Eight Units Pitched for Lubec Street

Attorney Matt Eckel pitched his client’s plans at Monday night’s Gove Street Citizens Association (GSCA) meeting to erect an eight unit residential building on Lubec Street.

The 3,000 square foot vacant lot at 69 Lubec Street would be transformed into a five-story, eight unit building with eight parking spaces.

The exterior of the building would take some architectural elements of the turn of the century tenement brick row houses along the street but put a modern twist like larger windows and modern materials other than brick.

The height of the building would be 50 feet, something GSCA members immediately had a problem with. Since being reactivated in 2013 the GSCA has bucked the trend of developers going above the allowable height. Current zoning allows for a three-story, 35 foot building on the Lubec Street lot. The five story, 50 foot height was something residents said was too large and did not keep in line with the rest of the homes on the street.

“Why not just make it as tall as the buildings on either side?” asked one resident at Monday’s meeting. “As an abutter why can’t you just make it like the rest of the street.”

The same resident said she’d be okay with even four stories but thought five stories was too tall.

“There’s no place where there are 50 foot buildings on Lubec Street,” she said.

Other’s didn’t mind the more modern design of the building and thought diversity in the architectural feel of the street wasn’t a bad thing.

GSCA members did not vote on the proposal and Eckel reminded the crowd that this was only an initial presentation and would take the group’s comments back to his client for potential design changes.

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