By Michael Coughlin Jr.
During the Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association’s (JPNA) latest monthly meeting on August 14, those in attendance heard about a proposed project at 338-342 Sumner Street, and a slight majority of voters supported it.
The project at 338-342 Sumner Street was presented at the JPNA earlier this month by Attorney Richard Lynds.
He explained that the proposal would confirm the occupancy of the existing mixed-use multi-family dwelling with four units and ground-level retail and then change the occupancy to six units and maintain the ground-level retail space.
In addition to the change in occupancy, there are also plans to do a complete rehabilitation of the building, which, according to Lynds, has been the family home of the Petruccelli family for “the better part” of the last five or six decades.
“The Petruccelli family has lived here and remained in the community for a good deal of time. This property is in need of substantial upgrades and repairs. They’ve decided that it is time to perform a full renovation and make a substantial investment in this property,” said Lynds.
He also indicated that following renovations, the Petruccelli’s will remain as owners and that it will remain as a rental property.
Moreover, some other aspects of the project to note include a vertical addition and two private roof decks.
When it came time for discussion, Lynds spoke about several different topics — first, about the ground-level retail space and what might be going in there.
Though Lynds indicated that a tenant is not currently lined up, he mentioned that the idea is for “low-intensity retail.”
“We’re not looking for a full-service restaurant — we don’t have the size. It could very well be professional offices. We show cafe in the rendering; I think, ideally, we’re going to try to find something that fits in the neighborhood,” said Lynds.
There was also a question about trash and recycling and how it relates to rodent mitigation. Lynds explained that he thought there would be an ability to maintain it in the building. He also explained that if anything were to go outside, it would be in an enclosed structure.
Additionally, there was a question related to the proposed work and what mitigation there would be. In terms of rodent mitigation, Lynds indicated that baiting and trapping would be done as required by the City; moreover, he noted that most of the work would be done internally, and if a dumpster is needed for debris, it would be there for a minimal amount of time.
As the discussion continued, some other comments were made about some of the design aspects of the project and more.
Following the JPNA meeting, voting was opened up for the project and, as noted, was supported by the JPNA, specifically, by a vote of 10-8.
As for what is next, Lynds indicated that there is hope to go before the Zoning Board of Appeal in the fall and obtain a building permit in late winter or early spring.
Regarding how long the proposed project would take to complete, Lynds indicated that it could take from six to 10 months, depending on whether the work is phased or done as one project.