Elizabeth Grob
Title: Director of Urban Permitting Services, VHB
Age: 50
Experience: 26 years
Elizabeth Grob helps developers navigate red tape while running the gantlet of government regulatory agencies – MEPA, DEP, CZM and the BRA, to name just a few. Grob heads the urban permitting services division of planning and engineering firm VHB’s Boston’s office. She leads a team of five employees that advises clients on some of the largest and most complex projects needing approval from government regulators, such as the South Station Expansion and South Coast Rail projects. Grob is a former Coastal Zone Management agency official and worked as a senior consultant for eight years at Epsilon Assoc. before joining VHB in 2014.
Q:What are the parameters of the urban permitting team’s work?
A:We stretch those parameters beyond the urban area all the time, while our focus has been on Boston, Cambridge, big-city development. There’s some unique permitting issues and challenges with those that are particular for our Boston integrated services team approach. You have to know people and permitting history. We have relationships built over time with regulators. Our team has the ability to move forward complicated projects, and having the ability to brainstorm permitting challenges with a team has been terrific.
Q:How has Chapter 91, the state’s law that governs waterfront development, evolved over the years?
A:Chapter 91 hasn’t changed all that much in the last 15 to 20 years, and that at times creates issues. The regulations are prescriptive in what they require in open space, setbacks from the water’s edge, height. DEP doesn’t have the flexibility to change the regulatory requirements without a (municipal) harbor plan. Harbor plans tailor the regulations and provide clients the necessary relief to make an exciting project a reality. On the other hand, Chapter 91 requires waterfront development to include public open space and a Harborwalk, which have activated the Boston waterfront and provided public benefits to residents and visitors.
Q:What are some of the largest projects you’ve worked on?
A:I worked with others on the South Boston waterfront municipal harbor plan, which was completed in 2000. It took about a year. Because the property was a parking lot, and there were not many owners, it seemed to be less complicated because there weren’t disparate users. There were two main ownership groups, so it seemed to make it a better planning exercise. And now the development’s happening, Seaport Square is really active, and I managed the permitting for them along with Chapter 91 licensing. I’m currently leading the environmental permitting team for the South Coast Rail project, which is managed by the MBTA, and will connect the cities of New Bedford and Fall River to the city of Boston. I’m also working on the South Station Expansion managed by MassDOT.
Q: How valuable was your experience working in the public sector?
A:It’s given me that big-picture focus and knowing strategically how to move a project forward. It’s been really helpful. Through my CZM experience, I got to understand what it is like to be on the other side of the table and see their perspective. It made it easier to manage large and complicated projects with aggressive timelines, and the regulators are dealing with limited staff and resources, that creates real challenges.
Q: How are the recent projections for rising sea levels affecting engineering of projects in Greater Boston?
A:Even a year ago we didn’t hear about it as much. And now developers are proactively asking us for analysis and solutions. They want their assets protected from sea level rise and storm surge. We’re noticing the use of innovative technologies being employed. The one that I have recently seen is called “aquafences” – [they] are removable and can attach to the ground, serving as a wall against storm events. We’ve done the engineering to make sure that it works and what kind of a storm it will protect.
Q:What are some of the common mistakes that trip up developers in permitting?
A:It’s critical for a successful process to have a prefiling meeting and continued close coordination with the BRA and MEPA. That cannot be overemphasized. It’s a critical step to confirm that we’re meeting the BRA’s requirements for scope, as well as the client’s project needs and timeline. That’s a best way to keep everyone moving in the same direction. And also to realize that permitting takes time. There are ways to expedite it, by focusing on what matters most for the client. You can’t ask for everything, but based upon our experience, there are ways to expedite the process in close coordination with the agencies.
Q:What will be the next generation of regulations having a major effect on permitting?
A:Federal and state regulatory focus on resiliency planning is the next generation of regulations. On the one hand, policies should allow for some flexibility in approach; they should also provide more explicit direction on what analytical models may be used in order to avoid confusion and promote consistency among developers. A consistent baseline of risk will help to define funding needs and move projects forward. On the other hand, predicting climate change impacts is a tricky proposition, at best, which is why the BRA’s Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Checklist for New Construction seems to be a reasonable and workable tool.
Five Songs On My Playlist:
“Work Song” – Weezer
“Firecracker” – Ryan Adams
“Sweet Jane” – Velvet Underground
“Believe (Nobody Knows)” – My Morning Jacket
“Kansas City” – The New Basement Tapes
