By Michael Coughlin Jr.
Two projects in the neighborhood — one on Horace Street and the other on Monmouth Street — were approved during a Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) subcommittee hearing last week.
The first project up for discussion during the subcommittee meeting was at 68 Horace Street, which includes an attic renovation and the replacement of a roof at an existing two-family home.
Jonathan Ginnis, the project architect, explained that when they submitted for a permit, the project was rejected due to a violation of East Boston’s Interim Planning Overlay District (IPOD).
“Of the three issues in IPOD, basically there was no issue with adding 1,000 feet or expanding the front — we changed the roof line in the back,” said Ginnis.
“It was a flat cornice line that wrapped the corner to what is now a raked cornice line. It meets zoning in every other requirement, and the houses to either side are bigger than this,” he later added.
When the presentation was open to questions from the board, Hansy Better Barraza had asked about the height from floor to ceiling in the attic, which Ginnis said was about nine feet to the ridge beam.
Barraza also had asked about the height of the majority of the habitable bedroom — on average — to which Ginnis explained was seven and a half feet. She also had asked a clarifying question regarding windows in a bedroom area.
There were no other questions from the board, and Conor Newman with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services not only deferred to the judgment of the board but also provided some background on the project’s community process.
He explained an abutters meeting was held in December with one abutter present who did not comment and that the Harbor View Neighborhood Association Board “reviewed the plans and did not think the work being done in the plans needed to go in front of the whole civic group, so they declined to have them come meet,” per Newman.
There were no other public comments following Newman’s testimony, and the board unanimously supported a motion to approve the project with a proviso that it has no building code violations.
The next project up for discussion was at 49 Monmouth Street. The purpose of the project is to change the building from a one-family to a two-family and include a rear deck.
Specifically, the project proponent sought relief for the side and rear yards setbacks and the floor area ratio.
Joie Mara, the owner of the building, presented and expanded on the portion of the project concerning the deck, explaining that it would be bi-level and serve as an egress.
Mara also mentioned that an updated drawing was provided to resolve the sideyard setbacks. “Both sides are now no longer in violation of the code, so it’s just the back side that is less than 30 feet,” he said.
Barraza had asked some questions about the proposed deck, which revealed that it extends 10.2 feet from the existing property and that the new rear setback with the deck would be 19.5 feet. She also asked some questions about a drawing shown during the presentation, and there were no other questions from the board.
Again, Newman deferred to the judgment of the board and provided background on the community engagement of the project. There was an abutters meeting held in September, in which no abutters were present, and support was received from the Eagle Hill Civic Association in November.
There were no other public comments, and the board unanimously supported a motion to approve the project with the proviso that it go through Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) design review.
Per a description of the hearing on the city’s YouTube channel — where the hearing recording can be found — “The Zoning Board will hold a vote on whether to approve or reject the Subcommittee recommendations at its next full-Board hearing.”
The next ZBA hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, February 27th, according to the ZBA webpage on the city’s website.