During the Gove Street Neighborhood Association’s (GSNA) monthly meeting last week, attendees were presented with plans to add several units to the site of an existing garage at 265 Maverick Street.
As part of the project, adaptive reuse is proposed for the existing structure. “There is some historical or architectural significance with the building itself, so we want to do the best we can to preserve the building for purposes of reuse,” said Attorney Richard Lynds, who presented the proposal.
Additionally, there are plans to change the occupancy of the building to a multi-family residential building with 36 units, 13 parking spaces, and bike storage.
Lynds also noted that the project has been developed to comply with the zoning regulations in the East Boston Residential (EBR)-4 subdistrict, that the site is located in the Coastal Flood Resilience Overlay District (CFROD), and is subject to Article 80 review.
As the presentation continued, Lynds highlighted how the project aligns with the zoning regulations in the EBR-4 subdistrict.
While some of the aspects of the project, such as the setbacks and lot coverage, do not comply with the zoning, Lynds explained that they are pre-existing conditions.
He later explained what these pre-existing non-conformities mean and how they relate to the project, citing Article 53-30, which deals with pre-existing buildings.
“It does say, as a general rule, we can alter, enlarge, or extend a building, provided that, unless as set forth in subsection two, the enlargement doesn’t increase any dimensional non-conformities and otherwise conforms to the requirements of the article,” said Lynds.
“In essence, if you have an existing footprint of a building that’s non-conforming, you can go up vertically as tall as the zoning would allow, and you don’t have to respect any of the setbacks because they recognize that it’s a pre-existing condition.”
Regarding the height of the building, it is being billed as a four-story coastal flood-resilient design. However, when looking at the building plans, it appears to be five stories.
In the EBR-4 subdistrict, the maximum height allowed is four stories and 50 feet. However, since this building is in the CFROD, Lynds said the height is measured from the design flood elevation rather than grade.
“As a result, we are allowed to have some height bonuses, which allow us to start our first level a bit above the sidewalk, as well as the overall height of the building to be a little higher than what the zoning allows,” said Lynds.
As for other information related to the project, Lynds said a layout is not finalized, but there are plans for a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with the potential for some three-bedroom units.
There are also plans for units to have decks for outdoor space, a common roof deck, private roof decks for some of the upper-level units, and improvements in front of the building that coincide with the city’s complete streets initiative.
Following the presentation, attendees made comments and asked questions. One attendee had wondered if there would be an abutters meeting for the project.
However, Lynds noted that since the proposal is an Article 80 project, a public meeting held by the Planning Department will replace an abutters meeting.
Another attendee wondered if there would be retail on the ground floor. Lynds indicated there was no proposed retail space because of where a transformer has to be placed, the building’s main lobby, and where parking has to be accessed.
Affordability was also discussed. Lynds explained that if they are required to provide affordable units, the amount would be between 13% and 20% of the total units.
After more comments were made and more questions were asked, the discussion and meeting ended. Since this was the first presentation of the project to the GSNA, no vote was held. The next GSNA meeting is scheduled for November 25.