration

Travis Pollack

Metropolitan Area Planning Council

 

MPO Staff

Annette Demchur

Betsy Harvey Herzfeld

Elena Ion

Erin Maguire

Ethan Lapointe

Gina Perille

Ibbu Quraishi

Jia Huang

Lauren Magee

Marty Mikovits

Meghan O’Connor

Michaela Grenier

Sean Rourke

Tegin Teich

 

 

Civil Rights Notice to the Public

Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎

P202#yIS1

You are invited to participate in our transportation planning process, free from discrimination. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is committed to nondiscrimination in all activities and complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency). Related federal and state nondiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, and additional protected characteristics.

For additional information or to file a civil rights complaint, visit www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination.

To request this information in a different language or format, please contact:

Boston Region MPO Title VI Specialist
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 857.702.3700
Email: civilrights@ctps.org

For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service, www.mass.gov/massrelay. Please allow at least five business days for your request to be fulfilled.