When it came to shepherding development projects large and small through Boston’s byzantine approval process, Brian Golden literally had the golden touch.
In more than eight years at the helm of the Boston Planning & Development Agency, he oversaw a record real estate and construction boom. The agency approved nearly 90 million sq ft of new commercial and residential development from 2014 through 2021, including more than 45,000 new housing units and 140,000 new jobs, city statistics show. The torrid pace continued until Golden left his post last May as new Mayor Michelle Wu brought in her own team.