By Michael Coughlin Jr.
After its July hiatus, the Harbor View Neighborhood Association (HVNA) was back in action on Monday night when those in attendance heard the first presentation for two proposed projects in the neighborhood.
The first project up for discussion was at 106 Moore Street and was presented by Attorney Richard Lynds. The proposal for this development is to demolish the existing two-family home at the site in order to build a new eight-unit building with nine parking spaces and three private roof decks.
Moreover, the newly built units are intended for homeownership upon completion. Lynds also shared the zoning relief that is being requested with this project which includes the use, parking, and more.
Following the rest of the presentation, which included renderings and floor plans of the proposed project, the floor was opened for discussion and touched on several topics.
The first meeting attendee to participate in the discussion talked about other multi-unit buildings popping up in the area and simply asked, “Why do we need another one,” and “Why would we even want another one?”
While Lynds indicated he was not sure if he could answer that first question, he explained that they were going through the community process and concluded by saying, “If you don’t like the project, then I assume you won’t support it — you won’t vote in favor of it.”
Another question raised was about the drainage and how it would be handled, especially with an upward grade in the driveway mentioned.
In speaking about the drainage situation, Lynds mentioned that systems would be built within the site to handle the stormwater runoff, which would then be released into the city’s system.
Other discussion points were some of the variances, and there were also talks about a potential shadow study being done.
Finally, one topic that was discussed at length was the roof decks, both in terms of the railings surrounding them and potential privacy concerns for abutters.
As for the railings, there are plans to use either clear glass or panel, which Lynds described as low-profile. “You don’t necessarily see the actual railings themselves,” he said.
Regarding privacy concerns relating to the roof decks, Lynds mentioned that they could show sight lines to illustrate what people on the roof deck would see and talked about setbacks helping to quell the issue of people on the roof deck being able to see into others’ properties.
The following proposal those in attendance at Monday’s meeting heard about was at 141 Addison Street and was also presented by Lynds.
The proposal for this project is to combine the two lots that the current industrial building at the site sits on into one to construct a four-story, 20-unit multi-family dwelling with 14 parking spaces and bike parking. This project is also intended to be for homeownership upon completion.
Regarding the unit makeup, there are plans for 10 one-bedrooms, eight two-bedrooms, and two three-bedrooms. There are also plans for four IDP units — 20% of the total project.
It should also be noted that according to Lynds, due to the project’s size, it is subject to Article 80 small project review.
“Unlike a lot of the other projects we present — smaller projects — this actually has a parallel track where the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) has to recommend approval before we can go to the Boston zoning board,” he said.
This process is currently ongoing, and the next step will be to have a public meeting hosted by the BPDA following the filing of a small project review application.
When this project was opened up for discussion, the topic that was frequently touched on was parking.
One resident thought that if there are 20 units in this proposed building, chances are that there would be at least one car or maybe even two per unit meaning having 14 spaces could contribute to already difficult parking conditions.
In response, Lynds attributed the lower amount of parking to the city’s planning guidelines.
“They don’t view it as the highest priority to, you know, have as much parking as you can for a site. They feel as if the requirements or at least the need for housing certainly outweighs the need for parking,” he said.
Lynds also made a point while acknowledging that it might be an unpopular opinion, saying, “There are people who want to buy housing and not have a car.”
He also said they could talk about including a ride-share program where one or two cars could be shared among those in the building.
Other topics brought up were the timeline for construction if approved. Lynds indicated that following the approval process and the projected time it would take to complete construction, the finished product could be in mid to late 2025.
There was also a question about the hours of operation for construction, which Lynds explained would be governed by the city’s ordinances.
Since these were the first presentations to the HVNA for each project, there was no vote held; votes for each would likely be held at a future meeting.
Also, it should be noted that the HVNA will not meet at its regular time in September due to Labor Day. Instead, it will convene again on Monday, September 11.