By Michael Coughlin Jr.
Last week, several residents attended a meeting hosted by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) to provide comments and learn more about a project at 9 Geneva Street.
The project, presented by Attorney Richard Lynds, involves the combination of seven parcels for a total of nearly 15,000 square feet of land.
As part of the proposal, the existing structures at the site, which include a single-family home and auto repair shop, would be demolished, and a five-story, 28-unit rental building would be built in their place.
Regarding the unit mix for the building, there are plans for four one-bedrooms, 20 two-bedrooms, and four three-bedrooms. Additionally, the project, which is subject to the city’s Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP), will contain five affordable units at 70% area median income (AMI).
Lastly, in terms of parking, there are slated to be up to 28 parking spaces, along with at-grade bike parking.
After Lynds provided an overview of the project, he spoke about a process the project team had gone through with the Gove Street Citizens Association (GSCA) in its review of the proposal and how it led to some changes.
“We had an opportunity, a very robust community process with the Gove Street Citizens Association. We had offered two alternatives when the Gove Street Citizens Association was voting on its project,” said Lynds.
Through this community process, the developer committed to modifying the fifth level by pushing it back, adding parking stackers to get the total number of spots up to 28, and maintaining the IDP units at five units at 70% AMI.
Later, Lynds went through the zoning relief that would be necessary for the project. Under current zoning, the site sits in the MFR (multi-family residential) subdistrict and would require variances for the side yard, floor area ratio, height, open space, and parking.
However, under new zoning developed through PLAN: East Boston — a BPDA neighborhood planning initiative — adopted by the agency’s board, the site is in the East Boston Residential (EBR)-4 subdistrict.
Under the new zoning, the project largely complies with the zoning requirements with a couple of caveats.
For example, the project is proposed to have a height of 55 feet; however, the maximum height allowed in EBR-4 is 50 feet.
However, Lynds explained that due to Article 25A, the proposal could exceed the 50-foot maximum.
“Article 25A of the Boston Zoning Code deals with coastal flood resiliency. Even though we’re not in a flood zone, the city now recognizes that there are areas, including areas that are not necessarily regulated as flood plain, that would have higher risk for potential flooding or potential damage from sea level rise,” said Lynds.
“As a result, under Article 25A, any project currently that requires Article 80 review, must design the building to be compliant with coastal flood resiliency regulations. As a result of that, they actually allow for increased height of the building over what the actual zoning would allow,” he added.
Another caveat was related to parking in that “it is determined under new zoning per Article 80,” according to Lynds.
“Even though the zoning code may have a different requirement for the number of spaces you need and the new zoning is only going to require one per unit, the Article 80 process will determine what an appropriate parking number is,” he added.
Lynds went through different plans, renderings, and elevations as the meeting progressed. He also spoke about other facets of the project, including planting street trees and the introduction of a dog run, before taking questions and comments.
Several residents participated during the question and comment portion of the meeting. For example, Neel Batra, a GSCA Board Member, made some comments about the fifth-floor setback and confirmed the association’s vote regarding the project.
“The vote is done. A majority of the neighborhood supported the project,” said Batra.
Additionally, there were several comments from residents who either supported the project or opposed it.
One resident, who spoke on behalf of himself and his wife, indicated that they had several concerns, including parking, height, and density.
Later in the meeting, Batra also wanted to provide information about those concerned about the project, and he confirmed that the issues dealt with parking, height, and density.
While at least one resident who spoke during the meeting had concerns about the project, several others seemed to be in full support.
“What we have there now is an eyesore. I mean, come on, look at the difference, this is a beautiful building. That whole end of Geneva Street will all be done once this building is put up,” said an attendee.
Another attendee said, “We need more housing. It’s great that there’s some affordable housing; it’s going to clean this all up.”
Another big topic discussed during the meeting was the condition of Geneva Street and how it might be improved through this project and others.
“There will be some work that will be done on Geneva Street, and as a result of that — even though this is a private way — the city has standards that require us to make corrections or improvements,” said Lynds.
“For a project this size, there will be the improvements — at least for our portion of Geneva Street out to Maverick Street,” he added.
For those interested in learning more about the project, viewing the recording of this meeting, or leaving comments about the project, visit https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/9-geneva-street.
Currently, a comment period concerning the Small Project Review Application is open until March 8th.
“Even though we do have a comment period set on the website, that does not mean that people cannot submit comments past the comment deadline,” said Daniel Polanco, a Project Manager at the BPDA.
Comments can be made at the link mentioned above or directly via email to [email protected].