At the Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association’s March meeting, members voted down a development proposal to turn a three-family into a five-family on Webster Street.
Lifelong Eastie residents James and Patti Sartori, who have lived in the well-maintained Victorian three-family home at 28 Webster St. for decades, proposed to add an addition to their property and two additional units.
However, in a close vote at JPNA’s March meeting members voted 18 to 15 against the proposal.
The vote came after four JPNA presentations, as well as presentations to the JPNA’s planning and zoning subcommittee and abutters meetings.
Attorney for the project, Richard Lynds, said his clients worked closely with the neighborhood group and abutters to come up with a proposal that did not harm the look or style of the home.
“We think we have come up with something that is consistent with the architectural significance of the current building, as well as the surrounding homes on Webster Street,” said Lynds. “We are shooting for a historic preservation of the home and the addition of the two additional units would match the style and look of the current home.”
Lynds said that after careful consideration the original idea to put a roof deck on top of the building was nixed because it did not fit in with the architectural style.
The detached home that abuts a vacant lot on one side would consist of three, three-bedroom units and three, two-bedroom units.
While many at the JPNA meeting applauded the fact that the architectural drawing shown kept in line with the style of the surrounding architecture some did not like adding units to an already ‘lovely’ home.
Others didn’t like the fact that an additional story would be added to the home thus raising the height of the building while some complained that adding more living space on the somewhat congested street would spell trouble for neighbors in terms of density and parking.