(Courtesy Illustration) The proposed building at 105A S. Huntington Ave.
S. HUNTINGTON—A plan for luxury apartments and retail space in a 130-foot-tall building at 105A S. Huntington Ave. was filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) late last week, just after the Impact Advisory Group (IAG) had its first meeting.
The 195 luxury units in the multi-building development would include townhouses and apartment buildings of one-, two- and three-bedroom, high-end units targeted at graduate students and families. The project would also include 1,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 176 parking spaces in an underground garage.
The IAG’s first meeting took place on July 10. Developer Anthony Nader told the Gazette he made an informal presentation to the BRA-selected IAG members about the project.
An IAG is a city-appointed group of residents and other stakeholders that advise the city on potential impacts of building projects.
“We received a very positive response,” Nader said. “Everybody was very cooperative.”
“The developers want to have a good project that everyone is happy with,” IAG member John Iappini told the Gazette, though he mentioned the height of the proposed building as a concern.
The fact that the developers also plan to charge renters for use of the proposed 176 parking spaces also concerned Iappini.
Nader filed the required project notification form (PNF) with the BRA on July 12. A public meeting where Nader will present his project to the community is required, though it has not yet been scheduled.
The project may require zoning relief. Due to the extreme incline of the parcel, some of the townhouses would be lower than the parcel’s average elevation. Normally, this would indicate a below-ground structure, though it is not the case for this project.
A variance might also be needed depending on the occupants of the ground-floor retail space and other potential accessory services.
The IAG also brought up the fact that there are other parcels for sale or already under development plans in the vicinity, Iappini said. One, 161 S. Huntington Ave., the current Home for Little Wanderers, would also have another 190-200 proposed luxury units.
“It calls for the BRA to have some kind of master plan for the area,” he added.
“If people have to pay for parking, they’ll find a way around that and park in the neighborhood,” he said. “That’s a problem.”
Cedar Valley Development, managed by Nader, purchased the 1.1-acre parcel at 105A S. Huntington Ave. from the state in 2005, amid controversy. The site had been used by North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB) since the 1970s.